The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-01-16
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE. .....


DIVINE.
Subject: Apples OF Gold-An Appropriate
Word May Decide Ones Destiny -
The Power Of Little Things - Value
OF sympathy.
Copyright 1901
WASHINGTON, d. Gin this discourse
DR.. Talmage shows an open door for any
one who desires to be useful, and illus.
trates how little thing may decide ones
destiny. The text is Proverbs XIV, II ire
vised version), "a word ftly spoken Is
like apples of gold in baskets of silver.
A fligree basket loaded with fruit is put
before us in the text. What is ordinarily
translated pictures" ought to be "bas-
kets." Here is a silver network basket
containing ripe and golden apples. pip
pins or rennets. You know how such ap-
ples glow through the openings of bas'
ket of silver network. You have seen
such a basket of fruit on many table.
It whets the appetite as well as regales
the vision. Solomon was evidently fond
of apples. because he 80 often speaks OF
them. While he writes in glowing terms
of pomegranates and figs aud grapes and
mandrakes, he seems to find soaee as well
as lusciousness in apples, calling out for
supply of them when he says in another
place, Comfort me with apples" Now
you see the meaning of my text, "A word
fifty spoken is like apples OF gold in bes-
kets of silver"
You see, the wise man eulogizes just one
word. Plenty of recognition has there
been for great orations- arraigu-
ment of Catiline, the phillippics OF De
mosthenes, the five days argument of Ed
mund Burke against Warren Hastings,
Edward Irving's discourses on the Bible
and libraries full of prolonged utterance-,
but nv text extols the power of one word
when it refers to "a word ftly spoken"
This may mean a single word CT a small
collection of words-something you can
utter in one breath, something that you
can compact into one sentence. "A word
fitly spoken" - an encouraging WORD, q
kind word, timely word, a sympathetic
word, an appropriate word. can pass
right down the aisle of any church and
find between pulpit and front door men
whose temporal and eternal destinies have
been decided by word.
tell you what is great crisis in every
mans history. 1t is the time when he is
entering an occupation or profession. He
is opposed by men in middle life because
they do not want any more rivals, and
by some of the aged because they fear
being crowded off and their places being
taken by younger men. Hear the often
severe and unfair examinations OF young
lawyers by old lawyers, of young doctors
by old doctors, of young ministers by old
ministers Hear some of the old mer-
chants talk about the young merchants.
Trowels and hammers and scales often are
&C hammers
and new scales. Then it is so difficult to
get introduced How long a time has
many a physician had his sign out before
he got call for his services and the attor-
ney before he got a case! Who wants to
risk the life of his family to young ply
sician who got his diploma only last spring
and who may not know measles from
scarlatina, OF to risk the obtaining of
verdict for $4,000 to an attorney who
only three years ago read the first page OF
Blackstone?
How is the young merchant to compete
with his next door bargain maker, who
can afford to undersell some things be
cause he can more than make it up by the
profit on other things or has failed three
times and had more money after each
failure? How is that mechanic to make
a livelihood when there are twice as many
men in that trade as can in hard times find
occupation? There are this very moment
thousands of men who are just starting
life for themselves, and they need encour-
agement-not long harangue, not quota
ton from profound book. not page, not
a paragraph, but word, one word, tltly
spoken.
Why does not that old merchant, who
has been forty years in business, 60 ints
that young merchants store and say,
"Courage?" He needs only that one word,
although, of course, you will illustrate it
by telling your own experience and how
long you waited for customers, and how
the first two years you lost money, and
how the next year, though you did better,
illness in your household swamped the
surplus with doctors bills. Why does not
that old lawyer 20 into that young law
yer's office Just after he has broken down
in making his first plea before jury and
say that word with only two syllables.
"Courage" He needs only that one word,
although, of course, you will illustrate it
BY telling him how you broke down in
one of your first cases, and got laughed at
by court and bar and Jury, and how Dis:
raeli broke down at the start, and how
hundreds Of the most successful lawyers
at the start broke down. Why do not the
successful men go right away and tell those
who are starting what they vent through.
and how their notes got rotested and
what unfortunate purchases they made,
and how they were swindled, but kept
right on until they reached the golden
milestone? Even some who pretend to
favor the new beginner and say they wish
him well put obstacles in his way.
There are so many men who have all
the elements of usefulness and power eX-
cept one-courage. If you can only under
God give them that, you give them every
thing. In illustrating that one word show
them that every man that ever amounted
to anything had terrific struggle. Show
him what ships Decatur had to fight, and
what mountain Hannibal had to climb,
and what lame foot Walter Scott had to
walk with, and that the greatest poet
who ever lived-.Milton-wa blind. that
one of the grandest musicians of all the
ages--Beethoven- deaf, and that
Stewart, in some respects the greatest
merchant that America ever saw, began
in his small store, dining on bread and
cheese behind the counter in a snatched
interregnum between customers. he open
ing the store and closing it, sweeping it
out with his own broom and being his own
errand boy. Show them that within ten
minutes walk there are stores. shops and
factories and homes where as brave deeds
have been done as those of Leonidas at
Thermopylae, as that of Horatius at the
bridge, as that of Colin Campbell at Bala-
hlava. Tell them what Napoleon said to
his staff officer when that officer declared
a certain military attempt to be impossi-
ble "Impossible!" said the great COM
mander. Impossible is the adjective of
fools!"
Show them also that what is true in
worldly directions is more true in spiritual
directions Call the roll of prophets, apos-
ties and martyrs and private Christians
from the time the world began and ask
them to mention one man or woman