Democratic messenger., 1892-09-17
THE KINGS HIGHWAY
THE SUBJECT OF Or. TALMAGE's
DISCOURSE.

ing the Pathway To SalvatiOn-Dr
Talmage Visits the Spot where tn.
Pilgrims Embarked for the New world
LONDON, Sept. IL. - Another busy
week of DIR. Talmage's preaching tom
has just ended. After conducting serv,
ices before immense audiences at Swan.
sea, Exeter and Bristol, he preached
four times in Plymouth to the largest
religious gatherings ever witnessed in
that city. Before leaving Plymouth tho
mayor. ut a public meeting ut which
many clergymen We're present, thanked
the American preacher for the great
good his sermons had produced in
awakening the community DIR. Tai
mage ON the day of his departure was
driven To the wharf and alighted at the
top Of the flight of stone steps down
which the pilgrim fathers went when
they embarked on the Mayflower to seek
the New World.
The sermon selected for today is en-
titled, The Kings Highway" the text
chosen being Isaiah xxxv, $40: And
an highway shall be there, and a way,
and it shall be called the way of holi.
ness: the unclean shall not pass over it;
but it shall be for those; the wayfaring
men, though fools. shall not err therein.
| No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous
beast shall go up thereon. 1t shall not
be found there, but the redeemed shall
walk there. and the ransomed of the
Lord shall return and come to Zion with
songs and everlasting joy upon their
heads; they shall obtain joy and glad
ness, and sorrow and signing shall flee
away"
There are thousands of people here
this morning who want to find the right
road. Iou sometimes see person halt
ing at crossroads. and You can tell by
his looks that he wishes 10 ask ques-
tion as to what direction he had better
take. And ! stand i'll your presence this
morning conscious of the fact that there
are many of you here who realize that
there are a thousand wrong roads, but
only one right one. and | take it for
granted that you have come in to ask
which one 1t IS Here is one road that
opens widely. but have not much faith
=
tollgates scattered all along that way.
Indeed at every rod you must pay in
tears, or pay in flagellations. On that
road. if You get through it at all. you
have TO pay your own way. and since
this differs so much from what | have
heard in regard to the right way. be-
lieve il is the wrong way.
Here is another road. On either side
of it are houses of sinful entertainment,
and invitations 10 come in and dine and
rest. but from the looks of the people
who stand on the piazza | am very Ger
tain that it is the wrong house and the
wrong way. Here is another road 1t
is very beautiful and macadamized. The
horses hoofs clattcr and ring, and they
who ride over it spin along the highway
until sudGci.ly they find that the road
breaks over an embankInent, and they
try to halt. and they saw the bit in the
mouth of the fiery steed and cry Whoa!
whoa" But il is too late. and-Crash!-
they go over the embanknent. We shall
turn this morning and see if we cannot
find different kind of road
THE APPIAS WAY.
You have heard of the Appian Way.
1t was three hundred and fifty miles
long. 1t was twenty-four feet wide. and
on either side the road was path for
| foot passengers. Ii was made ont of
rocks cut in hexagonal shape and fitted
together. What road it must have
been! Made of smooth. hard rock
three hundred and fifty miles long. No
wonder that in the construction of it the
treasures of a whole empire We're ex-
hausted. Because Of invaders. and the
elements. and time-the old conqueror
who tears up road as he goes over it
there is nothing left Of that structure
excepting ruin. But | have this
morning To tell you of road built be-
fore the Appian Way, and yet it is as
good as when first constructed. Millions
of souls have gone over it. Millions
more will come.
The prophets and apostles too,
Pursued this road while here below;
We therefore will. without dismay,
Still walk in Christ the good old way.
AN highway shall be there, and n
way, and it shall he called the way of
holiness; the unclean shall not pass over
it; but it shall be for those; the way
faring men. though fools, shall not err
therein. No lion shall be there, nor any
ravenous beast shall go up thereon. 1t
shall not be found there, but the re-
deemed shall walk there, and the ran
somed of the Lord shall return, and
come to Zion with songs and everlasting
JOY upon their heads; they shall obtain
joy and gladness, and sorrow and sigh
ing shall fly away"
First, this road of the text is the
kings highway. In the diligence you
dash over the Bernard pass of the Alps,
mile after mile and there is not so
much as IA pebble to jar the wheels.
You go over bridges which cross chasms
that make you hold your breath; under
projecting rock; along by dangerous
precipices: through tunnels adrip with
the MEETINGS of the glaciers, and. per-
haps for the first time. learn the majesty
Of a road built and supported by govern
ment authority. Well, my Lord the
king decided to build highway from
earth to heaven 1t should span all the
chasms of human wretchedness; it
should tunnel all the mountains Of
earthly difficulty; it should be wide
enough and strong enough TO hold fifty
thousand millions of the human race, if
so many of them should ever be born.
3t should be blasted out of the Rock of
Ages" and cemented with the blood of
the Cross, and be lifted amid the shout
ing Of angels and the execration of dew
lis.
The King sent his Son to build that
road. He put head and hand and heart
to it, and after the road was completed,
waved his blistered hand over the way
crying, 1T is finished" Napoleon paid
fifteen million francs for the building of
she Simpion road, that his cannon might
go over for the devastation of Italy, but
our King, at great expense, has built
IA road for a different purpose-that the