The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-04-09
TAINaA
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago


propriate to the day, the preacher pre-
SCENTS vivid picture of the triumphal
entry Of Christ into Jerusalem amid
the acclamatfons Of the common peo-
pie, whose plaudits We're so soon TO
give way to eXecration. The text liz
John xii, 13. 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
Judaan 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
cry: "Crucify him! Cruelty him." now
make the JudRan hills echo and re-
echo with their eNultant 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 |
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 yociferating multitudes should APP
peal to us suggestively, as we'll as
Jesus carrying his cross, Jesus resur-
rpcted from the grave, Jesus appearing
unto his disciples after the crucifxion
or Jesus ascending from Mount Olivet.
Palm Sunday emphasizes the truth
that a false and a selfish add ration Of
Jesus Christ never results In trl-
umphant and a lasting worship. Why
did that great concOurse Of people,
which came forth to welco'he Jesus
into the Davidic capital. soon urn upon
Christ and become his haunting 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 temporal
king, who would lead them, Oh to ma
tional victories, as Napoleon did the
French, Frederick the Great the Prus-
slams, Alexander the Greeks, as Ram
eses H. the Egyptians or Saladin the
Saracens when he totally defeated the
crusaders near liberals and captured
their leader, Guy de Lusignan. IN 11S7.
They were not welcoming Messiah
for whom they must IL necessary suffer
and die, but they were greeting one
whom they believed to be about to
drive the Roman tyrants OF the He
brew soil; one who would restore the
Solomonic grandeur. when the national
treasury 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 or
Sheba came, bringing her presents OF
spices and precious stones. Thus, when
Christ allowed himself 10 be arrested
us q common criminal. the rabble want
ed to destroy him because they had
cherished In their breasts the false
hope of temporal champion.
DO We worship sslashlys
Ny friends. is our faith liz Jesus I'M
satisfactory? Are we. too. worshiping
Christ from selfish and not from spir-
ftual motives! DO we attend the fash
ionable church in our neighborhood
merely to win social prestige rather
than with the desire to fit us to help
the troubled and the lost? l once had
physician bluntly tell me that he
Joined the church with the same pur-
pose for which be Joined the club-he
went to both places SO that he could be
brought into contact with people and
win as many patients as he could l
wonder how many Of US are kind to
our friends solely from the selfish mo-
tive to make our friends kind to US.
It is possible to even feed the hungry
with the most mercenary OF desires.
Christ stated this when he said, when
thou makest dinner or a supper. call
not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor
thy kinsmen. nor thy rich neighbors
lest they also bid thee again and rec
omDense can be made thee. In other
words, we should not make our Chris
tan enga gements merely a case of
reciprocity you do so much for me
and will do so much for you. But
when you make gospel feast ask that
young man to your home who has no
friends and is alone in great city.
Ask that young girl who has no chance
Of coming in touch with refined fam
lily circle unless you give her an invita-
ton. .'Call the poor, the MANNED, the
lame and the blind and thou shalt be
blessed, for they cannot recompense
thee" Are we, this Palm Sunday, hon.
oring Christ with the unselfish pur-
pose of his disciples, who We're accom-
panying him from Bethany and who
not only threw the palm branches in
his way, but who were also ready to
die for him, or are we worshiping
Jesus with the selfish alteration of the
great host that came out from Jerusa-