Milford chronicle., 1902-07-25
TALMAGE
SERMON
y
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE, DID,,
Pastor Of jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago


FRANK DE WITT TALMAcE. DID,.
Pastor Of jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago
Chicago, July 20.-There are a scent
Of the pines and an atmosphere Of the
country in this sermon by Rev. Franz;
De Witt Talmage from the text Mari.
vi, 81, Come We yourselves apart into
a desert place and rest awhile
A desert place! What does that
mean? Is Christ bidding his disciples
follow him over great sea Of sandf
Does he want his companions to lose
themselves among the endless dunes
and live where neither beast nor bird
nor fish nor insect can live? Does he
desire them to be terror stricken ut the
| meanings of the simoOms or to be
smothered in one Of those awful desert
windstOrms and be there as completely
lost as the merciless ocean can swallow
| down a sbipwrecked crew and leave
no trace where the watery jaws have
| opened and shut? No. Christ is not
here abiding to a Mesopotamian OF a
| Persian or a Sahara desert OF sand
Christ is practically saying to his dis
! ciples, who are physically and mentally
worn out from too much work: Come
! let us go out into the country where we
can be alone. Let us go among the
| hills where we shall be Separated from
these throngs Of people who are CON
tinually following us to be physically
healed and spiritually fed. Let us 20
| off alone, where we shall hear only the
| rustling of the leaves and the singing of
the birds and the ripping Of the brooks.
Let us HE away into natures haunts,
where we can see the deer playing in
the valleys and where we can stumble
through the wild vines growing at our
feet. Let his 90 away to the place
where the shepherd leads his 1ocks
among the fresh green pasture lands"
Every human body needs the re
cuperation Of physical rest. When Dan
iel WcbsteSmade his last visit TO John
Adams the aged ex-president said: 81
am as well as any man of nearly nine
| ty years could expect to be. / find /
am afflicted with an incurable disease
called old age. My spirit is occupying
very shaky tenement, and, as far as
| can make out, sir, the Landlord does
not intend to make any more repairs"
| That statement of John Adams was
figuratively right and yet literally
wrong. The human body, which was
once created out Of dust, is being re-
created up to the very brink Of the
| grave. We cat and drink and rest in
order to give nOurishment and strength.
to the bones, the muscles and the flesh.
And rest is just as essential for the
| physical recreation as are food and
water and light.
why a Rest Is Needed.
The purpose of this sermon is to
show that every Woodworking Chris
tan, at least once year, should go
out into the country and take Il vaca-
ton, a prayerful rest. the same rs
Jesus disciples, who left their work
to take rest. 1t is every Christians
duty at least once year to leave the
home, the store, the factory and have
a complete change of scene and food.
When Phoebe Cary came to die, look
ing up at her physician, she said:
Doctor, you can do nothing for me.
The reason l am dying is because for
years l would never take rest Even
when l went off into the country ]
always took my books and pen and
worked" Thousands and tens of thou
sands of the best brains and hearts of
the pulpit, the bar, the medical office
and Of all the Christian departments
of life have simply killed themselves
in their young manhood and woman
hood becaNse they would not obey
Christs command and take rest.
Satan is great strategist. He rare
ly attacks his enemies in the places
where he thinks they are invulnerable.
He is always trying new schemes and
plans. When Satan finds true Chris
tian who is cOnsecrated to Gods serv-
ice, he Immediately calls together his
demoniac lieutenants and says: "That
man must be stopped in his career of
good works. Those lips Of his must be
closed. That hand must be made help
less. That pure heart must be struck
by some poisonous arrow. That foot
Of his must be led along the stony
path of sin" No vision of earth can
arouse Satan into such Il frenzied pas
sion as the sight of good man CON
secrating his years to good works. SO
Satan, when he sees Il good man CON
secrating his life TO good deeds, i'm
mediately dispatches his angels of
, temptation. First, Satan offers to that
good man all the allurements Of popu-
lar applause and worldly pleasures.
The spirit Of temptation does not come
like wrinkled old bag, with her bony
hands changed into the shape of an
: eagles claw, which can be used to kill
: as well as tear away the quivering
flesh. But the spirit of temptation
+ comes in the form of the evil spirit
!, like that which the artist once painted.
r He drew the spirit of temptation as a
Y beautiful angel Her lips were wreath
/, ed in smiles. Her hair had hidden in
it the brilliant colOrs of the setting
sun. Her L'D was full of flowers. Her
couch was the rim of a cloud, while
, under the shadow of her flowing robes
crouched the dcmOniac form Of death
So Satan tries to destroy the good man
by adulation, by applause. BY his
very successes Satan tries to turn his
humble heart Of love into vain heart
= of sin.
Then If Satan finds that worldly ap
>, plause and the wine cup and the mid
night caTousal do not stop the caree
IN Of the good man who has consecrateC
e. his life to good deeds he tries anothe
es mode. He says: Il will unkennel ant
e; unleash all the bloOdhounds of perse
in cutiOn and misrepresentation and Sian
IS DER ana turn mem upon the gOOu man
rs track. willEet this pack of demonia
MS blOOdhOunds bury their white teet
or in his limbs; l will let these BLOOD
hounds leap upon him and try to tea
~ a. out his heart. All, have made man
a good man on account Of Islander tur
L. and curse God! Perhaps l can destro
. this man in this way"
i How Satan Kills by OverwOrIz.
- But after Satan has tried to destro
this good man by both popular al
plause and by the hounds of persecr
ton and SANDER and has failed Sata
F has one way left. Satan says to hin
self: 81 cannot make that man give L
s, his God, but l can kill him with owe
work. can pile the Christian opDo
tunities of usefulness upon that bri
1dl liant, cOnsecrated, young gospel mil
lister; l will keep him working durir
the day and during the night; l wi