The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-01-08
TAL>NAGE
SER MON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE. WITT TALMkGE, DID,,
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

may hi'fhN tIIt AtHi bIt i'ib't' w itH
triumphant spiritual achievement. Ills
text is Proverbs iX, il. THE years of
thy life shall be incrpascd.'
Happy new year! bring to you
the gospel Salutation. bring it to you
with a smile upon the lip, with JOY
yelling up in the heart bring it to
you because hope it is to be the hest
and the most m0mcntouS year Of all
your life.
| am going to he !; gospel prophet
this morning. am not only going to
tell you that this new year is to be the
best year of your life. but it is also go
ing to be 1t precursor of many other
useful years. am going to say to you,
as Solomon said of cid. that on account
of this coming year conSecrated to
God your earthly longevity shall be
heightened. "Thc years Of thy life
shall he increa sed.''
Charles Dickens wrote u famous book
entitled Great Expectations" But
the English writer dia not have as
much right to use that caption for his
novel rs | have for this sermon. AS
Christ said to the blind men. Accord
ing to your faith. 500 be it unto YOU"
My faith today IL infinite. Never sinces
| was born have had greater faith In
the power Of Christ 10 save and bless
than ut the present time. Therefore.
on account Of my belief in the power of
Jesus Christ that he can and will save
your soul during the coming year, |
know that this is to lie the most i'm
portant year of your life.
My great expectations for your spir-
itual welfare and your conservation Of
the unNt 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 whicl. shall soon. aye. think
today. capture your soul for Jesus
Christ We have read what Garibaldi
did for Italian freedom. What had he
to offer his followers? Nothing but
hunger and pain and wounds and cx-
lie. But above all these privations
Garibaidi lifted the standard of lib
erty. and the young men flocked 10 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 10 90 through any privations II
sinner to the foot Of the cross. We
have read what Toussaint Lower.
tire 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. Caesar. than Alexander the Great.
But all the conaaests by which the
South American leader and his little
band of followers were able to throw
off the European tyranDies are as moth
ing I'm their eternal results when com
pared to soine 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 On this first Sunday.
1903, 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
for Jesus Christ.
Some New lear Resolves.
Now. as ii gospel. transformation is
soon 10 take place in your life. ! am 20
ing to tell today some Of the new re-
solves 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
before and press toward the mark for
the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus.
To overcome your evil passions and to
live as your redeemed fafher and moth
er want you to live Is to be one of your
chief desires for the ensuing year.
There was Il great change In your life
when the old folks died. You may have
long ago become gfOWnup man ana
been away from home five, ten, or ever
fifteen years. before YOU received the
fatal telegram from your sister. Come
home at once Mother is dying Yet
not until tina, time did you willfully let
yourself 20 into the niaeistren Of sin
Not until that time did You say In sin.
full sense: Well. 1t does not matter
much what becomes of me. Mother is
now dead, and father is dead Even il
] do wrong and become dissipated they
will not hear of II. Fer q few years
after your mothers death your Oldest
sister tried to take your mothers place.
Every Sunday night she would write.
to you. just as your mother aid. Bur
somehow. though her letters We're
nessy and bright and fold you how the
old neighaors We're getting on. her
MESA yes did not ring il your heald Ike
mothers letters. they did not 50 often ]
plead with sou to be d good boy and SAY
yolr pra sel,s and resta your Ril1le ana
live for Christ They did not begin with
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