The Penn's Grove record., 1892-07-29
REV. DR.. IALNAGES SERMON,

The Brooklyn Dfvine,s Sunday
Sermon.
Subject: ssThe SOUPS Crisis,o Preached
In London.
TEXT: "Seek W the lord lohas He ma,
be FOUND. n-lsaiah w., 9.
Isaiah stands head and shoulders above
the other DID Testament authors in vivid
Gescriptiveness of Christ Other prophets
give an outline OF our Saviour's features,
Some Of them present, as it were, the side
lace OF Christ, others a bust OF Christ; but
Isaiah gives ms the ful length portrait OF
Christ. Other Scripture writer's excel In
some things Ezekiel more weird, David
more pathetic, Solomon more epigrammatic,
HabakRuE more sublime, but when you want
to see Christ coming out fro the gates Of
prophecy in all His grandeur and glory, you
involuntarily turn TO fs,iah.
So that II the prophecies I'm regard 70
Christ might be called the 'Oratorio OF
the Messiah" the writing of Isaiah is the
"Hallelu3ah Chorus" wners all the batous
wave and all the trumpets come. Isaiah
was not q man picked up out of insignih.
cancs by inspiration. He was known and
honored. Josephus and Pnilo aud Siraca ex-
tolled him in their writings. What Paul was
among the apostles, Isaiah was among the
prophets.
Ny text finds him stan ling on a mountain
OF Inspiration, looking out into the future,
behoiding Christ advancing n anxious
that all men might know Him, his voice
rings down the ages, seek We the Lord
while He may be founj." ''Oh," says some
one, that was for olden times" No, my
hearer. II you have travelled in other lands
you have taken a circular letter of credit
f-1-~ 80, h.,ksc- h1x1. 10. orlo, n-l d.
st Petersburg or Venice or Rome or Ant
wyrp 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 for all lands, and whenever 1t Is pre-
sented for help, the help comes. Seek ye
the Lori while He may be founJ."
! come to-day with no hairspuu theories
OF religion, with no nice distinctions, with
no elaborate disquisition, but with q plain
talk on the matters OF personal religion. I
feel that the sermon l preach this morning
will be the SAVIOR OF life unto life or death
unto death. In other words, the Gospel of
Christ is a powerful medicine; it either kills
or cures. There are those who say: ~
would like to become a Christian. / have
kind of influence to ome." And still you
are waiting. You are wiser In worldly
thing; than you are In religious things. And
yet hsre are men who say they are waiting
to get to be~aven-waiting, waiting, but not
with intelligent waiting, or they would get
on boe1d tho line of Christian influences
that wruld bear them INTO the kingdom Of
God.
Now you know very well that to seek q
thing is to search for it with earnest endeav-
or. Ifyou want to see q certain man in
London, and there Is a 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 in the direct
ory, d cannot find the name; you 60 In
circles where you think perhaps he may
mingle, and, having found tbs part OF the
city where he lives, but perhaps not knowing
the street, you go through street after street
searching for weeks and for months.
You say, ut is a matter Of 210,000
whether l see him or not" Oh, that men
were as persistent in seeking Tor Christ
Had you ons half that persistence you would
long ago AVE found Him who is the Joy Of
the forgiven spirit. Wemay pay u deDts,
we may attend church, we may relieve the
poor, We may be public benefactors, and yet
ali our life disobey the text, never seek God.
never gain heaven. Oh, 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, n in the
next place, when to seek Him. seek ye tho
Lord while He may be found"
I remark, In the first place, you are to
seek the Lord through earnest aud believing
prayer. loo Is not an autocrat or q despot
seated on o throne, with His arms resting on
brazen lions aud q sentinel pacing up and
down at the foot Of the throne. God IL .
father seated in q bower, waiting for His
children TO come and climb on His knee and
get His kiss and His benediction. Prayer Is
the cup with which we 60 to the fountain
of living water" and dip up retreshment for
our thirsty soul. Grace does not come to
the heart as we set q cask Of water to catch
the rain in the shower. II is g pulley fast
ened to the throne Of God, which we pull,
bringing the blessing.
lido 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
inwardly. and there would BE- no response,
You might cry at the top Of your voice, and
unless you had a believing spirit Within
your cry would not 60 farther up than the
shout OF . plowboy to his OXEN. Prayer
must be believing. earnest loving. You are
in your house some summer day, and .
shower come up, and a bird affrightsd darts
into the window, and wheels around the
room. You seize IL. You smooth its ruff
ned plumage. You feel its fiuttering heart
You say, Poor thing, poor thingr' Now .
pray or goes out Of the storm Of this world in
to the window of Gods mercy, and he
catches it aid He feels its huttering pulse
and He puts It in His own bosom Of affection
and safety.
Prayer is q warm, ardent. pulsating exer-
else. 1t is the electric battery which, touched
thrills to the throne Of God. Il Is the diving
bell In which we 60 down into the depths OF
Gods mercy and bring up pearls OF great
price" There is an instance where prayer
made the waves Of Gennesaret solid as
granite pavement. Oh, how many wonier-
full things prayer has accomplished Have
you ever tried itf In the days when the
Scotch Covenanters were prosecuted and the
enemies were after them one OF the head
men among the Coveuanters prayed: 70
Lord, we be as dead men unless Thou shalt
help Us. q Lord, throw the lap Of Thy cloak
over these poor things.n And instantly q
Scotch mist enveloped and hid the prosecuted
from their persecutors-the promise literally
fulfilled. awhile they are yet speaking !
will hear"
Oh, impenitent soul, nave you ever tried
the power Of prayer God says: "He is
loving and faithful and patient" Do you
believe that. You are told that Christ came
10 save sinners. Do you believe thatf You
are told that all you have to do to get the
pardon of the Gospel is to ask for il. Do
you believe thatl Then come to Him and
a Y 10 Lord. ! know Thou canst not lie.
Thou hast told me to come for pardon, and
could get IL. come, Lord. Keep Thy
promise and liberate my captive SOUL"
Oh, 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
again to the Manager to hear prayer. He
will come In your place of business as He
confronted Matthew, the tax commissioner
II a measure should CONF before Congress
that you thought would ruin the Nation.
how you wouli send In petitions and renion-
strances. Aud yet there has been enough
sin In your heart 10 ruin 1t forever, and you
have never demonstrated or petitioned
against 1t. II your physical health failed,
and you mad the means, you would go and
spend the summer in Germany and the win
ter in Italy, and you would think IL a very
cheap outlay il you had 70 go all o the
earth to get back your physical health.
Have you made any effort, any expenditure
any exertion for your immortal and spiritual
healthf No you have not taken one step.
Oh, that you might now begin to seek
after God with earnest prayerl Some OF you
have been working for years and Year, fof
the support OF your families. Have you
ven one-hair dav to the working out Of
your SAWS ton with fear AMI tremb!ingl
You came here this morning with an earues,
purpose. l take 1t as I have coms hithss
with an earnest purpose, and we meet face
70 face. and tell you, first of all, il yor