The southern argus., 1891-07-02
GONE ASTRAY.
DR.. Talmage Stands By the Ortho-
dOx Gospel
Wandering Away Like Lost Sheep But Re
turning to the Fold-God's Mercy In
Time of Need-Christ the
Saviour.

In a recent sermon at Brooklyn Rev.
T. Dewitt Talmage showed his adher-
ence to the old-fashioned Gospel and
his firmness in orthodoxy. His subject
was: "Astray, but Recovered, and his
text, Isaiah, lii 6: ''All we like sheep
have gone astray; and the Lord hath
laid on Him the iniquity of us all" DR..
Talmage said:
Within ninety years at the longest all
who hear or read this sermon will be in
eternity. During the next fifty years
you will nearly all be gone. The next
ten years will cut a wide swath among
the people. The year 1901 will to some
be the fnality Such considerations
make this occasion absorbing and mo-
mentuous, The first half of my text is
an indictment: "All we like sheep have
gone astray." Some one says: ''Can
you not drop the first word? That is
too general; that sweeps too great a
circle" Some man rises in the audi
ence and he looks over on the opposite
side of the house and he says: There
is a blasphemer, and / understand how
he has gone astray. And there, in an
other part of the house, is defrauder,
and he has gone astray. And there is
an impure person, and he has gone
astray." Sit down, my brother, and
look at home. My text takes us all in.
1t starts behind the pulpit, sweeps the
circuit of the room and comes back to
the point where it started, when it says:
'All we like sheep have gone astray."
Sheep get astray in two ways; either
by trying to get into another pasture or
from being scared by the dogs. In the
former way some of us got astray. We
thought the religion of Jesus Christ
short commons. We thought there was
better pasturage somewhere else. We
thought if we could only lie down on
the banks of distant streams or under
! great oaks on the other side of some
hill we might be better fed. We wanted
other pasturage than that which God
through Jesus Christ gave our soul and
we wandered on and we were lost. We
! wanted bread and we found garbage.
| The further we wandered, instead of
| finding rich pasturage, we found blasted
| health and sharper rocks and more
stinging nettles. No pasture. How
was it in the worldly groups when you
lost your child? Did they come around
and console you very much? Did
not the plain Christian man who
came into your house and sat up
with your darling child give you
more comfort than all worldly associa-
tions? Did all the convivial songs you
ever heard comfort you in that day of
bereavement SO much as the song they
sang to you, perhaps the very song that
was sung by your little child the last
Sabbath of her life?
There is happy land, far, far away,
Where saints immortal reign, brig IT. bright
az day.
Did your business associates in that
day of darkness and trouble give you
any especial coincidence? Business ex-
asperated you, business wore you out,
business left you limp as rag, busi-
ness made you mad. You got dollars,
but you got no peace. God have mercy
on the man who has nothing but busi-
ness to comfort him. The world af-
forded you no luXuriant pasturage. A
famous English actor stood on the
stage impersonating, and thundcrs of
applause came down from the galleries.
and many thought it was the proudest
moment of all his life; but there was
man asleep just in front of him and the
fact that that man was Indifferent and
somnolent spoiled all the occasion for
him, and he cried: "Wake up, wake
up"
So one little annoyance in life has
| been more pervading to your mind than
all the brilliant congratulations and
successes. Poor pasturage for your
soul you found in this world. The world
| has cheated you, the world has belied
| you, the world has misinterprcted you,
the world has prosecuted you. 1t never
comfortcd you. o. this world is good
rack from which horse may pick his
hay; it is good trough from which the
swine may crunch their mess, but it
gives but little food to soul blood
bought and immortal. What is n soul?
1t is hope high as the throne of God
What is a man? You say: 1T is only
man" 1t is only man gone over
| board in sin 1t is only a man gone
overheard in business life. What is
man? The battle ground of three
worlds, with his hands taking hold of
destinics of light or darkness. A man.
No line can measure him. No limit
can bound him. The archaRgle before
the throne cannot outlivc him. The
stars shall die, but he shall watch their
extinguishmcnt The world will burn,
but he will gaze on the conflagration.
Endless ages will march on, he will
watch the procession. A man, The
masterpiece of God Almighty. Yetyou
say: 1T is only man" Can n nature
like that be fed on husks of the wilder
ness?
Substantial conf brt will not grow
o. tturt'S barren soil;
Al we can boast till Christ we know
L vanity and toll.
Scme of you got astrav by looking
for better pasturage; others by being
scared of the dogs. The hound gets
over into the pasture field. The poor
things fly in every direction. In few
moments they arc torn of the hedges
Il -