The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-07-26
THE SOULS CRISIS.
DE. TALMAGE'S SERMON At TIE
TABERNLCLE.
He Takes His Text from Isaiah and Enter
tains His Hearers with His Word Paint
lng-"Seek We tho Lord.

| Rev. Dr. Talmage continue as great as
| ever The sermon selected for this week
is entitled "The Souls Crisis" from Isaiah
| $3.50: 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 Savior's features.
| Some Of them present, as it were, the side
face of Christ; others a bust of Christ; but
Isaiah gives us the full-length portrait of
Christ Other scripture writer's excel in
some things. Ezekiel more weird, David
more pathetic, Solomon more epigrammat-
ic, Habakkuk more sublime; but when you
want to see Christ coming out from the
gates of prophecy in all His grandeur and
glory, you invountarily turn to Isaiah
So that if the prophecies in regard to Christ
might be called the "Oratorio of the Mes
siah," the writing of Isaiah is the Halle
lujah Chorus" where all the batons wave
and all the trumpets come in. Isaiah was
not a man picked up out of insignificance
by inspiration. He was known and hon
ored. Josephus, and Philo, and Sirach,
extolled him in their writings. What Paul
was among the apostles, Isaiah was among
the prophets.
a
tain of inspiration, looking out into the
future, behOding Christ advancing and
anxious that all men might know Him;
his voice rings down the ages: Seek yc
the Lord while He may be found oh"
says some one, that was for olden times"
No, my hearer If you have Travelled in
other lands you have taken a circular let
ter of credit from some banking house in
London, and in st. Petersburg. or Venice
or Rome, or Antwerp, or Brussels, or
Paris, you presented that letter and got
financial help Immediately 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
Tor all lands, and wherever it is presented
for help the help comes: Seek We the
Lord while He may be found"
come today with no hair sp IN theories
OF religion, with no nice Distinctions, with
no elaborate disquisition; but with n plain
talk on the matters of personal religion. l
feel that the sermon | preach this morning
will be the SAVIOR of life unto life, or of
death unto death. In other words. the Cos
pei of Christ is powerful medicine; it
either kills or cures. There are those who
say: Il would like to become a Christian.
L have been waiting a good while for the
right kind of influence to Gomez" and still
you are waiting. You are wiser in worldly
things than you are i'll religious things. And
yet there are men who say they are waiting
to get to heaven-waiting, waiting, but not
on board the line of Christian influences
that would bear them into the kingdom of
God.
Now, you know very well that 10 seek q
thing is to search for it with earnest en-
dcayOr. 1T you want to see Il certain man
in London, and there is Il matter of much
money connected with your seeing him,
and you cannot at first find him. you do not
give up the search. You look III The dircc-
tory. but cannot find his name, YOU so IN
OR n
mnglc, and. having found the part OF the
city where he lives, but perhaps not know
ing the street, YOU go through street alter
street. and from block to block, and YOU
keep on searching for weeks and for months.
You say: alt is matter of ten thousand
pounds whether | see him or not, . that
men were as persistent III seeking Tor
Christ. Had you one-half that persistence
you would long ago have fonnl Him who is
the JOY of the forgiven spirit. We may
pay our debts, we may attend church,, we
may relieve the poor, we may be public ben
cfnctors, and yet all our life dlsoboy the
O that the spirit of God would help this
morning while | Try to show You i'll carry
ing out the idea of my text, first, how to
seek the Lord, and in the next place, when
to seek him. Seek ye the -4ord while lie
may be found
| remark, in the first place, you are to
seek the Lord through earnest and believing
prayer. God is not an autocrat or a despot
seated on Il throne with his arms resting on
braZen lions and sentinel pacing up and
down at the foot of the throne. God is Il
father seated in Il bower, waiting for lbs
children to come and climb on HIS koee,
and get His kiss and His benedlctlon
Prayer is the cup with winch We 20 To the
fountain of living water and dip up re-
freshment for our thirsty soul. Grace does
not come to the heart as we set cask OF
water to catch the rain in the shower. 1t is
q pulley fastened to the throne OF Coz "h'rh
we pull, bringing the blessing
do not care so much what pos you
take in PRAYER, nor how large an :tnoult OF
voice you use You might get down Oh your
face before God, if you did not pray right III
wardly, and there would be no re52o1lse;
You might cry at the top of your VOICE, tnd
unless you had a believing spirit within
your crv would not go farther up tEaI> the
shout of a plowboy to mis- oxen ifa!,r
must be believing, earliest, LOVING. A"i are
in your house some summer Gay;
and n shower comes up, and iiId
affrighted darts into tue WIZ
dow and wheels around the room;
Won seize it, You smooth its rutfled
nlumace, You feel its futtcring heart.
You say, Poor thing, poor thing. Now
a prayer goes out of the storm OF thls
world into the window of Gods mercy,
and He catches it, and He feels its ilutter-
ing pulse. and He puts it in His own bosom
of affection and safety .
PRAYER is Il warm, ardent pulsatlng eX-
ercise. 1t is the electric battery which,
tourhpd thrills to the throne OF tIod 1t
is the diving bell in which we go down into
the depths of Gods mercy and bring up
'spearls of great price. There is an III.
stance where prayer made the waves OF
Gannesaret solid as granite pavement. .
how many wonderful things prayer has ac-
complished. Have you ever tried 1t! In
the DAYS when the Scotch Covenanters
were prosecuted, and the enemies were
after them, one of the head men among
the Covenantcrs prayed: 80 Lord, we be
as dead men unless Thou shalt help us. .
Lord. throw the lap Of Thy cloak over
these Door things And instantly
Scotch mist enveioped and hid the persc-
cuted from their persccutors-the promise
literally fulfilled: while they are yet
speaking, l will hear"
O impenitent soul, have you ever tried
the power of prayer? God says: He is
Toying and faithful and patient" Do you
believe that? You are told that Christ
came to save sinners. Do you believe
that? You are told that all you have to
do to get the pardon of the gospel is to ask
for it. Do you believe that? Then come
to Him and say: 80 Lord, ! know Thou
canst not lie. Thou hast told me to come
for pardon, and | could get it. | come,
Lord. Keep Thy promise. and liberate
my captive soul
O that you might have an altar in the
parlor, in the kitchen, in the store. in the
barn, for Christ will be willing to come