Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-01-08
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMACE, DID,,
Pastor of Jefferson Park Presby-
eerian Church, Chicago

Chicago, Jan. AIN the opening dis
course of the new year Pastor Tai
mage appeals to the higher nature Of
his auditors and shows them how they
may make the year one repletc with
triumphant spiritual achievement. His
text is Proverbs tx, II, The years of
thy life shall be increased"
Happy new year! bring to you
the gospel salutation. bring it to you
with smile upon the lip, with joy
yelling up in the heart. I bring it to
you because / hope it is to be the best
and the most momeutous year of all
your life
/ I am going TO be 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 CO.
ing TO be precursor of many other
useful years. | am going to say TO you.
as Solomon said Of old that on account
Of this coming year consecratcd to
God your earthly longevity shall be
heightened. The years of thy life
shall be incrcAscd.'
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 it unto you.
My faith today is infinite. Never since
I was born have | had greater faith in
of IN
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 be the most i'm
portant year of your life.
My great expectations for your spir-
itual welfare and your conservation of
the new year arc 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 Garibald
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
Garibaldi lifted the standard Of lib
crty. and the young men tiocked to his
side by the hundreds and the thou
sands. 1t may not be an easy task t.
capture your sinful heart for Christ
But the gospel prize is so great thai
the earnest band of workers surround
ing me, like the Italian patriots, are
willing to go through any privations Il
they can only bring you a repentan
sinner to the foot Of the cross. VIZ
have read what Toussaint Lower
turc did for Haitian freedom. Wen
dell Phillips in his famous Grafton de
clared that this southern leader was /
greater man than Washington Napo
leon, Caesar. than Alexander the Great
But all the Conquests by which The
South American leader and his It'll,
band Of followers were able to throw
off the European tyrannies are rs moth
ing in their eternal results when com
pared to some of the glorious spiritua
victories which shall be won durin,
this opening year for christie he WoI
by this band Of earnest praying work
erS who are surrounding me at In
present time. So on this first sunday
1903, we give you fair warning that il
the name of Jesus Christ we are aOOu
To move upon your sinful heart. w
are about to capture your whole lif
: for Jesus Christ.
Some New Year Resolves.
Now, as u gospel transformation i
soon to take place in your life, am &c
ing to tell today some of the new re
solves by which thi. opening year is +
inspire your life. / am about TO tell yo'
here and now how you are going It
forget those things that are behind an,
reach forth unto those things that ar
before and press toward the mark 70
the prize of the high calling of God il
Christ Jesus
/ To overcome your evil passions and t
live MS your redeemed father and mo;l
I er want you to live is to be one of you
| chief desires for the ensuing yeal
2 There was great change in your lif
when the old folks died. You may haV
: long ago become Il groWnup man an
I been away from home five, ten, or eve
+ fifteen years. before you received tn
$ fatal telegram from your sister: Com
4 home at once. Mother is dying" Vt
| not until that time did you Willfully IL
A yourself 20 into the macstrom Of sil
/ Not until that time did you say in sir
full sense: well. it does not matte
y much what becomes of me. Mother
e now dead, and father is dead. Even
[ ! do wrong and become disspated the
| will not hear of it," For few year
! after your mothers death your ode>
J. sister tried TO take your mothers place
e Every Sunday night she would writ
TO YOU. just as your mother did. Br
l. somehow. though her letters wcl
g newsy and bright and told YOU how III
y messages did not ring in your heart lik
mothers letters. They did not SO ofte
n plead with you TO be good boy and 81
+ your prayers and read your Bible an
live for Christ, They did not begin wit
@ the sacred words My dear boy ST
J. always called you her boy, though yo
had long ago been able to stand in a
Il election booth and declare your choit
II for the presidency of the United State
J. But somehow during the past fc