The Forrest City times., 1888-06-02

"sS0 huHs Wofhihg the Rev. T. De Witt TAl- mage D. D., read the account of the man helpless at the beautiful gate of the temple ZIG then gave out tho hymn beginning:
 "A Cloud of Witnesses around
 Hold thee in full survey; b
 Forget the steps already trod
 And onward urge the way"
 The subject of tho eloquent doctors dis course was; ''Dissbled Hunters Erin gnr Down the Most Game" His text was from Isaiah, xxxiih 2Ss ''The Lame Take the Prey. ,, Following is the sermon.
 The utter demolition of the Assyrisn host was herc predicted. Not only robust rnen should go forth and gather the spoils of con. quest but even men crippled of arm and crippied of foot should go out and capture much that was valuable. Their physical dis. advantages should not hinder their great en. tieninent So :. mas been in the past, so 1t is nov, 50 II will be in the future So it isin ali departments Men labor under seemingly great disadvantage and amid the most un- favorable circumstances, yet making grand achievements, getting great blessing for them 'elves getting great blessing for the world, treat blessing for the church and so "the lame take the prey,n
 GREAT WORK AGAINST ODDS.
 ., 10 you krow that the three great poets of the world were totally blind1 Homer Ossiap, John Milton. Do you know that Mr. Prescott, who wrote that enchanting book, "The Con : quest of Mexico" never saw Mexico. coud not even see the paper on which he was writ. lngt A frame work across the sheet between which, up and down, went the pen immortal 10 you know that &smbassio tie sculptor could not see the marble before him, or the txh h.. IA l..s. -l witchingl Do you know that Alexander Pope. whose poems will last as long as the English language, was so much of an invalid that he had to be sewed up every morning in rough canYaes In order to stand on his feet at all DO you know that Stewart the celebrated painter, did much of his wonderful work tn. der the shadow Of the dungeon where he had been unJustiy imprisoned for debit Do you know that Demosthenes by almost superhu. man exertion first had to conquer the lisp of bis own speech before be conquered assem- blages with his eloquence. Do you know that Bacon struggled all through innumerahle sieknesses and that Lord Byron and Sir Wal ter Scott were limping on clubfout through all their life, and that many of the great poets and painters and orators and historians and heroes of the world had something to keep them back and pull them down and i'm pede their way and cripple their physical or their intellectual movement and vet that they pushed on and pushed up until they reached the spells of worldly success and amid the huzza of nations and centuries s'the lame took the preyi"
 NOTABLE SPIRITUAL coNouEsrs.
 lou know that vast multitude of these men started under the disadvantage of ob- score percentage. Columbus, the son of the weaver Ferguson, the astronomer, the son of the shepherd Amert- ca the prey of the one; worlds on worlds the prey of the other. But what ;a true in secular directions is more true in spiritual and religious directions, and pro ceed to prove if. There are ir all communit- les many inyalids. They never know a well day. They adhere to their occupations. but ,ney go panting along the streets with ex- hsustions and at eventime they lie down on the lounge with achings beyond ali medca- ment. They have tried ali prescriptions, they have gone through all the cures which were proclaimed infallible, and they nave come now to surrender to perpetual all ments. They consider they are among many disadvantages, and when they see those who are buoyant in health pass by, they almost envy Their robust frames and easy respir atlon. put nave noticed among that invalid class those who have the greatest knowledge of the Bible, who are in nearest intimacy with Jesus Christ who have the most glowing ex- perlences or the truth, who have had the most remarkable answers to prayer, and who have most e1hilarant anticipatiOns Of heaven. The temptations which weary us who are in TO- bust health they have conquered They have divided among them the spells of the con- quest Many who are alert and athletic aud swarthy lolter in the way. These are the lame that take the prey. Robert Hall an invalid, Edward Payson an invalid, Richard Baxter an invalid, Samuel Rutherford an iu- valid. This morning, when you want to call to mind those who arc most Christlike, you think of some darkened room in your fathers house from which there went forth an infu. ence potent for eternity.
 BLESSINGS FOR THE AFFLICTED.
 A step farther. Through raised letters the art Of printing has been brought to the at. tention of the blind. You take up the Bible for the blind and you close your eyes and you run your fingers over the raised letters and you say; Why l never could get any in- formation in this way. What slow, lum- brous way of reading. God help the blind" And yet l lind among that class of persons, among the blind. the deaf aud the dumb the most thorough acquaintance with Gods word. Shut out from all other sources of informa tion, no sooner does their hand touch the raised letter than they gather a prayer Without eyes they look of upon the kingdom of Gods love. Without hearing they catch the minstrelsy of the skies Dumb, yet with pencil, or with irradiated countenance, they declare the glory of God.
 A large audience assembled In New York at the anniversary Of the deaf and dumb asy- lum and one of the visitors with chalk on the blackboard wrote this question to the pupils: Do you not find 1t very hard to be deaf and dumbP Aud one of the pupils took the chalk and wrote on the blackboard this sublime sentence fn answer: "When the song of the angels shall burst upon our en- rsptured ear, We will scarce regret that our ears were never marred by earthly sounds" Ohl the brightest eyes in heaven will be those that never saw on earth. The ears most alert in heaven will be those that in this world heard neither voice of friend, nor thum of harp, nor carol Of bird nor doxology of congregations
 THE BEAUTIES OF HEAVEN.
 lad who had been blind from infancy vas cured. The oculist operated upon the lad and then put very heavy bandage over the eyes, and after few weeks had gone by the bandage was removed, and the mother said to her child: Willie, can you seei' He said {: ''Oi mamma, is this Heaven" The contrast between the darkness before and the bright ness afterward was overwhelming. And tell you the glories of Heaven will be a thou sandfod brighter for those who never saw anything on earth. While many with good vision closed their eyes in night, and many who had good, artistic and cultured ear went down into discord. these afflicted ones cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He made their sorrows their advantage, and so 'tne lame took the prey"
 In the seventh century there was legend of St Modohert It was said that his mother DiluO. anu Ont udf NHitt ibOhiuR Nt uis mother he felt so sympathetic for her blind ness that he rushed forward and kissed her blind eyes, and the legend says her vision came immediately That was only a legend, but it is a truth, glorious truth. that q kiss of God's S eternal love has brought to many a blind eye eternal illumination.
 A step farther: There are those in all com munities who toll nightly for a livelihood. Thee have scant wages. Perhaps they are diseased. or have phy sical inhrmittes so they are hindered from doing continuous day. s work city missionary finds them up the dark alley, with no fire, with thin clothing, with very coarse bread. They never ride in the street car; they can not afford the cents. They never see any pictures save those in the show windows on the street from which they gre often jostled and .looked at by some one who seems 10 say in the look: Move on what are YOU doing here looking at pIcturesf'
 PATIENT IN MUCH EVILS.
 Yet many of them live on mountains or transformation. At their rough table He who fed the 5000 breaks the bread. They talk often of the good times that are coming. This world has no charms for them, but heaven entrances their spirit They often di- vide their seant crust with some forlorn wretch who knocks at their door at night, ana on the blast of the night wind. as the door opens to let them in, Is beard the voice of Him who said: T was hungry and ye fed me- No cohort of heaven will be too bright tn trsnsrort them By Gods hell they have