The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-05-29
DISABLED HUNTERS.
The Trials and Affections of
Men Who Conquered.
Sermon of Rev. Dewitt TaImage at the
brooklyn Takernacle-Text: THE
Lame Take the Prey

ernacle inns morning the itev. L. Dewitt Tai
mage, D. d., read the account of the man help
less at the beautiful gate of the temple. He
then gave out the hymn beginning:
"A cloud of witnesses around
Hold thee in full survey;
Forget the steps already trod,
And onward urge thy way
The subject ofthe eloquent doctors discourse
was: DISABLED Hunters Bringing Down the
Most Game" His text was from Isaiah. chap
ter 80, verse % 'The lame take the prev"
Following is the sermon:
The utter demolition of the Assvrian host
was here predicted. Not only robust men
should go forth and gather the spoils of con-
quest, but even men crippled of arm and Grip
pied oil foot should go out and capture much
that was valuable, Tier physical dsadvant-
ages should not hinder their great enrichment.
So it has been in the past, so it is now, so it
will be in the future So It's in all depart-
ments. Men labor under seemingly great dis
advantages, and amid the most unfayorable
circumstances, yet making grand achieve
ments. getting great blessing for themselves,
great blessing for the world, great blessing for
the church, and so 'the lame take the prey"
do you know that the three great poets of
the world were totally blind? Homer, Ossian,
John Milton. Do you know that Mr.. Prescott,
who wrote that enchanting book Tho Con-
even see the paper on which he was writing?
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 into shapes bewitching?
Do you know that Alexander Pope, whose
poems viii last as long as the English Ian
guage, was so much of an invalid that he had
to be sewed up every morning in rough canvas
In order to stand on his feet at all?
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 debt? Do you know
that Demosthenes, by almost superhuman ex-
erton, first had to conquer the lisp of his own
speech before he conquered assemblages with
his eloQuence? Do you know that Bacon
struggled all through innumerable sicknesses,
and that Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott
went limping and clubtooted 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 impede their way,
and cripple their physical or their intellectual
movement. and yet that they pushed on and
pushed up until they reached the spols of
worldly success, and amid the huzza of nations
and centuries, "the lame took the prey?'
You know that a 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 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 pro-
coed to prove it.
There are in all communities many invalids
They never knew we'll day. They adhere to
their occupations, butthey go painting along the
streets with exhaustion, and at eventime they
lie down ON the lounge with achings beyond
all medicament. They have tried all pre-
scriptions, 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 al
most envy their robust frames and easy respir-
alton.
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 experiences
of the truth, who have had the most remark
able answers to prayer, and who have most ex-
hilerant anticipations of heaven. The temp
tations which weary us who are in robust
health they have conquered They have di-
vided among them the spols of the conquest.
Many who are alert and athletic and swarthy
loiter in the way. These are the lame that
take tho prey. Robert Hall an invalid, Ed
ward Payson an invalid, Richard Baxter an
invalid. Samuel Rutherford an invalid. This
morning, when you want to call to mind those
who are most Christlike, you think of some
darkened room in your fathers house from
{ol,
eternity.
A step farther: Through raised letters the
art of printing has been brought to the atten-
ton 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 information in this way.
What slow lumbrous way of reading. God
help the blind"
And yet find among that class of persons,
among the blind, deaf and dumb, the most
thorough acquaintance with Gods word Shut
out from all other sources of information, no
sooner does their hand touch the raised letter
than they gather a prayer Without eyes,
they look off upon the kingdoms Of Gods love.
Without hearing, they catch the minstrelsy of
the skies Dumb, yet with pencil or with
trradiated countenance, they declare the glory
Of God.
A large audience assembled in New York at
the anniversary of the deaf and dumb asylum,
and one of the visitors with chalk on the black
board wrote this question to the pupils: ''Do
you not find it very hard to be deaf and
dumb" And one of the pupils took the chalk
and wrote on the blackboard this sublime SEN
tsnce i'll answer: "When the song of the an
gels shall burst upon our enraptured ear, we
will scarce regret that our ears were never
marred with earthly sounds" OH the bright
est eyes III heaven will be those that 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 doxoiogy of congregations.
A lad who had been blind from infancy was
cured The ocuIist operated upon the lad, and
then put a very heavy bandage over the eyes,
and after few weeks had gone by, the BAN
dage was removed and the mother said to her
child willie, can you See?" lie said: "Oh!
mamma is this Heaven?" The contrast be-
tween the darkness before and the brightness
afterward was overwhelming. And tell you
the glories Of Heaven will be a thousand fold
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 dis