Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-01-08
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAcE. DID,,
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Preshy.
terrain Church. Chicago

pentance OF past sins and q resolution
with divine help TO begin a new life
in Christ with the coming year. The
text Is Luke xiii. Q. Except ye repent,
ye shall all likewise perish"
Great accidents generally have their
two classes OF heroes. The one class is
composed or dying heroes. the other of
living heroes. When. few weeks ago,
q coal train crashed into the Big Four
special which was carrying q thousand
college students and their friends to
Indianapolis TO play for the state foot
ball championship the young men who
were unhurt pulled and tugged at the
darailed cars. They lifted up the man.
gled bodies OF the dying. and they col
lected the mutilated remains OF the
dead. Young girls who In ordinary life
would have screamed at the sight Of q
mouse or tainted at vaccination in
that awful crisis tore up their garments
for bandages and bathed the white
foreheads OF their young friends who
were about to pass away. On the other
hand. those who were being aided were
just as self sacrificing ms those who
were trying to alleviate physical suffer
ings and minister to spiritual wants.
An acquaintance OF mine arrived at
that scene OF horror only a short time
after the tragedy occurred. He per-
sonalty told me OF the nobility OF some
Of those MANNED and dying heroes
One young nan had crawled out or the
wreck and was seated upon the ground
with his thumb tightly pressed against
an artery. His foot had been complete
~ amputated by the wreck. When the
doctor found him. he turned with a
brave smile and said: Never mind me.
doctor. | am all right for the present
Go and help those poor fellows dowsS
there They need you more than T."
Dying athletes thought not or them
selves. While tossing about In mortal
agony they begged their friends not TO
let their fathers and mothers and sis
tiers and brothers and sweethearts know
bow badly they were hurt.
A Practical Theme.
We shuGder at the details OF these
sudden and appalling calamities. Ii
shocks US 10 think OF strong men and
delicate women, bright and gay and
with apparently many years OF happy
life before them. being overwhelmed
nnd crushed in one short beur by some
terrific disaster. Yes, 10 Is horrible
But. while we deplore and sympathize,
let ms not forget the lesson that Christ
would have us learn from such catas-
trophies. To those who told him OF n
great and sudden sacrifice or life he
said. Eye, too, shall likewise perish un-
less you repent" He did no, mean that
their earthly lives would necessarily
have a similar end, but that without
repeating doom beyond the grave US
appalling as that they had described
awaited them. The greatest railroad
accident that ever took place, as when
the Edinburgh express went down
through the broken trestles OF the yay
bridges the greatest tidal wave trpSedy,
as when Galveston was submerged;
the greatest volcanic horror. rs when
Nesuvius cmptied itself. and the two
fnvorite resorts OF Rome's arIstocrncy
IN one night were buried In their grave
or ashes: the most awful or fires. as
when Chicago was burned; the most
bitter or nurderous prosecutions, rs
when Plate slew the followers OF Ju-
das OF Gnlilee. are not 10 be compared
10 the horror or that day when sinners
who have not repcntrd OF aud turned
from their sins shall hear their doom,
pronounced by a righteous God. Listen
10 the words OF Jesus: Suppose We that
these Galileans were sinners above all
Ealiteans because tiny suffered those
tbings2 tell We nay. but except We re-
pent We shall all likewise perish" Re-
pentance OF sin is our subject Repent-
nnce or sin Is an imperative command.
Gould we have greater and a more
practical theme 20 preach upon for the
last sermon OF the dying year OF 1903?
Gods Command.
standing between the open grave OF
the dying year and the new made era.
de or the coming year. we hear God
thunder the command: Repent! Re
pentt Repent We OF sinr' What does
that mean? Not sorrow alone. though
II includes that: not alone regret that
we have sinned against God so good
and so loving. but PRONUNCIATION. There
IL no real repentance until there Il de-
termination 20 abandon sin. Il means
that each sinner must first be willing
10 pluck the wriggling. kissing serpent
Of evil cut OF ks heart and huri IL from
him as though Ii had the poisonous
fangs or a fatal cobra before Christ's
blood Will blot out the evil results or a
hioeous past. Ii means that heaven IL
not an Clubhouse OF q Dante's Inferno.
The paradise lost which Milton o.
scribed can never become paradise re-
gained TO any sinner who ciings 70 his
sin' IL means that the sinner nas ne
ground for expecting heaven at the
end OF bis course/unless, through The
power or Christ, he bas renounced his
I'm Either tho repentant sinner. win
vide open eyes, is walking directly to-
ward the cross or else be Is walking
directly away from It.
What says Paul In reference 10 thiS
OF Elm? To the church
u Corinth he wrote practically these
verbs: There are two groups or peo-
the frst. those that are fol- |
overs OF the world: group the second.
hose that are followers Of Jesus. II
-ou would be f6iiower OF Jesus you
must leave the group OF the world and |
eek the group OF Christ" These are
rs exact words: Wherefore come ys |
'ut from among them. and be ye sepa-
ate. saith the Lord, and touch not the |
mclean thing. and l will receive you
nd will be- IL Father unto you. and We
haii be nay sons and daughters. saith
he Lord God Almighty" Without re-
'entance or sin there can be no rem:s-
s9naof sin Now, my brother. my sis
er. come the practical and oyerpower-
as questions: Are you and 1, on this
lst Sunday night OF the year. ready to
urn our backs upon sin? Are we
eady to tear out this viper OF evil haD-
which we have been nursing In our
osoms as a Nathan's pet lamb? Re-
entance OF sin means more than to be
lereiy sorry for sin. 1t means a com.
lete pronunciation OF. turning from.
reputation OF sin. Are you and
eady now TO promise God that, with
he help OF the Holy Spirit, we will
lr0ttle our secret sins avan "a 1ha ~.