Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-06-29
ASTRAY BUT RECOVERED
ca. TAlnAGE BREACHES ON ThE
NECESSITY OF A aEoeEMEa.

E~sasy. rsasss s.A cs.sfess Yoasd IN
The fifry-saira ch.pt~E 81 I..i~A-as-
>sd why nsa s@d shesP CO Assr.y.
wAssssvsx wiil. Lee HssA CsAs.
BEooxLYS, June ss-Dr. Talmaee's ser
zion today u cf so decidedly evangelical =
Character as ~ prove coaeiusiveiy THAI
while 50 many eminent preachers Of the
1zy are drifting away from the CID fash
ionesi Gospel lie renaias Erta IN the paths
a orthodoxy. His subject Is sAstray, but
Recovered, and bis text, Isaiah lili, 8.
Alive IKE sheep have gone astray: .
add the Lord hath lad ga hina the iniquity
1f as Ali !"
Within ninety years az the longest all
who hear or read this seFmon will be Ia
sternity During the next lfty years you
will nearly all De gone. The next ten years
VIII cut . vide sUath among the people
The PEAR lnJi Will - some De the tIlAlity.
Such considerations maze this occasion alb
scrbing and momentous The first half Of
GIy text il an indictment, "Ali We like
sheop have gone zstray" Some one says:
..Caa you not drop the first wordr That is
too general, that sweeps too great acirclo. F"
some man r.ses ia the audience and be
looks over on the opposite side OF the house,
aad be says; There - . blasphcmer, and l
understand how he has gone astray. And
there In another part OF the house Is . de
fraader. and he has gone astray. And
there il an impure person, and he has gone
astray"
Sat down, my brother. and look at home.
Sly text takes US all in IL starts behind
The puipit. sweeps the circuit OF the room
and comes back TO the point where il
started. when IL says: "Ail we like sheep
have gone astFay" lean very easily under
stand Why Martin Luther threw up his
bands after be had found the Bible and
cried out, oh my sins. Iny sins." and why
the publican. according To the custom 70
this day la the east, when they have any
great grief, began 10 heat himself and cry
~ be smote upon his breast. God be nerci-
ful To me a sinner
ILLUSTRATION FROM THE SHEPHERDS LIFE.
was. like many of you. brought up in the
country, and 2now some Of the habits Of
sheep and how they get astray, and what
my text means when II says, "All we like
sheep have gone astray." Sheep get astray
in two ways, either By trying to get INFO
other pasture. or from bong 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 pasturaee somewhere else. We
thought IL 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 pasturaGc than that
which God through Jesus Christ gave our
soul. and we wandered on and we wan
iered on, and We were lost. We wanted
bread and We found garbage. The further
we wandered, instead Of finding rich pas
turage We found blasted heath and sharp
er rocks and more singing nettles. No
pasture How was il In the worldly
groups when you lost your childi Did
they come around aud console you very
muehi 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 associations, Did all the
conviviai songs you ever heard comfort
you In that day Of bereavement so much
n the song they sang to you, perhaps the
very song that was sung by your little
ehild the last Sabbath afternoon OF her
ufes
There IL a happy land. far. far away.
Where Saints immortal reign, bright. bright
as day.
Did your business associates in that day
Of darkness and trouble give you any espe-
eial condolences, Business exasperated you,
business wore you out, business left you
limp as a rag, business made you mad.
You got dollars, but you got no peace.
God have mercy on the man who has moth
ing but business 10 comfort him. The
world afforded you no luxuriant pastur-
eye. A famous English actor stood on the
stage impersonating, and thunders OF ap-
piause came down from the galleries, end
many thought il was the proudest moment
Of all his life. but there was a man asleep
Just n front Of him, and the fact that that
man was indifferent and somnolent spoiled
ell the occasion for him, aud he cried.
Wake up wake up.'
So one little annoyance in life has been
more peryading 10 your mind than all the
brilliant congratulations and successes.
Poor pastrrasge for your soul you found In
this world. The world has cheated you,
the world has beiied you, the world has
misinterpreted you, the world HIS perse-
euted you It never comforted you. OH
this world Is a good rack from which a
horse may pick his hay; IL is good trough
from which the swine may crunch their
0ess: but IL gives but little food to a soul
Blood bought and immortal
What IL a s0uls IL Is a hope high rs the
throne Of God. What Is a mans You say,
1T is only a man" II ia only a man gone
overheard In business life. What Is man
The battle ground OF three worlds with his
hands taking hold OF destiuies of light or
darkness \ mani No line can measure
him. No limit can bound him The arch
angel before the throne cannot outlive
him. The stars shall die. but he will watch
their extingushment. The world will
burn. but he will gaze on the confiagrs-
ton. Endless ages win march on. he will
watch the procession. A mani The mas
tsrpiece 81 Cod Almighty. Yet you say,
1T i only man" Can nature like tina;
ts fed on hasks Of the wilderness,
Substantial comfort will not grow
On nsture's barren sill:
AT we can boast till Christ We know
L. vanity and toiL
THoss WHO STRAY ~ Trouble.
Some OF you Got astrsy by looking for
better pssturazc. others by being scared OF
the dogs The HOUND gets over into the
pasture field. The pcor things fly in every
direction Ia few moments they are torn
Of the hedges aud they are FLASHED of the
ditch. and the lost sheep never gets home
nnless the fs-mer goes after IL. There IA
hothing SO thoroughly lost lost sheep.
&c may have been ia 1851 during the finan