Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-12-21
THEYTAKE THE PREY
REV. DR.. TALMAes breaches WORDS
OF HOPE TO THE WEAK.

OF HOPE TO THE WEAK.
A Sermon Full Of Encouragement to Those
Who Labor Under Disadvantages In the
strusKIe Of fLife-EIoquent Plea to Those
Who Aro Unconverted.'
NASHVILLE, Dec. l7-Dr Talmaee, who
Is now in this city on his western lecture
tour, selected as his topic for today a text
full Of spiritual Encouragement for those
who labor under disadvantage in the strug-
gle Of life. The text chosen was Isaiah
xxxiii, %. THE lame take the prey"
The utter demolition Of the Assyrian host
was here predicted. Not only robust men
should go forth and gather the spoils Of con-
quest, but even men crippled Of arm and
crippled of foot should go out and capture
much that was valuable. Their physical
disadvantages should not hinder their great
enrichment. So 1t has been in the past, so
It is now, so it will be In the future, so it
is in all departments. Men laboring under
seemingly great disadvantages and amid
the most unfavorable circumstances, yet
making grand achievements, getting great
blessing for themselves, great blessing for
the world, great blessing for the church.
And SO "the lame take the prey"
Do you know that the three great poets
of the world were totally blind-Homer,
Ossian, John Miltoni Do you know that
Mr. Prescott, who wrote that enchanting
book, "The Conquest of Mexico" never
saw Mexico, could not even see the paper
on which he was writingi A framework
across the sheet, between which, up and
down, went the pen immortal. Do you
know that Gambassio, the sculptor, could
not see the marble before him, or the chisel
with which he cut it into shapes bewitch-
lngf Do you know that Alexander Pope,
whose poems will last as long as the Eng
iish language, was SO much of an invalid
that he had to be sewed up every morning
in rough canvas in order TO stand on his
feet at all?
SUCCESS DESPITE DISADVANTAGES.
Do you know that Stuart, the celebrated
painter, did much of his wonderful work
under the shadow of the dungeon, where he
had been unjustly imprisoned for debtf Do
you know that Demosthenes by almost su-
perhuman exertion first had to conquer the
lisp of his own speech before he conquered
assemblages with his eloquence? Do you
know that Bacon struggled all through in
Vulnerable eicknesses, and that Lord Byron
and Sir Walter Scott went limping on club
foot through all their life, and that many
Of the great poets and painters and orators
and historians and heroes of the world had
something to keep them back, and pull
them down, and impede their way, and Grip
Pile their physical or their intellectual
movement, and yet that they pushed on
and pushed up until they reached the spoils
of worldly success, and amid the huzza of
nations and centuries "the lame took the
prey?"
You know that vast multitude of these
men started under the disadvantage of OBJ
scure Columbus, the son of the
weaver; Ferguson, the astronomer, the son
of the shepherd. America the prey of the
one; worlds on worlds thepr of the other
But what is true in secular directions is
more true in spiritual and religious direc-
tions, and proceed to prove it.
There are in all communities many inva-
lids. They never know well day. They
adhere to their occupations, but they go
painting along the streets with exhaustions,
and at eventime they liedown on the lounge
with achings beyond all medicaments.
gone through all the cures which were pro-
claimed infallible, and they have come now
TO surrender to perpetual ailments. They
consider they are among many disadvan-
tages, and when they see those who are
buoyant in health pass by they almost
envy their robust frames and easy respira-
lion.
But have noticed among that invalid
Al Al.
edge of the Bible, who are in nearest init
macy with Jesus Christ, who have the
most glowing experiences of the truth, who
have had the most remarkable answers to
prayer, and who have most exhilarant an
ticipations of heaven. The temptations
which weary us who are in robust health
they have conquered
Many who are alert and athletic and
swarthy loiter in the way. The lame take
the prey-Robert Hall an invalid, Ed.
ward Payson an invalid, Richard Baxter
an invalid, Samuel Rutherford an invalid
This morning, when you want to call to
mind those who are Christlike, you think
Of some darkened room in your fathers
house from which there went forth an in
auence potent for eternity
A step farther: Through raised letters the
art of printing has been brought to the at
tention of the blind.
You take up the Bible for the blind, and
you close your eyes. and you run your fin
gers over the raised letters, and you say
why, never could get any information in
this way What a slow, umbrous way oi
readingl God help the blindl'
And yet find among that class Of per
sons-among the blind, the deaf and the
1umb--the most thorough acquaintanc.
with Gods word. Shut out from all Other
sources ofinformation, no sooner does theil
hand touch the raised letters than they gath
er a prayer. Without eyes, they look of
upon the kingdoms of Gods love- Without
hearing, they catch the minstrelsy of thu
skies. Dumb, yet with pencil or with ir
radated countenance, they declare the glory
of God.
COMFORT FOR THE BLIND
A large audience assembled in New Yorl
at the anniversary of the deaf and duml
asylum, and one of the visitors with chall
on the blackboard wrote this question Il
the pupils, "Do you not find it very hare
to be deaf and dumb?" And one of TIL,
pupils took the chalk and wrote on tn
& blackboard this sublime sentence in an
swer, when the song of the angels shal
burst upon our enraptured ear, we will
scarce regret that our ears were neve
marred with earthly sounds" Oh, th
brightest eyes in heaven will be those tina
never saw on earth! The ears most alert il
heaven will be those that in this worlt
heard neither voice of friend. nor thrum O
harp, nor carol of bird, nor doxology o
congregations.
A lad who had been blind from infanc
was cured. The oculist operated upon tn
lad and then put very heavy bandage owe
his eyes, and after few weeks had gone b
the bandage was removed, and the mothe
said to her child, willie, can you seef" Fl
said, "Oh, mamma, is this heaven" Th
contrast between the darkness befnra an
Tna nifz nIIieSS aTIerMard was oYerWheIm