Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-04-09
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMACE. DID,.
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

propriate to the day, the preacher pre-
sents a vivid picture of the triunphal
entry of Christ into Jerusalem amid
the acclamations of the common peo-
pie. whose plaudits were so soon to
give way TO execration. The text is
John xii, 10, "Took branches of palm
trees and went forth to meet him and
cried hosanna."
This is Pam Sunday. In the ecclesi-
Hstical year 1t is the day on which we
commemorate the strange scene on the
Judnan 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 Armathea's tomb.
This IS the time when the same surging
crowds which, a few days later, will
cry: Cruelty him, Cruelty him" now
make the Jud2an hills echo and re-
echo with their cXultant shouts of
"Hosanna to the Son of David! Hosan-
mn to the King
Appropriate also is my subject in
reference to the audience to which /
EItdh. hllON llOL VI any t'h''' VI P'o
ple 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. rs well as Christ in
Pilates Judgment hall. Christ among
the vociferating multitudes should APP
peal to us suggcstively, ms well as
Jesus carrying his cross, Jesus resur-
rected from the grave. Jesus appearing
unto his disciples after the crU"lliNion
or Jesus ascending from Mount Olivcr.
Palm Sunday emphasizes III" truth
that a false and n selfish alteration of
Jesus Christ never results in irl-
rmphant and Il lasting worship. why
did that great cOncoursc OF people.
which came forth to welcome Jesus
into the Davidic capital, soon turn upon
Christ and become his haunting cXecu-
TONERS? Why did they one day throw
under his feet the branches of palm.
which have always been the SYmbO! Of
victory, and within Il week be eager
to mock his dying agonies upon Cal
vary? They were not welcoming thrist
as their spiritual Saviour. They were
merely greeting him as temporal
king. who would lead them on to ma
tonal 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 Liberals and captured
their leader, Guy de Lusignan, in 1lSI.
Hbov Welcoming Messiah
for whom they must if necessary suffer
and die, but they were greeting one
whom they believed TO be about to
drive the Roman tyrants Off 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, rs the queen of
Sheba came, bringing her presents Of
spices and precious stones Thus, when
Christ allowed himself to be arrested
ns a common criminal, the rabble want
cd to destroy him because they had
cherished in their breasts the false
hope OF temporal champion.
Do We worship ScIfshiy.
My friends, IS our 1alth In Jesus IN
satisfactory! Are We too' WorShlplhS
Christ from selfish ana not from Splr-
ftuai motlVes' DO we attend the laSh-
lonaDle church IN our hclShoorAood
merei! 10 win social prestige rather
than with the desire 10 III US 10 heip
1he troubled ana the LOST once hau
physician biuntly tell me that he
COINED the church WIN the same pur-
pose for which he joined the cluD-he
went to both places so that lie could be
brought into contact with people and
win AS many patients as he could.
wonder how many OF us are KIM to
our friends sclely from the selfish mo-
tYr To make our trends Nlnd TO us.
1t is possible TO even feed the hungry
with the most mercenary OF desires.
CHRIST stated THIS when he SAID, "Whe
Thou nakest dinner or supper, call
not thy friends. nor thy brethren. nor
thy kinsmen, nor thy rlch neighDors
lest they also BID thee again ana rec
ompense can ne maze thee. IN other
words, we should not make our Chris
tan engagements merely case or
RECIPROCITY - you 90 so much for me
ana VIII 90 so much Tor YOU But
FL ~