West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-06-07
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
HOW THE WEAK BECOME
STRONG.
The Proud and tho Mighty Overcome
by the Weak aud Humble

bnOutu go tortn ana gather the spOlls OF con-
quest, but even mon crippled of arm and
crippled of foot should go out and capture
much that was valuable. Their physical
disadvantages should not hinder their great
enrichment. So il has been i'm the past, so il
is now, so it will be in the future. SO it is in
all departments Men labor under seemingly
great disadvantages and amid the most un-
favorable circumstances, yet making grand
achieVements, getting great blessing for
themselves, great blessing for the world.
great blessing for the church, and so 1.-THE
lame take the prey
DO you know that the three great poets of
the world were totally blindl Homer, Os-
sim, John Milton. Do YOU know that Mr.
Prescott, who wrote that enchanting book,
The Conquest OF Mexico" never saw Mex.
leo, could not even see the paper on which he
was writingi A framework across the sheet
between which, up and down, went the pen
immortal Do you know that Gambassio, the
sculptor, could not see the marble before him
or the chisel with which he cut IL into shapes
bewitching' Do you know that Alexander
Pope, whose poems will last rs long as the
English language, was 50 mnch of an invalid
that he had TO be sswed up every morning i'm
at ALT
DO you know that Stuart. the celebrated
painter, did much OF his wonderful work
under the shadow OF the dungeon, where he
had been unjustly imprisoned for debit Do
you know that Demosthenes, by almost
superhuman exertion, first had TO conquer
quered assemblages with his eloquencei Do
you know that Bacon struggled all
through innumerable sicknesses, and that
Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott went
hmping on club feet through all their life,
and that many of the great poets and paint
ers 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 intellectual
movement; and yet they that pushed on and
pushed up until they reached the spoils OF
worldly success, and amid the huzza OF
nations and centuries, 1.-The lame took the
preyp
You know that vast multitude Of these
men started under the disadvantage OF OBJ
scure parentage Columbus, the son Of the
weaver. Ferguson, the astronomer, the son
of the shepherd. America, the prey of tho
onei worlds ON worlds the prey OF the other.
But what is true in secular directions is more
true in spiritual and religious directions, and
proceed to prove it.
There are in all communities many inva-
lbs. They never know we'll day. They
adhere TO their occupations, but they go
painting along the streets with exhaustions
and at eyentime they lie down on the lounge
with achings beyond all medicament. They
have gone through all the cures
which were proclaimed infallible
and they have come now to surrender
to perpetual ailments. 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 respiration.
But i have noticed among that invalid
class those who have the greatest knowIedpe
of the Bible, wko are in nearest intimacy
with Jesus Christ, who have the most glow
ing experiences of the truth, who have
had the most remarkable answers TO
prayer, and who have most exhilnr-
ant anticipations of heaven The tempta.
tons 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 swarthy loiter in the way. These
are the lame that take the prey. Rob
bert Hall, an invalid; Edward Payson
an invalid; Richard Baxter, an invalid ;
Samuel Rutherford an invalid. This morn
ing, when you want to call to mind those
who are most Christlke, you think OF some
dGrkencd 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 brough to the at
tention of the blind
You take up the Bible for the blind. and
you close your eyes, and you run your fin
gers over the raised letters, and you say:
why, never could get any information in
this way. What slow, cumbrous way Of
reading God heir 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 out from all other sources of
inform ton, no sooner does their hand touch
the raised letter than they gather prayer
Without eyes, they look of upon the kingdom
~ Gods love. Without hearing they catch
she minstrelsy of the skies Dumb, yet with
pencil, or with irradiated countenance, they
declare the glory of God.
large audience assembled in New York
at the anniversary OF the Deaf and Dumb
asylum, and one Of the visitors with chalk on
the blackboard wrote this question to the
IupIs: DO you not find it very hard 10 be
ceaf and dumbP And one Of the pupils took
The chalk and wrote on the blackboard this
sublime sentence in answer: when the song
OF the angels shall burst upon our enrnpt.
ured ear, we will scarce regret that our ears
were never marred with earthly sounds -
OH the brightest eyes i'm 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
thrum OF harp, nor carol OF bird nor doxol-
ogy OF congregations.
A lad who had been blind from infancy
was 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: "Wille, can you seer He
said: oh mamma, is this hedvenw The
contrast between the darkness before and the
brightness afterward was overwhelming
And tell you the giories Of heaven will be
thoufandfoid brighter for those who never
saw anything on earth. While many with
good vision closed their eyes at 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 80 the lame took the prey
In tho Seventh century there was n legend
Of St MOdobert. IL was said that his mother
was blind and one day while looking at his
mother he felt 50 sympathetic for her blind.
ness that be rushed forward and kissed her
blind eyes. and, the legend SAYS her vision
came Immediately. That was only a legend
but " IS a truth, glorious truth, that n kiss
o. Gods eternal love has brought ~ many a
blind eye eternal illumination
A step further: There are those In all com.
munitos who toll nightly for n livelihood
They have scant wages. Perhaps they are
diseased, or have physical inhrmities 50 they
ore hndered from doing n continuous dav' &
work. city missionary finds them I'd the
dark alley, with no fire. ith thin clothing with
very coarse bread They never ride I'm ths
slfeet cars; they cannot afford the five certs
.hey never see any pictures save thoee iu
ne snow windows on the street from which
tney are often jostled and looked at by como
one VINO seems ~ say Ina the look. Move oul
"net are you doing here lOOkingat ricfuroeF
het many ~ them live on mountains ~
suguration At their rough table bq
80 ted tne i've thousand breaks the bread
10y yak giten Of The good times that are
coming 2 bis world has no charm Tor ti,err,
tut heaven entrances their spirif Thee 90,
oifme their scant crust with some forforn
wretch who knocks at their door al uiobf ,y,-i
on the blast of the night wind ~ fbe 49,
opens 20 lot them in. RI heard the voioo "a
him who said. nT was hung~v ana -, 81
me. No cohorf 81 Irar,-r, a.. Z 4. 7. /.