The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-03-12
"REYISION OF CREEDS. >
THE SUBJECT OF DR.. TALMAGE
DISCOURSE.

IASCOOhSC.
Theuch:s Iupr ea.ea C"nu the Hiyine oS
Visit TO Tho spot Ifaere Lazarus Lived
and Died.
At The Tabernacle Sunday morning
the Rev. T. De Witt Tslmage. D. D.,
said he thought the new Brooklyn tabe'-
nacle would be dedicated 10 september.
The subject of Ills discourse was Re
vision of Crseds," aud he took for his
text Joan xi., A.: ''Loose him, and let
him 60" DR.. Talnage said:
Ny Bible is, at she p.sce of this text.
written s.l ove- with the lead pencil marx
made last December at Bethany on the
ruins Of the houae Of Mary and Martha
ana Lazarus. We dismounted from GU:
horses DC the wsy up from jordan to the
Dead Sea. Bethany was the summer
evening retreat of Jesus. After spend
ing the day in the hot city of Jerusalem
he would come ont there almost every
evening to the house Of his three friends
Think the occupants of the hosse were
orphans, for the father and mother were
not mentioned But the son and two
daughters must have Inherited property
for il aust have been, judging from
what saw of the foundations and the
size Of she rooms, an opulsnt home. Lsza
rus, the brother, was now the head o
the household, ard his sisters dependec
on bin and we're proud OF MIN, Tor ne
was very popular and everybody hkeo
him. and these girls were splendid girls.
Martha, frst-rase housskesper, snc
Mary, spirisuelie, somewhat dreamy
bnt aGectionate, and as good girl as
could be found IN all Palestine. But
one day Lazarus got sick. The sisters
were IN conssernation. Father gone and
mother gone, they feel very nervous lest
they lose their brother also. Disease do
its Quick work. How the girls hung
over lis pillow! Not much sleep about
That house, no sleep at all. From shs
characteristics otherwise developec, l
Judge that Martha prepared the medl
cines and made tempting dishes Of food
for the poor appetite of the sufferer, but
Mary prayed and sob5ed. Worse ami
worse gets Lazarus, until the doctor
announces that he can do no more. ihe
shrek that went up from that household
whea the last breath had been drawn
and the two sisters were being led by
synpsthizsss into the adjoining room,
all those of Us can imagine who have
had our own hearts broken. But why
was not Jesus there as be so often had
beer2 Far away in the country districts
preaching, healing other sick How IN
fortunate that this omnipotent doctor
hao no: been at that domestic Crisis IL
Bethany. When at last Jesus arrived lr
Bethany Lazarus had beea buried four
DAYS aud dissolution had taken place.
In that climate the 5rea:hless body dis
intssrates more rapidly than in ours l.:
Immediately after decease, that 90,
had been awakened into life, unbelia!-
ers might have said that he was only =
a comatose state, OF in sort OF eeanco.
and By some vigorous manip1latlon or
powerful ssimulant vitality had hes2
renewed. No! Four days dead. ~
the door of the sepulchre is crowd OF
people, but the three must memorable
are Jesus, who was the family friend,
and the two herefs sisters. We went
into the traditional tomb in December,
anc it is deep down and dark, and with
torches We explored it. We found II
all quiet that afternoon Of our visit, but
the day talked of in tbe Bible the.e was
present an excited multitude. wonder
what Jesus will do. He orders the door
of the grave removed, and then he be-
gins to descend the steps, Aary anu
Martha close after them. Deeper down
into the shadows and deeper! The hos
Pof yssus roll over his cheeks and
Splash upon the backs of his hands. Were
ever so maaS-sor12ws compressed IT,
so small place as in that gtoap pre- si2g
On down after Christ, all the tlaa be-
mosning that he had not come before!
Now all She whispering and s.l the cry
ing and all the squads of souf1ing .Ss;
are stopped. It is the silence OF eS-
pectaacy. Death had conquers5, bu'
now the ysnouisher of death c. -cc:cc
tie scene. Amid the awful hush OF the
tomb the familiar name which Christ
had often had upon ais lips in the hos
pitaiities of the village home came back
to his tongue and with pathos and an
alnishtiness of which the resurrection
OF the last day shall be only an echo: be
cries: Lazarus! come forth!" The
eyes ofthe siunbersr open and with
g,easdificulty he begins to ascend for the
esrenents Of the tonih are yet or him
and ais feet are fast and his hands are
: fast and tho impediments to all his move
ments are so great that Jesus commands:
ssTake OF these ceremeats; remove these
hind-ances; unfasten these grave clothes:
loose him and let him gom Oh, I am
so glad that after the Lord raised Lsza
rus he went on ana commanded the
loosening of the cords that bound his
feet so that he could walk, and the
breaking of the cerement that bound
his hands so that be could stretch out
his arms in sslutstion, and the tearing
OF the bsndsge from around his jaws so
thss he could speak. What would re.
surrec.ed life have been to Lazarus If he
had not been freed from all those Grip
plements of his bodya am glad thar
Christ commanded his complete emanci
patton, saying: s'Loose him, and let
him 60"
The unfortunate thing now is that so
many Christians are only half liberated.
They have been raised from the death
and burial of sin into spiritual life. but
they yet have the grave clothes on them.
They are like Lazarus, hoboling up the
stsirs of the tomb, bound hand and foo:,
and the object of this sermon is to help
free their body and free their soul, and
I snail try to obey the Masters command
that comes to me and comes to every
minister of religion. Loose him, an :es
him 60" First, many are bound IT,
and foot by religious creeds. Lei 40
nsn misinterpret me as autagonlZ :
Ssseds. Ihave eight OF ten OF them
creed about religion, creed about Art,
g.