The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-04-18
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE sY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject; Danger In Deiay-The Folly Of
Po.tponing the Acceptance Of the
Gospel Invitstion-s mpathy For the
sksptics-Time To BE Religious.


discourse. prepared by DR.. Talmsge before
ms illness. the folly and danger OF pest
poning the acceptance OF the gospel invi'
tation are exposed on the text, Luke xiv,
Is, And they all with one consent began
10 make excuse"
After the invitations to a levee are
sent out the regrets come IN. One man
apologies for non-attendanee on one
ground, another on another ground. The
most OF the regrets are founded on prior
engagements. So in my text great ban
auet was spread, the invitations were cir
culated and now the regrets come IN.
The one gives an agricultural reason, the
other a stock dealers reason, the other, a
domestic reason. All poor reasons. The
fact was, they did not want 10 60. And
they all with one consent began 10 make
excuse"
So now God spreads great banquet.
Il is the gospel feast, and the table reaches
across the hemispheres, and the invita-.
tions 60 out, and multitudes come and
sit down and drink out OF the ehalices OF
Gods love, while other multitudes decline
coming, the one giving this apology, and
the other giving that apology, "and they
all with one consent begin 10 make eN-
cuse." | propose, so far as God may help
me. 10 examine the apologies which men
make for not entering the Christian life,
Apology the first; / am not sure there
Is anything valuable IN the Christian re-
hgion Ii Is pleaded that there arr so
many impostions in this day; so many
things that seem to be real are sham. A
gilded outside may have a hollow inside.
There Is so much quackery in physics, IN
ethics, IN politics, that men come 70 the
habit of incredulity, and after awhile they
allow that increduhty TO collide with our
religion has made a pretty good record IN
the world. How many wounds IT has
salved How many pillars of fire it has
lifted in the midnight wilderness How
many Simeon struck deserts II hath turned
into the gardens of the Lord How IL
hath stilled the chopped sea! What ROSY
hight 1t hath sent streaming through the
rift of the storm-cloud! What pools of
cool water II hath gathered for thirsty
Hagar and Ishmaell What mama whittier
than coriander seed it hath dropped all
around the camp of hardy bested pilgrims,
What promises IL hath sent out like holy
watchers 10 keep the lamps burning around
deathbeds, through the darkness that
lowers into the sepulcher. What flashes
of resurrection morn
Beside that this religion has made so
many heroes. 1t brought Sunnerhold, the
Methodist. eeross the Atlantic ocean with
his silver trumpet TO blow the acceptable
year of the Lord until il seemed as If all
our American cities would take the king.
dom of heaven by violence. II sent Jehrdi
Ashman into Africa alone, in a continent
Of naked barbarans. 20 lift the standard
Of civilization and Christianity. IL made
John Milton among poets, Raphael among
painters. Christopher Wren among archi-
tects, Thorwaldsen among sculpto = Han
del among musicians, Eupcnt an1ng mill
tary commanders, and 10 give new wings
to the imagination and better balance TO
the judgment and more determination 10
ha .tF3n sa ha
and grander nobility TO the soul there is
nothing in all the earth like our Christian
religion. Nothing in religion? Whv. then,
all those Christians were deceived when
in their dying moment they thought they
saw the castles Of the blessed. and your
child that with unutterable agony you
put away into the grave, YOU will never
nor feel the throb Of his young heart.
There Is nothing in religion? Sickness
will come upon you Ro,l and turn on
your pillow; no rclief. The medicine nav
be bitter, the night may be dark. the pain
may he sharp; no relief Christ never
comes to the 5ick-room. Let the pain
stab; let the fever barn: curse il and die
There is nothing in religion? After awhile
death will come. You viii hear the paw
ing of the pale horse on the threshold
The spirit viii be breaking away from the
body. and IL viii take fieht-whther.
whittier? There is no God, no minister
ing angels TO conduct no Christ, no
hcave1, no home. Nothing In religion
Oh, you are not willing TO adopt such d
dismal theory
And yet the world is full of skeptcs.
And let me say there is no class OF peo.
pie for whom | have a warmer sympathy
than for shepti@s We 20 not know bow
to treat them. We deride them, we carica-
ture them. We; instead of taking them
by the soft hand Of Christian love, clutch
them with tl2 iron pinchers Of ecclesias-
ticsrl Oh. II you knew how those men
had fallen away from Christianity and be-
come skeptics Won would not he so rough
II them, Some were brought up IN homes
where religion was cycrdone The most
wTetcie1 cay II the week was Sunday.
Religion was driven into them with a trip
hammer. They had a surfeit Of prayer
meetings. They were stuffed and choked
with catechicms. They were told by their
parents that they were the worst children
tnat ever lived because they liked TO ride
down hill better than TO read Pilgrim =
Progress" They never heard their pa
rents talk OF religion but with the corners
Of the mouth drawn down and the eyes
rolled ~. Others went into skepticism
through matreatmcnt on the part Of some
who profess-d religion. There is man
who says; My partner IL business was
conspicuous IN prayer meeting, and he
was ofiicious in all religious circles. but
be cheated me out OF 5000, and | don't
want any Of that religion" Then there
are others who get into skepticism by a
natural ,rerHstfennce IN as.1ng questions,
why or how! Fow can Cod be one being
n three pereOnsE They cannot understand
It. Neither can j. How can Cod be a
complete sovercigl and yet man free
lgentg They cannot understand it,
Neither can ]. They cannot understand
why a holy God lets sin come into the
world. Neither can ]. They say: Here
g great mystery; here Is disciple Of
fashion, frivolous and goddess al her days.
she lives on 10 be An octogenarian. Here
g Christian mother. training her chill
1ren for God and for heaven. seif.sacrIhc-
ng Chrsthge indispensable seemingly %
hat household; she gets cancer and
i.cs.p The skeptic says, Il cant explain
that Neither can ].
i can see how men reason themselves
lnto skeptlcism. With burning feet
have trodden that blsterng way / know
what It is 20 have hundred nights
poured into one hour. There are men IN
The and deaert OF doubt who would give
their thousands OF dollars If they could
get back % the old religion Of their
fathers. Such men are not 20 be carica-
iu-ed, but helped, and not through their
hesGs, but through their hearts When
these men really do come into the king
CON Of God, they Will be worth far more
10 the cause ol Christ than those who
never examined the evidences of Chris
Lianity. Thomas Chalmers once a skeptic.
Robert Hall once a skeptic, Christmas
Evans once a skeptIc; but vixen they did
lay hold Of the gospel chariot how they
made it speed ahead II. therefore, ad.
dress men and women who have drifted
away into skepticism, / throw out no
scdf: | rather implead you bv the mem.
DRY Of those good old times when you
kncit at your mothers knee and said your
evening prayer ana those other days Of
ucknnas Mhnn shn tratnhnl ali nlrnl ann