The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-25
CRISIS OF THE SOUL.
lsAIAH's VIVID DESCRIPTION OF
CHRIST.

Authors in This Respect-The Text
Finds Him Standing on a Mountain
of Inspiration.
LONDON, July 24.-Ths attendance 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 days,
preach ia the leading Scottish cities, as
already alnounced. He has just returned
from Russia, whittier hs went with biz.
Klopsch to supervise the distribution of
the cargo of The Christian Herald relief
steamer Lso. The reception accorded DR..
Talmags in the czar's capital city by
mobiles, officials and the popdlace 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 tho
freedom Of the city on their American
guests. The Leo's cargo was forwarded to
the famine districts without delay. The
sermon selected for this week is entitled
''The Souls Crisis" from Isaiah lv., 8:
Seek ye the Lord while he may be- found"
Isaiah stands head aud shoulders above
the other Old Testament authors in vivid
descriptlveness of Christ. Other prophets
give an outline of our Savior's features
Some OF them present, as 1t were, the side
face Of Christ; others q 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 epigram-
matto, Hebakkuk more sublime; bat
when you want TO sse Christ coming out
from the gates of prophecy in ali his grand
eur aud glory, you involuntarny turn To
Isaiah. 80 that IL the prophecies IN regard
to Christ might be called the "Oratorio OF
the Messiah" the writing OF Isaiah is the
"Hallelujah Chorus" whore all the batons
wave and all the trumpets come in. Isaiah
was not a man picked up out of insignin-
canos by Inspiration. He was known and
honored. Josephus aud Philo and SlFach
sItolled him in their writings. What Paul
was among the apostles Isaiah was among
ths prophets
My text flnds him standing on a mount
ain Of inspiration, looking out into the fu-
ture, beholding Christ advancing and Rnx-
ious that all men might know him; his
voice rings down the ages: Seek ye she
Lord while he may be found.n CO." says
some one. that was for olden tiInesn No,
my hearer. II you have travelled in other
lands you have taken Il circular letter OF
credit from some banking house in London
aud In St. Petersburg, or Venice or Rome
or Antwerp, or Brussels or Paris; you pre-
sented that letter aud got financial help
Immediately. And / want you to under
stand that the text, instesd OF being appro-
pirate TO one age or for one land, is a cireu-
lar 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.n
come to-day with no hair-spun theories
OF religion, with no nice distinctions, with
no elaborate disquisition; but with plain
talk on the matters OF personal religion |
feel that the sermon l preach this morn
ing will be the SAVIOR of life unto life or of
death unto death. In other words the
gospel Of Christ is a powerful medicine; it
either kills or cures. There are those who
say: II would like to become Christian.
/ have been waiting good while for the
right kind OF influence to coms;" and still
you are waiting. You are wiser in worldly
things than you ace in religious things.
And yet there are men who say they are
waiting to get TO heaven-waitinR, waiting,
but not with intelligent waiting, or they
would get on board the line OF Christian
influences that would bear them into the
| kingdom of God.
Now you know very well that to seek
| thing is TO search for it with earnest en-.
| deavor. Ii you want to see a certain man
| in London, and there ia a matter of much
money connected with you seeing him, aud
| you cannot at first find him. you do not
| give up the search. You look Ia the diree-
| tory, but cannot find the name, you go In
| circles where you think, perhaps, he NAV
mingls, and, having found the part of the
city where be lives, but perhaps not know
| ing the street, you go through street after
street, and from block to block, and you
keep on searching for weeks and for
months.
You say: at is a matter of 10000
whether | see him or not" o, that men
were as persistent in Seeking for Christ!
Had you oLe-half that persistence You
would long ago have found him who 4, the
Joy Of the forgiven spirit. Wemay pay our
debts we may attend church, We may re-
lieve the poor, we may be public benefac-
tors. and yet all our life disobey the text.
never seek God never gain heaven. that
the spirit of God would help this morning
while try to show you in carrying out the
idea of my text, first, how to seek the
Lord, and In the next place, when 10 seek
him. "Seek ye the Lord while he may be
found"
remark, In the hrst place, you are to
seek the Lord through earnest and believing
prayer. God is not an autocrat or a despot
seated Oh throne with his arms resting on
braZen lions, and a sentinel pacing up and
father seated Ia a bower, waiting for his
children TO come and climb on his knee,
aud get his kiss, and his benedictiou.
Prayer Ii the cup with which we go to the
fountain of living water" aud dip up re-
freshment for our thirsty soul Grace does
not come the heart as we set cask of
water 20 catch the raip in the shower. IL is
pulley fastened TO the throne of God
which we pull, bringing the blessing.
do not care SO much what posture you
take in prayer, nor how large an amount of
voice you use You might GET down on
your face before God, IL you did not pray
right inwardy, and there would be no
response You might cry as tho top OF your
voice. aud unless you had believing spirit
within, your cry would not 60 farther up
than the shout OF a plow-boy to bis oxen.
Prayer must be believing, earnest, loving.
You are in your house some sumner
day, aud shower comes up, and
bird affrlghted darts. into the
window. and wheels around the room.
You seize it. You smooth its rufiied plum
age. You feel its fluttering heart. You
say, "Poor thing, poor thing p Now
prayer goes out of the storm OF this world
| into the window OF Gods mercy, aud he
catches 1t and he feels its futtering pulse.
aud he puts IL in his own bosom OF affection
and sa ETY..
Prayer is a warm, ardent, pulsating ex-
| ercise It IL the electric battery which,
I ILL Nka q lsHf T. -.