The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-10-24
THE PERSUASIVE WORD.
Rev. Dr.. TaImage Says II Calls All
People TO Gladness.
What We Most Need--The Star Of Faith
There Is Pardon For All.


Copyright, 1ao1.l
WARRINGTON, ID. C.-In this discourse
DR.. Talmage calls all people to e,adness
and opens all the doors of expectancy;
texts, Genesis nS u, IS, Gomez" Revelation
Imperial, tender and all persuasive is
the word Come" Six hundred and sew.
enty-eight times is il found in the Scrip.
lures. II stands at the front gate of the
Bible: as in my. frat text, inviting ante
diluvians into Noah's ark. and il stands
at the other gate of the Bible. as in my
second text, inviting the postdiluvions Of
all later ages into the ark of a Saviour's
mercy. Come" is only a word Of four
letters, but it is the queen OF words. and
nearly the entire nation of English vo-
eabulary bows 10 its sceptre. 1t is an
ocean into which empties ten thousand
rivers of meaning. Other words drive,
but this beckons All moods OF feeling
hath that word come" Sometimes il
weeps and sometimes it laughs. Some.
times it prays, sometimes it tempts and
sometimes it destroys. It sounds from
the door of the church and from the Sc
ragios of sin, from the gates of heaven
and the gates Of hell. 1t is con7uent
and accrescent Of all power. It is the
heiress OF most Of the future. "ComeW
You may pronounce it so that al the
heavens will be heard in it's cadences or
pronounce it so that all the woes OF time
syllable. 1t is on the lip of saint and
profigate. It is the mightiest of all So
hcitants either for good or bad.
To-day l weigh anchor and haul IN the
planks and set sail on that great word,
although / am sure l will not be able to
reach the farther shore. | will let down
the fathoming line into this sea and try
to measure its depths, and, though / tie
together all the cables and cordage / have
on board will not be able to touch bot
tom. All the power Of the Christian reli-
gion is in. that word come" The dicta-
OF no avail. The imperative mood is not
the appropriate mood when we would
have people savingly impressed. They
may be coaxed, but they cannot be driv-
en-, Our hearts are like our homes--at a
friendly knock the door will be opened,
but an, attempt to force open our door
would land the assailant in prison Our
theological seminaries. which keep young
men three years in their curriculum be-
fore launching them into the ministry,
will do well If in so short time they can
teach the candidates for the holy Office
how to say with great emphasis and into
nation and power that one word come"
That man who has such efficiency in
Christian work. and that woman who has
such power to persuade people to quit
the wrong and begin the right went
through series of losses, bereavements,
prosecutions and the trials Of twenty or
thirty years before they could make it
triumph of grace every time they uttered
the word Come"
You must remember that in many cases
our come" has a mightier come" to
conquer before it has any effect at all.
just give me the accurate census, the sta.
tistics of how many are down in fraud, in
drunkenness, in gambling, in impurity or
in vice of any sort, and ] will give you
the accurate census OF statistics of how
many have been slain by the word
come" Come and click wine glasses
with me at this ivory bar" Come and
see what we can win at this gaming ta-
full speculation" ''Come with me and
read those infdel tracts on Christianity"
Come with me to place of bad amuse-
ment." "Comc with me in a gay bout
through the underground life Of the
city" IF in this city there are 10000 who
are down in moral character, then 10000
fell under the power of the word Come"
] was reading of wife whose husband
had been oyerthrown by strong drink,
and she went to the saloon where he was
ruined, and she said, Give me back my
husband" And the bartender, pointing
to maudlin and battered man browsing
in the corner OF the barroom, said:
your wife come for YOU And the wom-
an said: ''Do you call that my husband?
What have you been doing with him? Is
that the manly brow, is that the clear
eve. is that the noble heart that / mar
ried? What vile drug have you given
him that has turned him into a fend?
Take your tiger claws off of him. Uncoil
those serpent folds of evil habit that are
crushing him. Give me back my hus-
band, the one with whom | stood at the
altar ten years ago Give him back to
me-" Victim was he, as millions of 9th
ers. have been, of the word "come."
Now we want all the world over TO
harness this word for good as others
have harnessed it for evil. and it will
draw the five continents and the seas be-
tween them-yes, it will draw the whole
earth back to the God from whom it has
wandered. It is that wooing and persua-
sive word that will lead men TO give up
their sins. Was skeptcism ever brought
into love Of the truth by an ebullition of
hot words against infdelity? Was ever
the blasphemer stopped in his oaths by
denunciation of blasphemy? Was ever
drunkard weaned from his cups by the
temperance lecturers mimicry of stag
Come with me to church to-day and
hear our singing" Come and let me in
troduce you to a Christian man whom
you will be sure to admire;" "Come with
me into associations that are cheerful and
good and inspiring;" "Come with me into
Jvy su.n 10 you never pelore eApe-
rienced"
With that word which has done so
much for others / approach you to-day.
Are you all right with God? NO" you
say. II think not. / am sometimes
alarmed when | think of Him. fear /
will not be ready to meet Him in the last
day. My heart is not right with God"
Come then, and have it made right.
Through the Christ who died to save you,
come! WHAT'S the use in waiting? The
longer you wait the farther off you are
and the deeper you are down. Strike out
for heavenl You remember that few
years ago a steamer called the Princess
Alice, with a crowd of excursionists
aboard, sank in the Thames, and there
was an awful sacrifice of life. A boatman
from the shore put out for the rescue, and
he had big boat, and he got it so full it
would not hold another person, and as he
laid hold of the oars to pull for the shore,
leaving hundreds helpless and drowning,
he cried out: "Oh, that had bigger
hoatl" Thank God / am not thus lin
itei and that | can promise room for all
in this gospel boat. Get in, get inl And
yet there is room. Room in the heart Of
a pardoning God. Room In heaven
| also apply the word of my text to
those who would like practical comfort
II any ever escape the struggle of life,
have not found them. They are not GER
tainly among the prosperous classes. In
most cases it was a struggle all the way
up till they reached the prosperity, and