National Republican., 1888-05-28

morning the Rev. II. Dewitt Talmagc, d. D.,
read the account of the man helpless at the
Gate Of the Temple. lie the then
gave out the hymn beginning:
"a cloud uf witnesses around
Hold thee IN iul survey;
Forget the steps already trUd,
And onward urge thy way
The subject of the eloquent doctors dis.
course was Disabled Hunters Bringing
Down the Most Game" His text was from
Isaiah, xXxif, ?3-"Thc lame take the prey"
Following Is the sermon
The utter demolition OF tine Assyrian host
was here predicted. Not only robust men
should 40 forth and gather the spOils OF con.
quest, but even men crippled of arm and
crippled of foot should 90 ont and capture
advantages should not hinder their great
enrichment. So u has been in the past, 50 IL
H. now, so II will be in the future. So " Is In
great disadvantages, and amid the most nm.
favorable circumstances, yet making grand
achievements, getting great blessing for them
selves, great blessing for the world, great
take the prey
DO you know that the three great poets of
the world were totally blind Homer, sian,
John Milton. DO YOU know that Mr. Prescott,
who wrote that enchanting book, 'rhe Con.
quest OF MeNico,' never saw Mexico; could
not even see the paper on which he was
writing. a framework across the. sheet. he
tween which, up and down, went the pen i'm
mortal. Do you know that Gambassio the
sculptor. could not see the marble before him,
or the chisel with which lie cut II into shapes
bcNitChingi Do you know that Alexander
Pore, .whose poems will last SO long. as the
English language, was so much of an invalid
that he had TO he sewed mp every morning in
rough canvass In order to stand ON his feet
atall?
Do you know that stuart. the celebrated
lainter, did much of his wonderful work ,un,
der the shadow of the dungeon, where he had
been unjustly imprisoned for debt! DO You
know that DemoSthUnes, by almost superhu-
man exertion, first had tn conquer the lisp of
his own speech before he conquered assem-
that Bacon struggled all through innu.
Byrcn and SIr Waller scott Vent
lImping, on club foot through all their
painters and orators and historians and heroes
Of the world had something to keep them
back, and pull them down. and impede their
way and cripple their physical or their intel.
lectual movement, and yet that they pushed
ON and pushed mp until they reached the
spoils of worldly success, and amid the hu2za
of nations and centuries THE lame took the
You know that Il vast multitude of these
men started under the disadvantage of OBJ.
scure parentage. Columbus, the son of the
weaver: Ferguson, the astronomer, the son uf
the shepherd. America the prey of the one;
worlds on worlds the prey of the other But
what Is true In secular directions Is more true
in spiritual and religious directions, and ]
There are in all communities many invalids.
They never know, well day. They adhere
to their occupations, but they. go painting
along the streets with eNhaustiOns, and at
eyentime they lie down on the lounge with
achings beyond all medicament. They have
tried all prescriptions, they have gone
through all the cures which were proclaimed
infallibe and they. have come now to sur
render to perpetual ailments. They consider
they are among many disadvantages, and
when they see those, who are tu)yant In health
pass by, they almost envy their robust
frames and easy respiration.
But have 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 expert
ences of the truth. who have had the most re-
markable answers TO prayer, and who have
most eXhilarant anticipations of heaven. The
temptations which weary US who are IN robust
health they have conquered. They have divided
among them the spoils of the conquest. Many
who are alert and athletic and sMarthy, loiter
prey. Robert Hall an invalid, Edward Pay
son an invalid, Richard Baxter an invalid
Samuel Rutherford an invalid, This morning
when you want to call TO mind those who are
most Christ'like, you think of some darkened
room In your fathers house from which there
went forth an influence potent for eternity:
A step farther: Through raised letters the
ART OF printing has been brought TO the atteh
You take up the Bible for the blind, and you
close your eyes, and you run your fingers Ovel
could get any information IN this way. What
slow, lumbrous way Of reading! God helr
the blind
And yet find among that class Of persons,
among the blind, the deaf and the dumb, the
most thorough acquaintance with Gods
word. Shut Sut from all other sources. of in
formation, no sooner does their hand tOuci
the raised letter than they, gather prayer
m
of Gods love. Without hearing, they catch
the minstrelsy of the skies. Dumb, yet with
pencil, or with ifradated countenance, they
declare the glory of God.
A large audience assembled In New York al
the anniversary Of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum
and one of the visitors with chalk on tht
",Doyon not find it very hard to. be deaf and
dumbt' And one Of the pupils, took the CHALK
and wrote on the blackboard this sublim,
sentence in answer: when the song of the
raptured ear, we will scarce regret that ON
ears were never maTed with earthly sounds
oh, the brightest eyes In heaven will be those
that never saWS on earth. The ears "a IN most aler
heard neither voice of friend, nor tbrum %
harp nor carol of bird, nor doxology OF con
BregatiOns.
A lad who had been blind from infancy wa,
cured The oculist operated upon the lad ant
then put very heavy bandage over the eyes
and after a few weeks had gone by the bandag,
VI,
Willie, can you see - He said :"oh mamma
Is this heayenf" The contrast between the
darkness before and the brightness after
ward was overwhelming: And j tell you
brighter for those who never saw anything ol
earth. While many with good vision CLOSED
their eyes In night and many who had "A good
artistig ts and cultured ear Wen Went down into dis
In their trouble and lie made their sorrow
their advantage, and so 1.-THE lame took TIN
| prey
In the seventh century there was a legent
| OF ST; Modobert. II was said that his motle
was blind, and one day while locking at. hi
mother he felt so sympathetic for her blind
blind eyes, and, the legend says, her, visioI
came Immediately. That was only Il legend
but II l. truth, glorious truth, that a kis
blind eye eternal illumination.
step further There are those IN all com
munties who toll nightly for Livelihood
They have seant wages, Perhaps they ar,
are hindered from doing continuous day
| work. A city. missionary finds them up tn
dark alley, with no fires, with thin clothinE
with very coarse bread, They never ride u
the street car; they cannot afford the cents
| They never see any pictures save those IN IN
show window on the street, from which the
are often jostled and looked az by some on
who seems to say In the look Move on; VIVA
are You doing here looking at picturesfn
Yet, many of them live on mountains o
| TRANSPORTATION. At their rough table He VIII
| fed the five thousand breaks the bread, The
| This world has no charm for them, bu
heaven entrances their spirit They oite
| divide their scant crust with some FOL
lOrn wretch who knocks at their door a
night and on the blast Of the night wind, q
| the door OPENS to let them In, Is heard tn
| voice of Him who said, II was hungry and y
/ fed me-" No Gohort Of heaven will be TO
| bright TO transport them. BY Gods help the
| have vanQuished the Assyrian host. They hav
| divided among them the spoils Lame, lame
| yet they took the prey.
| ] was riding along the country road one day
| and ] saw II man on Crutches. | oyertOOl
him. lie was very old, llewas going YER
slowly. AZ that rate, II would have takel
him two hours 10 go mile, said; "Wouldn'
| would. God bless yOu.n When he sat bcsld
| me hn nnll. .Nnn 600 | nIn Nnl,N hmm nm