Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-07-11
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE.D.D
Pastor OF Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

"a SttNASc uuQ SciI GENIAL Is presented
by Rev. Frank De Witt Talmage in
this discourse on the text Psalm cxxvis
U, He that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seed. shall doubtless
come again with rejoicing. bringing his
sheaves with him."
Almost every houe is adorned with
companion pictures. If upon one side
OF the room there is hung n crucifixion
scene. upon the other side of the room
we want picture of 1.-THE First Easter
Morn" IL upon one side we see the
maynard boy gathering all together
and taking his journey into a far coun-
try, upon the other side we want to
see the returning prodignl being well
coined home by forgiviug father.
If upon one side of the room we hang
a picture of the twilight, upon the
other side we want to see the picture
of the dawn. IL John Hevenden paints
1.-The Breaking of the Home Ties" he
feels that his life would b incom-
plete unless he also paints ''The Bring
ing Home OF the Bride" John Mil
toms Paradise Regained" is natural
outgrowth OF his Paradise Lost"
Dante's Heaven" is a natural Sc
quence to his "Purgatory" and his
Hell"
So this morning the sermon which
preach from the One Hundred and
Twenty-sixth Psalm Of David is COM
panion sermon to the one recently de-
hvered upon the text, ''He that soweth
to the flesh shall OF the flesh reap cor
ruption." 1t has n 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 sheayes OF
many blessings, to expect his seed to
bring forth some thirty. some sixty
and some hundred fold. 1t is the
picture OF Christian worker garner
ing the sheaves of his Christ love. 1t
is the symbol of reward, the symbol
OF glorified hope and joy. 1t is the
sweeter text because in it we hear the
triumphant songs of heaven instead or
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 a natural desire
Unborn in almost every human heart
TO help those who are i'm trouble and
who cannot help themselves.
The Desire TO Help Others.
II the lookout sights n shipwrecked
vessel. the captain does not have to
compel unwilling sailors TO lower the
lifeboat and pull away TO save the per-
fishing. No. All that the mate has to
do Is to call for volunteers. and, though
the sailors may feel the waves are
having their worst fit OF temper, they
will lower the lifeboat and pull away
until the last man is taken from the
doomed ship. When the little band OF
English men, women and children
were imprisoned. during the Indian
mutiny, in the residency OF Lucknow,
Havelock, with his few regiments, had
20 fight his way through n hundred
thousand men. He had TO march n
thousand miles through country
swarming with cutthroats, and when
the English soldiers courage and
strength showed signs OF wavering
Havelock reused them with this sim
pie sentence: ''Men, would you dare
stop or turn back when helpless wom-
en- and children are dying and must
be saved?" There is in almost every
mans heart desire 10 help those who
cannot help themselves. The same
kind OF a desire that drove Henry NJ.
Stanley into the dark continent to
rescue David Livingstone and Emin
Pasha. The same kind OF n desire
which made Commander Schley turn
his ships prows northward TO rescue
the arctic explorer Greedy and his
companions. 1t is the same kind OF
desire which inspired the United States
government 10 declare war against
Spain I'm behalf OF suffering and bleed
ing Cuba.
Now, as Joy is nothing more or less
than the pleasant emotion produced in
the heart by the qualification OF any
nesire, as we have shown In reference
10 the physical man. that the desire to
help those who are helpless is i'm
planted in almost every heart. what
greater Joy could come to the Christian
reaper than the realization that he has
been made instrumental In the saving
OF soul? What earthly joy can be
compared to the holy exaltation that
comes to us when We realize that by
prayers and pleadings we have been
able TO bring sinner face to face with
Christ? What greater joy than to real
lie that our humble efforts have been
blessed to the saving of a soul which
VIII live on and on through the coming
ages, on and on through eternities, on
and on until at last the lights OF the
stars shall be. snuffed out and time
shall be no longer? Only the other day
j read or man who, at great per-
sonal risk TO himself, was lowered by
rope from the top of a twelve story
building In order TO rescue little kit
ten which had fallen into one OF the
rain cutters. If n man could find joy
In risking his life to save kitten from
starvation, surely there must be In
finite joy to the Christians heart when
he realizes that not one, but many,
smmortal souls have been won to Christ
and to eternal safety and happiness
through his efforts, which God has so
richly blessed.
So, on account Of this transcendent
10y, we find that soul saving has be-
ms the mechanics wife, who has a lit
tie back yard, digs and plants and hoes
and hovers over her gardens because
she loves flowers and never tires of
her beds filled with pansies and sweet
peas and geraniums and narcissus and
nasturtums. SO the true Christian
loves men and women ia order to win
them TO Christ. The city missionary
goes down into the back alley for this
one purpose. He climbs the dark ten
ement- There he finds a drunken hus-
band and father, and as the city mis-
sionary looks upon that loathsome,
filthy mass OF human corruption he
says to himself: IF / can only plant
the gospel seed In that mans heart, it
may save him. Yes, by the help of
God, 1t will save him" And, as the
mechanics wife cares for her flowers,
so that missionary cares for that soul