The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-04-16
DR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
sx TIE REV. FRANK DE WITT TALMAeg. ?. ..

Los Angeles. Cal. April s.-To the in- ~..Ierent, and especially to the back slider who has gone back to the world and its pleasures. this sermon makes a powerful appeal for a renewal of spir- itual ties and rekndling of spiritual activities. The text is Psalm Ii, F, Re store unto me the joy of thy salvation
 Oh, how quickly the wheel of fortune may whirl around. What we are to- day is no earnest of what we may be tomorrow Rich and affluent. prosperous and happy now. that toes not prove that we shall be rich and happy and prosperous, with a multitude of friends hanging around us, next week or next month or next year. The night follows the day as well as the day the night. The people living in the South American republic of Chile reckon history by this or that or the other earthquake, which has made the heaving earth rock down homes and destroy w..ole cities and towns and villages. Some of us may reckon the passing away of our lives by the epitaphs which are cniseled upon the tombstones of our buried hopes.
 Year of 1S72,s we say. "oh, that was the year of Americas awful black Friday, when my fortune, like snow flake. melted away in en hour. Year of 1881. That was the year l lost my brother or wife or molner. Year or 1905. That was the year l was injured in railroad accident On account Of that broken hip I lost my position at the store and had to give up my life in- ai1r a helm less invalid. burden on my friends An, l am not as I used to be. Once l had enough for myself and for others Now l have less than nothing. l am de- pendent upon those around around me-
 Better days. Oh. yes, scores of you have seen better days in your body, your property and your families. But, alas many of us, like the writer of the words of my text, have seen better days in our spiritual condition. l do not know whether this author held, as do the Methodists of our day, that good man might lose his hold on salvation, but thing is sure-he knew that he had fallen from grace. He had once tasted the joys of divine sonship. He had once waded ankle deep, knee deep, waist deep. chin deep, Into the great depths of Gods love and had drunk of those living waters. But now he has climbed out of those depths and stands shivering upon the jagged rocks of evil in the cold. biting winds of sin. Thus we find him crying out in the words of entreaty: 70 God, bring back to me the happiness and the exhilaration and peace of my past gospel life! Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation!"
 Have not some of us need to offer the prayer of the psalmisti I know that there are many who are in the position of this psalmist l know, furthermore. that If you will only return you may taste again the gospel Joys, and they will be sweeter to you than they ever were before. An eminent minister of the cross short time ago told me that the greatest blessing of revival of religion was not found in introducing strangers to Jesus, but in bringing back to his service those who had once been found at the foot of the cross And" said he,
 when these wanderers return they make the very best workers in our Chris tian churches" May God help me to prevail on some of you backsliders again to taste the gospel of joysl
 Prayer That Is Explicit.
 But I never did like praying for every thing in general and for the universe in particular" In order to be more ex- plicit we would divide the psalmists prayer under three or four distinct hCdhiibSs III tuC hISl PidCty Nbuio have you make the prayer Return unto. me. O Lord, the joy which l ex- perienced when l first began to realize the heights and the depths and the lengths and the breadths of thy sacri- fees for me. Restore unto me the joy which came to my soul when years ago l first approached the communion table and said, Lord. l believe; help thou mine unbelief. ' Then the tidal wave of happiness rolled over us In surges. Then we said to ourselves: Saved by grace! Saved by grace! o God, l thank thee that I have been saved by grace!"
 Was 1t a marvellous fact that at that time we should have been happy and have thanked God that we were saved by grace? Surely we would not treat God less gratefully than we would have treated any human being who had res cued us from threatening danger. When at the battle of Brienne General Gourgaud flung himself before his chief and killed the Cossack who was about to bury his lance in the heart of his emperor, Napoleon's gratitude knew no bounds. Thus we feel grateful toward