Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-01-09
TALNAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor OF Jefferson Park Presby-
terian Church, Chicago

duOltOiC anu kuONS llCll low lucE
may make the year one replete with
triumphant spiritual achievement. His
text is Proverbs TX. IL, THE years of
thy life shall be increased
Happy new year! / bring to you
the gospel salutation. 1 bring il TO you
with a smile upon the lip, with joy
yelling up in the heart. l bring it to
you because hope it is to be the best
and the most momentous year OF all
your life.
1 am going TO be gospel prophet
this morning. 1 am not only going to
tell you that this new year is to be the
best year of your life, but it is also 60
ing to be a precursor of many other
useful years. / am going to say to you.
as Solomon said Of old, that On account
Of this coming year consecrated to
God your earthly longevity shall be
heightened. 'The years OF thy life
shall be increased"
Charles Dickens wrote a famous book
entitled "Great Expectations" But
the English writer did not have as
much right to use that caption for his
novel as 1 have for this sermon. AS
Christ said to the blind men, Accord
ing to your faith, so be it unto you"
My faith today is infinite. Never since
was born have l had greater faith in
the power of Christ to save and bless
than at the present time. Therefore.
on account OF my belief I'm the power Of
Jesus Christ that he can and will save
your soul during the coming year,
know that this is to be the most i'm
portant year of your life.
My great expectations for your spir-
itual welfare and your conservation of
the new year are not only founded
upon my own faith, but also upon the
faith OF an earnest band of scores and
scores OF praying men and women who
are loyalty seeking your good. This
band is composed Of your friends and
your loved ones 1t is an all conquer
ing band which shall soon, aye, think
today, capture your soul for Jesus
Christ. We have read what Garibaldi
did for Italian freedom. What had he
to offer his followers? Nothing but
hunger and pain and wounds and ex-
lie. But above all these privations
Garibaldi lifted the standard of lib
erty, and the young men flocked to his
sands. 1t may not be an easy task to
capture your sinful heart for Christ
But the gospel prize is so great that
the earnest band of workers surround
ing me. like the Italian patriots, are
willing to go through any privations If
they can only bring you u repentant
sinner to the foot OF the cross. We
have read what Toussaint Lower
ture did for Haitian freedom. Wen-
dell Phillips in his famous grafton de-
clared that this southern leader was
greater man than Washington, Napo-
leon, Cesar, than Alexander the Great.
But oil the conquests by which the
b. South American leader and his little
bait Of followers were able to throw
Oh the European tyrannies are as moth
ing I'm .heir eternal results when COM
pared to some OF the glorious spiritual
victories which shall be won during
this opening year for Christie be won
by this band Of earnest praying work
crs who are surrounding me at the
present time. So on this first Sunday,
1908, we give you fair warning that In
the name of Jesus Christ we are about
to move upon your sinful heart. We
are about to capture your whole life
Tor Jesus Christ.
Some New Year Resolves
Now, as a gospel transformation is
soon to take place in your life, 1 am go
ing to tell today some of the new re-
solves by which this opening year is to
inspire your life. am about TO tell you
here and now how you are going ito
forget those things that are behind and
reach forth unto those things that are
before and press toward the mark for
the prize Of the high calling OF God in
Christ Jesus"
To overcome your evil passions and to
live as your redeemed father and moth
er want you to live is to be one OF your
chief desires for the ensuing year.
There was a great change In your life
when the old folks died. You may have
long ago become a grownup man and
been away from home five, ten, or even
fifteen years. before you received the
fatal telegram from your sister: "Come
home at once. Mother Is dying" Yet
not until that time did you willfully LET
yourself go into the maelstrom OF sin.
Not until that time did you cay In sim
full sense: "Well, it does not matter
much what becomes Of me. Mother Is |
now dead, and father is dead. Even IL |
do wrong and become dissipated they |
Will not hear OF It." For a few years |
after your mothers death your oldest |
Eister tried to take your mothers place. |
Every Sunday night she would write |
TO you, just as your mother did. But |
somehow, though her letters were
newsy and bright and told you how the |
oao neighbors were getting on, her
messages did not ring in your heart like |
mothers letters. They did not so often |
plead with you to be good boy and saw
-cur prayers and read your Bible and
live for Christ. They did not begin with
the sacred words, "My dear boy" She
always called you her boy. though you
hao long ago been able to stand In an
election booth and declare your choice
Tor the presidency Of the United States.
But somehow during the past few
months the teachings OF the old home
stead have been pressing down upon
you Win mighty power Man, you are
tired or sin. You are tired Of yourself.
You might feel a little better IL you
could only put your head IN her lap and /
nave q good cry. But you can't. Do
you know what is the matterf I think
your dead parents are pleading with
you and for you now, just the same as
they did of old
The psalmist tells US that God keeps
the tears OF his loved ones In a bottle.
Last week God lifted one OF the paren-
tai tears which were shed over your
cradle. He placed the sparkling treas
ure upon the white wing OF an angel
OF mercy and cried, Go, angel, and
drop that tear upon that young mans
head and anoint him with the Spirits
power" Last night God sent another
white winged messenger with another
tear out of his bottle, shed by your IA
Their OH the day you Joined the church.
One white winged angel after another
Old as they were told. They all dropped
those parental tears upon your head