Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 September 1892 — WHICH ROAD? [ARTICLE]

WHICH ROAD?

The Way is Plain—No Need to Err. The King's Highway to Well Built, Clean- —- Safe sat Pleasant.—Dr. Talmaa*’* J' Sermon. London, Sept. 11. —Another busy week of Dr. Talmage’s preaching tour has just ended. After conducting services before immense audieneds at Swansea, Exeter and Bristol he preached four times in Plymouth to the largest religious gatherings ever witnessed in that city. Before leaving Plymouth, the mayor, at a public meeting at which many clergymen were present, thanked the American preacher for the great good his sermons had produced in awakening the community. Dr. Talmage on the day of his departure was driven to the wharf and alighted at the top of the flight of stone steps down which the pilgrim fathers went when they embarked on the Mayflower to seek the new world. The sermon selected for to-day is entitled. “The King’s Highway,” the text chosen being Isaiah xx'xv, 8-10: “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those; the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon. It shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” There are thousands of people here this morning who want to find the right road. You sometimes see a person halting at cross roads, and you can tell by his looks that he wishes to ask a question as to what direction he had better take. And I stand in your presence this morning conscious of the fact that there are many of you here who realize that there are thousands of wrong roads but only one riirht one, and I take it for granted that you have come in to ask which one it is. Here is one road that opens widely, but I have not much faith in it. There are many expensive toll gates scattered all along that way. Indeed at every rod you must pay in tears or pay in flagellations. On that road, if you get through at all, you have to pay your own way, and since this differs so much from what I have heard in regard to the right way I believe it is the wrong way. THE WRONG ROAD. Here is another roa<J. On either side of it are houses of sinful entertainment and invitations to come in and dine and rest, but from tho looks of the people who stand on the piazza I am very certain that it is the wrong way. Here is another road. It is very beautiful and macadamized. The horses’ ho&fs clatter and ring, and they who ride over it spin along the highway until suddenly they find that the road breaks over an cm baukment, and they try to halt, and they see the bit in the mouth of the fiery steed and cry, “Whoa! whoa!” But it is too late; and—crash!—they go over the embankment. We shall turn this morning and see if we can not find a different kind of a road. First, this road of the text is the King’s highway. The King sent bis Son to build that road. He put head and hand and heart to it, and after the road was completed waved his blistered hand over the way,crying “It is finished!” Napoleon paid fifteen million francs for the building of the Simplon road, that bis cannon might go over for the devastation of Italy; but our King, at a greater expense, has built a road for a different purpose, that the banners of heavenly dominion might come down over it, and all the redeemed of earth travel up over it. Being a King’s highway, of course it is well built. Bridges splendidly arched and buttressed have given way and crushed the passengers who attempted to cross them. But Christ the King would build no such thing as that. The work done, he mounts the chariot of his love, and multitudes mount with him, and he drives on and up the steep of heaven amid the plaudits of gazing worlds! The work is done—gloriously done — magnificently done! Still further, this road spoken of is a clean road. Many a fine road has become iniry and foul because it has not been properly cared for, but my text says the unclean shall not walk on this one. Room on either side to throw away your sins. Indeed, if you want to carry them along you are not on the right road. That bridge will break, those overhanging rocks will fall, thq night will cbm? down, leaving you at the mercy of the mountain bandits, and at the next turn of the road you will perish. But if you are really on thia clean road of which I have been speaking, then you will stopever and anon to wash in tho water that stands in the basin of the eternal rock. Aye, at almost every step of the journey vou will be crying out, “Create within me a clean heart! " Still further, the road spoken of is a plain road. “ The wayfaring men. though fools, shall not err therein ’ —that is, if a man is three fourths au idiot ho can find this road juit as well as if he were a philosopher. Tho imbecile boy, the laughing stock of tho street, and followed by a mob booting at him, has- only- to knock

