The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-06-21
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
BY TIE REV. FRANK DE WITT TALMAeE. Q. o.

E WITT TALMAoE. Q. Q.
 but I think I can explain my meaning by a very simple illustration. hold in my hand an apple. Where did 1t come fromY "Oh. I know" says a young boy sitting II. that class behind his teacher My mother last summer took me to the coun- try. While I was there l used to visit farmer who had farm Just back of our hotel. There in his field he had a great big apple orchard. The farmer used to let me climb those trees and pick the ap- rles which grew upon the branches. They were awfuly big trees. Some of them were so big that I had to get ladder to climo them Some of them were so big that after | climbed them I found four or five birds nests in the same tree. Some of them were so big that my moth CT used to come out on hot days and hang ner hammock under the branches and there do her sewing and knitting.
 That answer is right, my boy. An apple grows upon a branch in an orchard. But where did those, big trees come from which produced the apples? "Oh, 1 do not know answers the boy. T suppose they have always been there. Why mother said some of those apple trees ? ere forty or fifty years old. Some of them were as old as my grandfather and grandmother and they are awfully old Yes. my boy, you are right again Some apple trees live to be very, very old. But these trees did not just grow. Every tree had a beginning. If you cut open the ap- pie which l hold in my hand you will find in the center of 1t an apple core. Right in the center of the apple core you win find a little brown seed. Now, children, il you will take this apple seed and plant 1t In the ground in the springtime that seed will burst open and begin to grow. The little roots of that seed will begin to grow down. A little green shoot like grass will begin to grow up Then the green grass will change after awhile into a stem. The stem will change after while into tree trunk. From that tree trunk will grow the branches. From the brs nches will grow the leaves and the blossoms. From the blossoms will after ward grow the apples. The apple tree dots not come forth from nothing. The aprle tree first grows from the little seed like that which I hold in my hand.
 Christ the Guide.
 Now, little child's life can be com rared to a seed. How? Because you know a seed does not grow unless it is rightly planted in the right kind of ground Weeds will grow anywhere with out any care So, If the good seed spoke of just now, does not get cared for and looked after it will not grow. but the bad seed will and your lives will be- come like weeds-good for nothing. Now, ic you ask Jesus to look after you, out of your nature can grow the great trees Of righteousness which will bear forth good fruit If you will only let the roots or your heart grow upon the rock of Call vary, upon which once stood the Saw tours cross. Do you not see, children, low important 1t Is that you give your life to Christ now if from your little selves must come all that Is good or all that is bad?
 Little children should come to Christ soon very soon. Their Christian fathers and mothers will not be able much long CT to shield them from the evil tempta- tions as they have been able to do. When my little boys and girls were at home l could do what I pleased with them. l could say Susan" or Gertrude or Thomas De Witt" or "Frank'-for l have four chiTdren-'I wish you would not associate with that little boy you were with this morning." And if one of my little girls should say: "Why, Papa" l would answer: 'I do not think he is nice little boy. l heard his mother call him today to come into the house, and llt dHSWeTcu, l WOnL come. And when his mother went after him he lay right down in the street and began to kick and scream and bite Now. no good little boy will ever act like that and do not want you to go with him"
 But children, though I may have been able to guard and shield and protect my little girl while she was at home, there came a momentous day when she went beyond my direct care and guiding infiu- ence. That day first came when we sent her to school It was a sad time for the parental heart when our oldest child had to pack her school books and leave home. Her mother took her up to a great big room filled with little boys and girls and left her there. In that school we knew that there were bad girls as we'll as good girls. bad boys as well as good boys, and she had to sit there and associate to some extent with them all. Now, who Is going to look after my little girl when she goes to meet the temptations of school unless Christ who loves little children, goes along and takes her by the hand? Who Is going to tell her what to do when the bad girl tells her to disobey her teacher and whispers in her ear the naughty story If Christ is not there7 Her mother can not do 1t. Her father can not do it. We are not there. Christ only can be her guide and shield her.
 Temptations of the Little Ones.
 Some grown up children do not think that little children have any big temp tations. But I know that some of the greatest temptations we ever have in life come to us when we are young, very young. l knew of little boy who did not take Christ along with him to school. One day his playmates were teasing him. Then, because he did not have Christ with him, he lost his temper and picked up stone and threw 1t at the boys. and he hit an eye of one of the boys and put 1t out. That little boy, who afterwards grew up to be a big man. had to go through life with hs eye blinded. knew oi enother little boy wno because he did not have Christ with him, wanted to frighten a playmate, as boys sometimes do. He pushed him from a bank Into a river and the little boy was drowned. saw his poor little body after 1t was taken out of the water and I heard the broken-hearted mother weeping over 1t. knew of another little boy who grew up to be thief. and was sent to jail be- cause. when he was young, his bad little schoomates taught him to how to steal rennies out of his mothers pocket book. An. children, you can not afford to go to school and meet the temDtations of tba