Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-01-12
lTALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor Of jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Cnuroh, Chicago

may make the year one replete with
triumphant spiritual achievement. His
text Is Proverbs tx, IL. The years Of
thy life shall be increased"
Happy new year! l bring TO you
the gospel salutation. I bring IL TO you
with a smile upon the lip, with Joy
yelling up In the heart. | bring it to
you because | hope II Is TO be the best
ind the most momentous year Of all
Jour life
I am going TO be a gospel prophet
this morning. | am not only going TO
tell you TO, this new year is to be the
best year Of your life, but 1t is also GO
Ing TO be precursor OF many other
useful years. / am going to say to you.
as Solomon said Of old, that OH account
OF this coming year consecrated to
God your earthly longevity shall be
heightened. The years Of thy life
HhRn be increased"
Charles Dickens wrote a famous book
entitled Great Expectations" But
the English writer did not have as
much right to use that caption for his
novel as | have for this sermon. AS
Christ said to the blind men. Accord
Ing to your faith, so be II unto you"
My faith today is infinite. Never since
I was born have had greater faith in
the power Of Christ to save and bless
than at the present time. Therefore,
On account OF my belief in the power of
Jesus Christ that he can and will save
your soul lring the coming year, l
know that this is to be the most i'm
portant year Of your life.
My great expectations for your spir-
J ttunl welfare and your conservation of
the new year are not only founded
upon my own faith, but also upon the
faith OF an earnest band of scores and
scores Of praying men and women who
are loyalty seeking your good. This
band is composed Of your friends and
your loved ones. 1t is an all conquer
Ing band which shall soon, aye. think
today, capture your soul for Jesus
Christ. We have read what Garibaldi
did for Italian freedom. What had be
20 offer his followers? Nothing but
hunger and pain and wounds and eX-
lie. But above all these privations
Garlbaldi lifted the standard of lib
erty, and the young men fiocked to his
side by the hundreds and the thou
sands. 1t may not be an easy task to
capture your sinful heart for Christ.
But the gospel prize is so great that
the earnest band Of workers surround
Ing me, like the Italian patriots, are
willing TO go through any privations If
they can only bring you a repentant
sinner to the foot of the cross. We
have read what Toussaint Lower
ture did for Haitian freedom. Wen
dell Phillips in his famous grafton de-
clared that this southern leader was a
greater man than Washington, Napo-
leon. Cesar. than Alexander the Great.
But all the conquests by which the
South American leader and his little
band OF followers were able to throw
or the European tyrannies are as moth
Ing In their eternal results when COM
pared TO some of the glorious spiritual
victories which shall be won during
this opening year for Christie be won
by this band of earnest praying work
ers who are surrounding me at the
present time. SO OH this first Sunday,
1908, we give you fair warning that in
the name of Jesus Christ we are about
TO move upon your sinful heart. We
are about to capture your whole life
Tor Jesus Christ.
Some New Year Resolves.
Now. as a gospel Transformation Is
econ to take place in your life, l am 60
ang 10 tell today some OF the new re-
Nolves by which this opening year Is to
inspire your life. am about to tell you
here and now how you are going ''tO
forget those things that are behind and
reach forth unto those things that are
OscVre and press toward the mark fol
The prize OF the high calling Of God In
Chrtst Jesus
10 overcome your evil passions and t
I'VE 40 your redeemed father and moth
20 want you to live is to be one Of you
chief desires for the ensuing year
There was a great change in your lif'
WAen the old folks died. You may have
ls@g ago become a grownup man anC
oeeo away from home five. ten. or ever
eANG&a yours, DtiOte yOu EcSciNcu hh'
fatal telegram from your sister: Conn
hOme at once. Mother is dying" Ye
not until that time did you willfully lie
yourself go into the maelstrom Of sin
Not until that time did you say in a sin
ful sense: 1'Well. IL does not matte
much what becomes Of me. Mother
now dead. and father is dead. Even
do wrong and become dissipated the
will not hear OF it," For few year
after your mothers death your oldes
sister tried to take your mothers place
Every Sunday night she would writ
10 you. just as your mother did. Blu
somehow. though her letters wer
bewsy and bright and told you how tn
old neighbors were getting on, he
messages did not ring in your heart lik
mothers letters. They did not so ofte
plead with you TO be a good boy and 81