Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-04-10
.AIhGAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
PRANK DE WITT TALmAGE. DID,.
Pastor OF Jefferson Park Rresby-
terrain Church, Chicago

propriate 70 the day, the preacher pre-
cents vivid picture of the triumphal
entry OF Christ into Jerusalem amid
the 0celama tons Of the common peo-
pie, whose plaudits were SO soon 20
give way 10 execration. The text is
John Ali. ID. Took branches OF palm
trees and went forth to meet him and
cried hosanna'
This Is Palm Sunday. In the ecclesi-
astcal year IT is the day on which we
commemorate the strange scene on the
judiean road which constituted the one
sole pageant of our Lords life. 1t is
the day that ushers in holy week. the
beginning OF which saw him riding
into Jerusalem in triumph and the end
lying In Joseph OF Arimathea's tomb.
This is the time when the same surging
crowds which. few days later. will
3 cry: Cruelty himI Cruelty himp now
make the Jud9an hills echo and re-
echo with their exultant shouts Of
'Hosanna TO the Son of David! Hosan-
na to the King"
Appropriate, also, is my subject in
reference to the audience to which
speak. know not of any class of peo-
pie to whom the significant lessons OF
Palm Sunday can be better applied
than 10 ourselves. Christ among the
waving palms ought TO have for us
gospel teachings, as well as Christ In
Pilates Judgment hall. Christ among
abe vociferating multitudes should ap-
peal 10 US suggestively, as well as
Jesus carrying his cross, Jesus resur-
Tected from the grave, Jesus appearing
unto bis disciples after the crucifxion
or Jesus ascending from Mount Olivet.
PGlm Sunday emphasizes the truth
that q fslse and n selfish alteration OF
Jesus Christ never results In a tri-
umphant and n lnsting worship. Why
did that great concourse of people,
which came forth to welcome Jesus
Into the Davidic capital, soon turn upon
Christ ana become his haunting execu-
toporsf Why did they one day throw
psder bis feet the branches of palm.
which have always been the symbol of
gictory, and within week be eager
tp mock his dying agonies upon Cal
Snryf They were not welcoming Christ
- their spiritual Saviour. They were
1srreiy greeting him as a temporal
&ine, who would lead them on to ma
Bonal victories, as Napoleon did the
SLAMS, Alexander the Greeks, as Ram
Hses II. the Egyptians or Saladin the
Saracens when he totally defeated the
crusaders near Tiberias and captured
fheir leader Guy de Lusignan In 11ST.
Ebey were not welcoming n Messiah
Tor whom they must If necessary suffer
and die. but they We're greeting one
whom they believed to be about TO
6rivs the Roman tyrants off the He
Drew soil; one who would restore the
Solomonic grandeur, when the national
heasrry would be full OF gold, and the
Kings and the queens of the north. east,
south and west would make pilgrim
ages to Jerusalem, as the queen of
Sheba came, bringing her presents Of
spices and precious stones. Thus, when
Christ allowed himself TO be arrested
as common criminal, the rabble want
ed TO destroy him because they had
cherished In their breasts the false
hope OF n temporal champion.
Do We worship seInshIyt
My friends, is our faith in Jesus un-
satisfactory? Are we, too worshiping
Christ from selfish and not from spir-
atual motivesf Do we attend the fash
eonable church in our neighborhood
merely TO. win social prestige rather
than with the desire to lit us 10 help
fhe troubled and the lost? once had
O physician bluntly tell me that he
coined the church with the same pur-
pose for which he Joined the club-he
went to both places so that he could be
Brought into contact with people and
win rs many patients as he could. I
wonder how many of us are kind to
our friends solely from the selfish mo-
tivo TO make our friends kind to US.
Vt Is possible 10 even feed the hungry
with the most mercenary OF desires.
Christ stated this when he said, when
thou makest n dinner or n supper, call
not Thy friends, nor thy brethren. nor
thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors
lest they also bid thee again and rec
ompense can be made thee. In other
words. We should not make our Chris
aian engagements merely case of
reciprocity = you do SO much for me |
ana viii do so much for you. But |
~hen you make gospel feast ask that |
young man to your home who has no |
friends and is alone In a great city. |
ask that young girl who has no chance |
OF coming in touch with a refined fam
aly circle unless you give her an invita-
ton. Call the poor, the MANNED, the |
same and the blind and thou shalt be |
BLESSED, for they cannot recompense
fhee.. Are we. this Palm Sunday, hon.
oripg Christ with the unselfish pur-
pose OF his disciples, who were accom-
panSins him from Bethany and who
noS only threw the palm branches in
his way, bat who were also ready to
Ole Tor him, on are we worshiping
uesus with the selfish alteration of the
great host that came out from Jerusa-
sen 10 welcome him as a temporal
k1ngs
~ We are seifishly worshiping Christ
Hov What we can get out of him, may
tTe not here and now change that pur-
pose as did DR.. Bonar, through the
Influence OF an inspired dream which
4e had IN his Edinburgh parsonage?
&ox Snany years he had been q popular
EfeGsher. bue his ministry bore but little
spiritual fruit He himself had but
little spiritual faith. One night, as h
slept. he thought az angel came ana
stood by his bed and said, "Horatius.
what Is troubling thee?" "Oh,s an
severed the minister II do not seem to
derive any happiness from my Chris
uan BELIEF, and I have practically no
spiritual results?' THAT is easily ac-
counted for" said the angel. Let us
analyze your ministerial ambition. We
shall say the whole represents 100 per
cent. How large n percentage of that
represents your selfish pride in preach
Ing to a big audience? Fifteen per
cent How large percentage repre-
sents the desire to live in a fine house?
fnteen per cent. How large n per-
centage represents a desire to bring In
y large addition to your church. so
that your brother ministers viii sneak
well OF you? Forty per cent. How
large percentage represents the de-
sire TO be intellectual and TO have the
bralny men OF Edinburgh praise your