Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-03-06
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALkfAGE. DID,.
Pastor OF Jefferson Park Preoby-
terrain Church, Chicago

thVoc Who uOSehteu themselves, but
who desired to conceal the real reason.
The text is Luke xiv, IS, "And they all
with one consent began TO make ex-
cuse"
1t Is comparatively seldom that men
are convinced by argument. In every
period the great discoverer or philoso-
pher, howsoever irrefutable his argu-
ments. has been treated with incredul-
ity and sometimes with ridicule. The
little children used to point their fin
gers to their foreheads when the Genoa
sea captain passed by, and all Europe
called Columbus crazy because he be-
Eeyed in circumnavigation. Up to
keplers time this world was supposed
TO be a great animal, the wind it's
breath, the sulphur and mineral veins
its ulcers, the eruption and volcanic
pulsatons It's coughings. Galilei had
70 publicly renounce the theory which
he could logically prove because the
church considered ii heresy. The young
scientist who read paper some years
ago arguing that the coral islands were
built by small insect was prosecuted
and expelled from the French academy,
end, broken hearted and in disgrace, he
committed suicide. To introduce any
innovation into the realm of thought
by the power of argument is a task that
Few have the courage to attempt and
fewer still the power to achieve.
But though argument and fact are
often futile there are two wizards who
can always charn-he who can tell a
story and he who can paint a picture
With one fash the artist of the brush
or pen can carry the truth home. The
public speaker who yields the greatest
influence today is not the scientist or
the logician, but the orator who can
tell the common people what n thing
is like Christ nearly always spoke in
parallels. His analogies were the
wheat and the tares and the mustard
seed and the birds of the air and the
lilies Of the valley. Everybody can
understand a similitude.
One Of these matchless similitudes is
the scene OF the text. The kingdom of
heaven is compared to a feast to which
many guests have been invited. Man
ners and customs change, but In all
periods and In all lands the idea Of a
feast has been familiar They have
been celebrated from time immemorial.
Laban made n great feast when he
jacob. Archelaus made a great feast
for those who came to his fathers fu-
neral. Kenilworth castle blazed and
cannons doomed during the days of
Elizabeth, and courtiers drank to the
health OF the queen. Feast of the Pass
over. feast of Pentecost, feast of Taber-
nacles, Were the three great annual
festal occasions of the Jews The
NNTw~
feast or Christ and his twelve apostles.
The comparison of the kingdom OF
heaven to feast is, therefore, a very
simple and familiar one. But. harki
When the time comes for the guests TO
arrive. knock after knock is heard.
Regret after regret is handed In. In
suit is heaped upon insult "And they
ell with one consent began to make
excuse"
Excuses Old and New.
Let us examine the excuses by which
the men of old evaded this feast and
zee how closely they resemble the ex-
cuses by which men of the present day
try to justify themselves I'm their re-
fusal to sit down at the marriage ban
quet OF the Lamb. First, the capital
lists excuse. Hardly had the ancient
banquet table been prepared when we
can see courier's horse dash up to the
would be hosts house. The messenger
Is dressed I'm the liveried costume OF
one OF the rich men OF the east. He
dismounts and knocks at the front door.
When the servant opens that door. the
messenger hands In a scented missive
which reads something like this: My
dear friend, much TO my regret, / find
1t impossible to be with you tonight. j
know you expected me, but have Just
closed big deal. / have become the
owner or large tract OF land. and
must go out and see IL. ] pray thee |
have me excused. Though i am COM |
PEELED to be absent in body. yet shall |
be with you tonight In spirit. Adieu, |
my dear sir. until we meet at my own |
table" When the good man OF the |
house receives this letter. his eye |
flashes. The Bible distinctly declares |
in reference to this episode: Then the |
master OF the house being angry He |
read between the lines of that refusal. |
He knew that this capitalist was max
ing poor excuse; he knew that the |
capitalist as an intelligent investor
would never have bought that land un-
IL.
and ascertained that its title deeds
were all right The good man may
have had his suspicion that the capt.
taiist OF the east now that he was a
great landowner, felt a little above his
old associates and therefore may have
thought 1t was not dignified for him to |
mingle with ordinary guests at a COM
mon banquet, and thus he stayed away.
80 we find that the hardest men and
women TO reach in a gospel sense are
the rich people. They do not always
think 1t respectable to associate with
representatives OF the masses in n
church pew. They would be willing to
go to heaven If they could only go In a
eilded chariot, as a king might 60 to
Westminster abbey and be crowned.
They would gladly go If they could
only bride their way there by million
dollar check. But they are not willing
TO be suppiiants after the Bread of
Life when their own granaries are full
or winter supplies and their thrashing
floors crowded with the thrashers beat
Ing and bruising the grain.
Rich man, I would like to speak a
Few plain, blunt words to you There
are certain blessings that money can
not buy. First, it cannot buy health.
Money may enable the consumptive to
live among the flowers, and it may
proiong an invalid's earthly life, but, in
the broad sense, money cannot buy
health II money could buy health,
William Mckinley would never have
died. If money could buy health, the
late Cornelius Vanderbilt would never
nave struggled on as helpless Invalid
and been carried out to the tomb when
yet young man. If money was all
powerful, that Broadway merchant
would have recovered his sight when.
a Few years ago. lie offered 100000
to any surgeon whose knife would cut.