Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-08-04
CRISIS OF THE SOUL.
DIR. TALMAGE ON THE IMPORTANCE
OF oPrORTUNE ACTION.


New Every Hour TO tho Truly Converted
LONDON, July a. The attendances at
the services conducted by Rev. DR.. Talmage
continue as great as ever. At every stop
ping point during his preaching tour he IS
greeted by phenomenal audiences. Unless
some change in the programme becomes
necessary, he will, during the next ten
davs. preach in the leading Scottish cities,
as already announced He has Just re-
turned from Russia, whittier he went with
Mr.. Klopsch to supervise the distribution
Of the cargo of The Christian Herald re-
lief steamer Leo The reception accorded
DIR. Talmage in the czar's capital city by
mobiles, officials and the populace show
that the hold he has upon the hearts OF
Christians is worldwide. The arrival OF
the Leo was made the occasion of general
rejoicing The st. Petersburg officials
conferred the freedom of the city ON their
American guests. The Leos cargo was
forwarded to the famine districts without
DELAY. The sermon selected for this week
is entitled 1.-THE Souls Crisis" from
Isaiah ", 6, "Seek We the Lord while he
may be found"
Isaiah stands head and shoulders above
the other Old Testament authors in vivid
descriptiveness of Christ. Other prophets
give an outline of our Saviour's features.
Some of them present. as 1t were, the side
face of Christ; others bust of Christ.
But Isaiah gives us the full length portrait
of Christ Other Scripture writers excel In
some things-Ezekiel more weird, David
more pathetic, Solomon more epigram-
matte. Habakkuk more sublime-but when
YOU want to see Christ coming out from
the gates of prophecy in all his grandeur
and glory you involuntarily turn to Isaiah.
So that If the prophecies in regard to
Christ might be called the "Oratorio OF
the Messiah the writing Of Isaiah is the
"Halleluiah Chorus" where all the batons
wave and all the trumpets come in. Isaiah
was not man picked up out of insignifi-
canoe by inspiration. He was known and
honored Josephus and Philo and Sirach
extolled him in their writings What
Paul was among the apostles Isaiah was
among the prophets.
Ny text finds him standing on noun
tain for inspiration, looking out into the
future, beholding Christ advancing and
anxious that all men might know him; his
voice rings down the ages, Seek ye the
Lord while he may be found" "Oh, " says
some one, that was for olden times" No,
nv nearer. If you have travelled in other
lands you have taken circular letter of
credit from some banking house in Lon
don. and in ST. Petersburg or Venice or
Rome or Antwerp or Brussels or Paris
you presented that letter and got financial
help imm ediately. And ! want you TO
understand that the text, instead of being
appropriate for one age or for one land is
a circular letter for all ages and for all
lands, and wherever it is presented for
help the help comes, Seek ye the Lord
while be may be found
- NOW is THE ACCEPTED TIME.
come today with no hairspun theories
of religion, with no nice distinctions, with
no elaborate disquisition but with plair
talk on the matters of personal religion
feel that the sermon preach this morn
ing viii be the SAVIOR of life unto life or Of
death unto death. In other words, thu
Gospel of Christ is a powerful medicine
it either kills or cures. There are thoss
who say: II would like to become a Chris
tian. have been waiting good while
for the right kind of influence TO come.
And still you are waiting. You are wise
in worldly things than you are in religious
things. And yet there are men who sa.
they are waiting to get to heaven-wait
ing, waiting, but not with intelligent wait
ing, or they would get on board the line o
Christian influences that would bear then
into the kingdom of God.
Now you W very well that TO seek |
thing is t. h for it with earnest en-
deavor. | want to see a certain maj
in London there is a matter of mucl
money col ed with your seeing him
and you cal lot at first find him, you d
not give up the search. You look in tn
directory, but cannot find the name; yol
go in circles where you think perhaps b
may mingle, and having found the part 0
the city where he lives, but perhaps no
knowing the street, you go through stree
after street and from block to block, an
you keep on searching for weeks and 70
months.
You say, ut is matter of slOOOOwhett
er see him or not" Oh, that men were a
persistent in seeking for Christi Had 20
one-half that persistence you would Ion
ago have found him who is the joy of tn
forgiven spirit. We may pay our debts
we may attend church. we may relieve tn
poor, we may be public benefactors, an
vet all our life disobey the text, never see
God, never gain heaven. oh, that the ice
OF Tod would nelp TINS HOruihS Whhe
try to show you in carrying out the ide
Of my text first, how to seek the lord, an
in the next place when to seek hin
Seek We the Lord while he may be found.
remark, in the first place, you are
seek the Lord through earnest and belle
ing prayer. God is not an autocrat or
despot seated on throne with his arm
resting on brazen lions and sentin
pacing up and down at the foot of q
throne. God is father seated in bowe
waiting for his children to come and elm
on his knee and get his kiss and his be
ediction. Prayer is the cup with whiS
we 60 to the fountain Of living water
and dip up refreshment for our thirs'
soul. Grace does not come 70 the heart
we set cask Of water TO catch the rain
the shower 1t is pulley fastened to q
throne of God which we pull. bringing u
blessing.
PRAYER Is THE SOULS SINCERE CRY.
do not care so much what posture u
take in prayer, nor how large an amoul
nj voice Won usp You might get down