once at the gate of heaven and it? swings .open, while there has been tnany a man who can lecture about pneumatics and chemistry, and tell the story of Faraday’s theory o£ electrical polarization, and yet bos been shut, put of heaven. There has been many a man who stood in bis observatory and swept the heavens with his telescope, and yet he has not been able to see 1 the Morning Star. He who tries to get on the road to heaven through the New Testament teaching will get on beautifully. He who goes through philosophical discussion will not get on at.all. Christ says, “Come to me and I will take all yours sins away, and I will take all your troubles away.” Now what is the use of my discussing it any more? Is not that plain? If you wanted to go to London and I pointed you out a highway thoroughly laid out, would I be wise in detaining you by a geological discussion about the gravel you will pass over, or a physiological discussion about the muscles you will have to bring into play. No. After this Bib's has pointed you the way to heaven is it wise for -me to detain you withany discussion about the nature of the human will, or whether the a tone men t is limited or unlimited? There is the road — go on it. It is a plain way. Still further; this road to heaven is a safe road. Sqpiotjmea the travr eler in those ancient highways would think himself perfectly secure, not knowing there was a lion, by the way burying his head deep between his paws, and then when the right moment came, under the fearful spring the man’s life was goue and there was a mauled carcass by the roadside. But, says my text, “No lion shall be there.” I wish I could make you feel this morning your entire security. I tell you plainly that one minute after a man has become a child of God he Is as safe as though he had been ten years in heaven. He may slip; he may slide; ho may stumble; but ho cannot bo destroyed. Kept by the power of God, throug.h faith.unto.complete salvation. Everlastingly safe. The severest trial to which you can subject a Christian man is to kill him, and that is glory. His soul is safe. His reputation is safe. Everything is safe. “But,” you say, “suppose his store burns up?” Why, then, it will only be a change of investments from earthly to heavenly securities. “But.”you say, “suppose his name goes down under the hoof of scorn and contempt?" The name will be so much brighter in glory. “Suppose his physical health fails?” God Will pour into him the floods of everlasting health, and it will not make any difference. Earthly subtraction is heavenly addition. The tears of earth are the crystals of heaven. Still further, the rood spoken of is a pleasant road. God gives a bond of indemnity against all evil to every man that treads it. “All things work together for good to those who love, God.” No weapon formed against them can prosper. That is the bond, signed, sealed and delivered by the President of the Uni-verse.-Wlial is the use of vour fretting, O child of God, about food? “Behold the fowls of .the air; for they sow not, neither ab they reap, nor gather into barns: yet your heavenly father feedeth them.” And will he take care of the sparrow, will he take care of the hawk, aud let you die? What is the use of fretting about clothes? “Consider the lilies of the field. Shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of littleTTaith?" What is the use of worrying for fear something will happen to your home? “He blesseth the habitation of the just.” What is the use of fretting -lest you will be overcome of temptations? “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the tempta tion also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Oh, this King's highway! Trees of life on either side, bending over until their branches interlock aud drop midway their fruit aud shade. Houses on either side the road for poor pilgrims. Tables spread with a feast of good things, and walls adorned with apples of gold in pictures cf silver. 1 start out on this King’s highway, and I find a harper, and I say, “What is your name?” Tho harper makes no response, but leaves me to guess, as, with his eye toward heaven and his hand upon the trembling strings, this tune comes rippling in the air: “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my lire; of whom am I afraid? I pursue this subject only one step farther. What is the terminus? 1 do not care how fine a road you may put me on, I want to know where it ends. My text declares it, “The redeemed of the Lord come to Zion.” You know what Zion was? That was the King's palace. It was a mountain fastness. It was impregnable. Aud so heaven is the fastness of the universe. No howitzer has long enough to shell those towers. Let all the batteries of earth and belt blaze away; they break in those gates. Gibralter was taken; Sebastopol was taken; Babylon fell; but those walls ot heaven shall never surrender either to human or Satanic besiegement. The Lord God Almighty is the defense of it. G-cat capital of tho universe! Tcrmintui of the King's highway! ’*• Brass pins were first made by the Saracens in Spain in A. D. 800. were brought to England by Catharine of Aragon, wife of Henry VIII The water clock was known in Romo B. C. 15 k Dial clicks were first put up in A. D. 013. striking clocks were Saracenic, abool pendulum docks were iuroNOMd repeating docks 1* IS >4.