Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-10
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago


picturesque view of the Christian life
Of service and self denial is presented
by Rev. Frank De Witt Talmage in
this discourse on the text Psalm cxxvi,
6, HE that goeth forth and wcepeth,
bearing precious seed, shall doubtless
come again with rejoicing. bringing his
sheaves with him."
Almost every home IS adorned with
companion pictures. If upon one side
Of the room there is hung cruciflxion
scene, upon the other side of the room
we want picture Of ''rhe First Easter
Morn" If upon one side we see the
hayward boy gathering all together
and taking his journey into far coun-
try, upon the other side we want to
see the returning prodigal being well
coined home by forgiving father.
If upon one side of the room we hang
O picture of the twilight, upon the
other side we want to see the picture
Of the dawn. If John Hevcndcn paints
"The Breaking Of the Home Ties" he
feels that his life would be incom-
plete unless he also paints "Thc Bring
toms Paradise Regained" is a natural
outgrowth of his paradise Lost
Dantes Heaven" is natural Sc
quence to his "Purgatory" and his
"Hell."
So this morning the sermon which l
preach from the One Hundred and
Twenty-sixth Psalm of David is COM
panion sermon to the one recently de-
livered upon the text, Gle that soweth
to the flesh shall Of the flesh reap cor
ruption." 1t has companion text
chosen on account of its vivid con-
trast. The text is selected to prove
that the Christian sower has right to
expect his gospel harvest fields to be
stacked high with golden shcaves of
many blessings, to expect his seed to
bring forth some thirty. some sixty
and some hundred fold. 1t is the
picture of a Christian worker garner
ing the sheaves Of his Christ love. 1t
is the symbol of reward. the symbol
Of glorifed hope and JOY. 1t is the
sweeter text because in it we hear the
triumphant songs Of heaven instead of
the bitter sobs Of despair.
A precious sheaf garnered by the
Christian sower and reaper, is the joy
full realization that by his personal
acts he has been made the human
means in the divine hands through
which immortal souls have been saved
by Christ. There is natural desire
Unborn in almost every human heart
to help those who are in trouble ant
who cannot help themselves.
The Desire to Help Others.
If the lookout sights n shipwrecke(
vessel, the captain does not have tC
compel unwilling sailors to lower the
lifeboat and pull away to save the per
ishing. No. All that the mate has tC
do is to call for volunteers, and, though
the sailors may feel the waves are
having their worst fit of temper, the!
will lower the lifeboat and phil ava.
until the last man Is taken from thu
doomed ship. When the little band o
English men, women and children
were imprisoned, during the IndiaI
mutiny, in the residency of Lucknow
Havelock, with his few regiments, hat
to fight his way through hundred
thousand men. He had to march
thousand miles through countr.
swarming with cutthroats, and whel
the English soldiers courage ant
strength showed signs OF waverin
Havelock reused them with this sim
pie sentence: Men. would you dar
stop or turn back when helpless won
en- and children are dying and mus
be savedT There Is IN almost ever
mans heart desire to help those VIII
cannot help themselves The sam
kind of a desire that drove Henry NJ
Stanley into the dark continent
rescue David Livingstone and Emf
Pasha. The same kind of desir
which made Commander Schley tur
his ships prows northward TO rescu
the arctic explorer Greedy and III
companions. 1t is the same kind {
desire which inspired the United State
government to declare war again:
ing Cuba.
Now, as joy is nothing more or les
than the pleasant emotion produced
the heart by the qualification OF an
desire, as we have shown In referent
to the physical man, that the desire
help those who are helpless Is II
planted in almost every heart, WIFI
greater Joy could come to the Christia
reaper than the realization that he h;
been made instrumental in the savir
Of soul? What earthly JOY can
compared to the holy exaltation til
comes to us when we realize that
prayers and pleadings we have be-
able to bring a sinner face to face wi
Christ? What greater JOY than to ret
lie that our humble efforts have be,
blessed to the saving of soul whit
will live on and on through the comb
ages, on and on through eternities,
and on until at last the lights Of t
stars shall be snuffcd out and tir
shall be no. longer? Only the other d.
i read OF man who, at great p'
eonal risk to himself, was lowered
a rope from the top of twelve sto
building in order to rescue little X
ten which had fallen into one of t
rain cutters. II a man could find ]
in risking his life to save kitten fro
starvation, surely there must be
finite Joy to the Christians heart VIII
he realizes that not one, but MAJ
immortal souls have been won to Chr
and to eternal safety and happint
through his efforts, which God has
richly blessed.