Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-08-18
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor Of jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

Frank De Witt Talmage with charac
teriStic vigor and dlrectness. The text
Is Corinthians Il, %, "Despise We the
church Of GodY
While rummaging through a book
store the other day purchased a vol
ume with this suggestive title: why
Men Do Not Go to Church" In it the
author gives many blunt statements.
He asserts that in New York city alone
not more than 3 per cent of all the
male population are members of the
Protestant churches. He makes this
charge against New York city, with
its millions upon millions of dollars in
vested In church architecture, with it's
millions Of dollars every year lavishly
expended for evangelistic work. He
makes this charge against New York
city. which Is not heather town, but
which claims to be not only the wealth
lest but the most enlightened city In
our Christian land. The author of
that book further declared that not
more than one-half of all the inhabit-
ants OF this country ever attend church.
BY that the author means the vast ma
jority OF Americans seldom set foot In
any church building. because the most
OF the half who do attend church do
so occasionally only.
With the startling statements of that
book stin fresh In my mind I would
like to ask you the question which
Paul asked the nonchurchgoers of
Corinth. The world needs precisely
the things that the church was organ
zed to supply. 1t needs strength to
resist temptation. 1t needs rules for the
guidance of life. 1t needs support un-
der affiiction, solace in bereavement
and hope Of heaven after death. All
these blessings come by Christianity.
II Is therefore worth while inquiring
what are the obstacles that keep men
FROM coming into the church and OBJ
tanning them. So I not only want to
dnd out why the vast majority of
people do not join or regularly attend
church. but | also want to try to re-
move those difficulties so that you. one
and oil. win come into the fellowship
Of the divine institution in which are
numbered the great hosts of the fol-
lowers Of the Lord Jesus.
An Absurd Reason.
"Wen." says some one In answer to
the words Of my text, 1.-The reason
despise the church of God is because
there are certain parts of the Bible l
do not understand. Therefore l will
not profess to believe what / cannot
comprehend" Now. my friend. such
q statement is simply absurd. From
sucn talk one might suppose that the
only inexplicable things in the whole
universe are those recorded between
the lids of holy writ. Why. there
are whole realms and cycles and uni
verses Of facts In every direction yet
untraversed and unexplained. You
cannot focus the whole heavens with
one telescope nor span infinity with
the finite. You might as well try tc
build range OF mountains from Long
Island to England by pitching pebble:
into the Atlantic ocean or try to empty
the Pacific by dipping up the water!
with sewing girls thimble as to at
tempt to build up system of scienc,
or to develop a belief In the Bible un
less you are willing to accept SOM
things which you cannot explain.
But. though statements may be mad
In the Bible which you and l canno
understand. the salient truths, the Cal
vary truths. the converting truths. ar
all simply told truths. defy any un
biased man to read the simple word
OF the four gospels and remain blin
70 their meaning. No man can rea
the story Of the prodigal son and ia
10 realize that God Is represented b
the aged father. that his own shift
life Is represented by the sins Of tn
younger son. that repentance and peaC
are represented by the return HON
and tue divine love and forgiveness b
the ring and the fatted calf and IL
fathers kiss Spiritual light and dee
er faith will come later. So. my brotl
CT, as you believe in God the Fathe
God the Son and God the Holy Ghos
as you believe that Jesus suffered al
died upon the cross for our sins,
you believe that Christ has gone
heaven TO prepare n dwelling place f
those who are cleansed 10y his bloc
you believe all that is needed to qua
tfy you to come into the church he c
tablshed on eSrth. This was the ga
Ing belief of the Philippian jailer.
whom Paul said. Relieve OH the Lo
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be say,
AMI thy house" A man Is not necG
sarily haired from the church of Jes
Christ because he does not fully undt
stand all the Bible. He is received al
welcomed because he believes tn
God SO loved the world that he ga
his only begotten Son. that whosoev
believeth OIL him should not peris
0ut have everlasting life"
One Pastors Experience.
One day woman came to the me
noted minister of the south. the RI
r. NJ. Palmer Of New Orleans.
said "Pastor. I cannot accept and
Neve the doctrines OF the Presbyteri
church: therefore am afraid mi