Milford chronicle., 1903-04-10
TALNGAGE
SERMON
-
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,,
Pastor Of jefferson Park Presby-
terian Church, Chicago

A'-ttf%As+tN ~ NAAe htAe AAAt ltAtdNlltI pre-
sents vivid picture of the triumpha
entry of Christ into Jerusalem annie
the acclamations of the common peo
pie, whose plaudits were so soon tC
give way to eXecration. The text is
John xii, Is. "Took branches of palm
trees and went forth to meet him and
cried hosanna."
This is Palm Sunday. In the ecclesi-
astical year it is the day on which we
commemorate the strange scene on the
JudGan road which constituted the one
sole pageant cf 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 Arimatheas tomb.
This is the time when the same surging
crowds which, a few days later will
cry: Cruelty him. Cruelty himr' now
make the JudRan hills echo and re-
echo with their exultant shouts of
"HOsanna to the Son Of David! Hosan-
ma to the King"
Appropriate, also. is my subject in
reference to the audience to which l
speak. l know not of any class Of peO-
pie to whom the significant lessons Of
Palm Sunday can be better applied
than to ourselves. Christ among the
waving palms ought to have for US
gospel teachings, as well as Christ in
Pilates judgment hall. Christ among
the vOciferating multitudes should APP
peal to us suggestively, as well as
Jesus carrying his cross. Jesus resur-
rected from the grave, Jesus appearing
unto his disciples after the crucltxion /
or Jesus ascending from Mount Ollver. /
Palm Sunday emphasizes the truth .
that a false and a selfish alteration of (
Jesus Christ never results in a tri-
umphant and lasting worship. Why
did that great cOncourse Of people,
which came forth to welcome Jesus
into the Dayidic capital, soon turn upon
Christ and become his taunting execu-
TONERS? Why did they one day throw
under his feet the branches Of palm,
which have always been the symbol of
victory, and within week be eager
to mock his dying agonies upon Cal
vary? They were not welcoming Christ
as their spiritual Saviour. They were
merely greeting him as a temporal
king, who would lead them on to ma
tiOnal victories, as Napoleon did the
French, Frederick the Great the Prus-
slams. Alexander the Greeks, as Ram
eses II. the Egyptians or Saladin the
Saracens when he totally defeated the {
crusaders near TiberlaS and captured I
their leader, Guy de Lusignan. In 1887.
They were not welcoming a Messiah '
for whom they must II necessary suffer
and die, but they were greeting one l
whom they believed to be about to t
drive the Roman tyrants off the He i
brew soil; one who would restore the
SOlOmOnic grandeur. when the national s
treasury would be full of gold, and the n
kings and the queens of the north, east, n
south and west would make pilgrim h
ages to Jerusalem. as the queen of O
Sheba came. bringing her presents of Il
spices and precious stones. Thus. when d
Christ allowed himself to be arrested ii
Is a common criminal. the rabble want d.
ID to destroy him because they had Ii
cherished in their breasts the false "
lOpe Of temporal champion. AZ
Do We worship SelhshIyf b
My friends, is our faith in Jesus un- bt
Are we. too. wOrshiping la
christ from selfish and not from spir. "
tual motives? DO we attend the fash. ki
enable church in our neighbOrhOOd JC
merely to win social prestige rather m
han with the desire to ft us to help 70
he troubled and the lost? | once had W
physician bluntly tell me that he W
Oined the church with the same pur- bl
Ose for which he Joined the club-he M
'ent to both places so that he could be uI
rOught into contact with people and ia
lin as many patients as he could. W,
'onder how many Of us are kind to elf
1T friends solely from the selfish mo- to
We to make our friends kind to us. hu
is possible to even feed the hungry tht
it'll the most mercenary of desires. saI
hrist stated this when he said. when "P
lou makest dinner or a supper, call vi
1t thy friends. nor thy brethren, nor GW
y kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors -
ST they also bid thee again and rec Is
nprnse can be made thee. In other n
)rd' we should not make our Chris the
~ engagements merely a case of doe
- you do so much for me pOI
ID I viii do so much for you. But we
..Fl you make Il gospel feast ask that pos
uns ulan 10 your home who has no ma
lends and is alone in great city. mis-
* that young girl who has no chance vic,
coming in touch with refined fam tim
circle unless you give her an invita- the
H. Call the poor. the maimed. the 81
ne and tie blind and thou shalt be carl
'sscd, for they cannot recompense oh.
se." Are we. this Palm Sunday. hon You
ng Christ with the unsefsh pur. free
Sc of his disciples. who were accom-. carl
nying him from Bethany and who prid
only threw the palm branches in Thg
way. but who were also ready to hap
for him. or are we worshipine mer
us with the selfish alteration Of the faul
at host that came out from Jerusa. beal
J to welcome him as a temporal he
81 whC
we are selfshly wOrshiping Christ me