The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-04-11
Ca(nna8e
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt TalmaGe, D. D.

uluerent, ana especially 10 lue DdCh-
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 a reminding Of spiritual
activities. The text Is Psalm II, II,
Restore unto me the joy Of thy saliva
tion'
Oh, how quickly the wheel OF for
tune may whirl around! What we are
today Is no earnest Of what we may be
tomorrow. Rich and aftluent, prosper
Gus and happy now, that does not
prove that we shall be rich and happy
and prosperous, with 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 his
tory by this or that or the other earth
quake, which has made the heavtng
earth rock down homes and destroy
whole cities and towns and villages.
Some of US may reckon the passing
away of our lives by the epitaphs
which are chiseled upon the tomb
stones Of our buried hopes.
Year of 1872" we say. ooh, that
was the year Of Americas awful black
Friday, when my fortune like a snow
flake melted away in an hour. Year Of
1881. That was the year l lost my
brother or. wife or mother. Year Of
1908. That was the year l was injured
a IN, nf
that broken hip lost my position at
the store and had to give up my life In
surance policy and become a poor,
helpless invalid, burden on my
friends. All, l am not as used to be.
Once l had enough for myself and for
others. Now l have less than nothing.
l am dependent upon those 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 bette. days
in our spiritual condition. l do not
know whether this author held, as do
the Methodists Of our day, that a good
man might lose his hold on salvation
but one 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: 20 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 xCsne of us need to offer
the prayer of the psalmist? I know
that there are many who are in the 20
sition Of this psalmist. know, fur
thermore, 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 age
told me that the greatest blessing OF
a revival of religion was not found in
introducing strangers to Jesus, but III
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 Christian church
es." May God help me to prevail or
some of you backsliders again to taste
the gospel joys!
Prayer That Is Explicit.
But l never did like praying fol
Everything in general and for the uni
verse in particular" In order to bs
more explicit we would divide the
psalmist's prayer under three or foul
distinct headings. In the first place,
would have you make the prayer: RE
turn unto me, o Lord, the joy which
experienced when I first began to re
alize the heights and the depths an(
the lengths and the breadths Of thy
sacrifices for me. Restore unto me tht
Joy which came to my soul when years
ago first approached the communion
table and said, Lord, l believe; hell
thou mine unbelief.' Then the tida
wave Of happiness rolled over US ii
surges. Then we said to ourselves
Saved by grace! Saved by grace
o God, thank thee that have beer
saved by grace"
| Was it marvellous fact that at tina
time we should have been happy ant
have thanked God that we were sayet
by graee1 Surely we would not trea
God less gratefully than we woult
have treated any human being who hat
rescued us from threatening danger
When at the battle of Brienne Genera
Gourgaud flung himself before hi
chief and killed the Cossack who wa
about to bury his lance In the heart o
his emperor Napoleon's gratitude knew
no bounds. Thus We feel grateful to
ward our human rescuers. We lool
with loving eyes toward the skilled sur
geon who drove the knife within
hairs breadth of the fatal artery ant
say: "He saved me! He saved me!
We throw our arms with a grateful
convulsive clasp about the neck Of tn
strong swimmer who. breasted tn
waves and swan out to bring US :
shore when we were sinking In tn
surf. We sound forth the praises o