The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-03
 DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.


can well be applied, in the first place, to those of weak kneed theology. It can be applied to those who cannot quite make up their minds whether Christ Is God or a very good man, whether Christ is ''the only begotten Son of the Father or merely one of many different mani festations of Gods love of whom Mo- hammed and Confucius and Buddha and Vishnu are other manifestations and almost as good. With the old southern mamntys ideas of Christ they are in heartiest sympathy. When her young mistress little child died and the frantic mother thought her daughter was lost forever, the old slave said: Honey, darliny ye ain't right. Oars a drefful mistake somewhar. Why de Lord ain't like what ye think. He loves ye, honey. Why, Jes' see how loves ye, an ain't better'n him as made me. Oar jes' ain't but one ting to come to, an dat are a good place, darlin'. Look right at Jesus. Oars a God ye can love" Oh yes. these men of weak kneed theology cal look at Jesus and love him like tbat. but the trouble Is that is not the place stop. They go little further and still a little further and say, Jesus is sJ good that he saves us whether we love and honor him or not" They are almost in the same position as was one of the officers of my regiment in the Spanish-American war when he said to me; Chaplain, I believe in your Christ. l do not serve him as I ought to, but believe If I am shot in this war God will say: There Is a poor fellow who gave up his life for his country. No man Can' do more for love of his native land than that. will save him on account of his shed blood.'" Mark you this-not on account of Christ's blood, but on account of mans blood.
 Looking Unto Jesus.
 No sinner was ever saved from eternal death except by the divine atdnement Now, my friends, it is about time for some of you to stiffen up the backbone of your theology. It is about time for some of us to realize that only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us as white as the driven snow There is stream in Corsica called the river Restonia, which has the remarkable power of turning white everything which is dropped into its clear waters. The cane which falls from your hand into it becomes a white stick. The watch which slips out of your pocket into 1t becomes white metal. A traveller tells us that an iron bar dropped as silver scepter. So every one who is really cleansed by Chrlsrs blood becomes, as in the river Restonia, White the driven snow. But, mark you, as the old southern nanny said, 1t Is only by look ing Ito Jesus, who Is God to love, that you and I can become purged and cleansed and washed until we become winter than snow. It Is surely time for some of us to center our hopes upon the cross. which alone can save us from eternal death.
 Many years ago the British admiralty sentl the man-of-war Thetis to Mediter- ranean waters to hunt up a shoal or reef or bank that had been reported by some fishermen off the coast of Italy and mark 1t upon the chart. The vessel sailed back and forth without being bale to locate the dangerous reef. The captain returned to England and declared that no such rocks existed, but the first lieu tenant of the Thetis thought differently He begged the privilege of continuing the investigation. He labored on until at last he located those rocks, and was pro- noted for the service he had done the worlds shipping. The old captain of the Thetis obstinately declared that these rocks were purely chimerical and never existed. "If I ever go near their sup posed site I shall sail over them to prove l am right" said he. A few months later the Thetis was conveying the British ambassador to the city of Naples. One stormy night the captain found that he was near hislsupposed reef. He headed directly toward it as he said. Now I will prove that lieutenant fabricatorp p' The ship sailed on for a few hours, then came the grating sound of shallow wa ter, then crashl The Thetis was a helpless wreck. Most or the crew were saved, but the foolish captain would not allow himself to be saved, to meet cer- tain disgrace. "He perished," said Dr.. Stoughton, "a victim to his own unbe- lief" Thus thousands upon thousands of immortal souls will perish on ac- count of their lukewarm acceptation of the cross. They are not directly enemies of Jesus Christ. They belong to what is called the liberal order of Christians.