The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-01-03
IlREV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVI MES sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Under Disadvantages"

,SuuJeCC. OuooE D1o&o
TEXT: "The lame take the prey."-Isaiah
x1xiii.. %.
! The utter demolition of the Assyrian host
was here predicted Not only robust men
should 60 forth and gather the spoils OF con-
quest. but even men crippled OF arm and
crippled of foot should 20 out and capture
mucn that was valuable. Their physical dis
advantages should not hinder their great en-.
richment. So it has been in the past so 1t
lis now; so it will be in the future. SO 1t 1s
in ali departments. Men laboring under
seemingiy great disadvantages ana ami1 tne
most uniavorable circumstances, yet making
grand achievements, getting great blessing
for themselves, great blessing for theworid,
great blessing for the church. and so 1.-The
lame take the prey"
/ Do YOU know that the three great poets OF
the world were totally blind--Homer, o.
sian, John Milton? Do you know that Mt.
Prescott, who wrote that enchanting book,
s'Ths Conquest OF Mexico" never saw
Mexico, could not even see the paper on
which he was writing? 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 rhe chisel with Which
he cut it into shapes bewitchingS Do you
know that Alexander Pope. whose poems
will last as long as the English language,
was 80 much Of IN invalid that he had to be
Bowed up every morning in rough canvas IN
order to stand on his feet at all?
4: Do you know that Stuart, the celebrated
painter. did much OF his wonderful work un-
der the shadow of the dungeon where he had
been unjustly imprisoned for debt? Do you
know that Demosthenes. by almost superhu-
man e1ertion, first had to conquer the lisp
of his own speech before he conquered as
semblages with his eloquence? Do YOU know
that Bston struggled all through innumer-
able sicknesses, and that Lord Byron and Sir
Walter Scott went limping on clubfoot
through all their life, and that many OF the
great poets and painters and orators and MS
forianS and heroes OF the world had some
thing TO keep them back, and pull them
down, and impede their way. and cripple
their physical or their intellectual move
ment, and yet that they pushed on and
pushed up until they reached the spoils ot
worldly success, and amid the huZza OF
Nations and centuries 1.-The lame took the
prey" ....
! You know that vast multitude Of these
men stared under the disadvantage OF OBJ
scure Observation-Disclosures, the son OF the
weaver Ferguson, the astronomer, the son
of the shepherd. America the prey OF the
one; worlds on worlds the prey of the other.
But what is true in secular directions is more
true in spiritual and religious dlrecrlons,ano
I proceed to prove it.
I 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 eShaustions,
and at eyentime they lie down on the lounge
with achings beyond all medicaments. They
have tried all prescriptions, they have gone
Through all the cures which were proclaimed
infallibie, and they have now come to sur
render to perpetual ailments. They con-
slider they are among many disadvantages
and when they see those who are buoyant in
health pass by, they almost envy their robust
frames and easy respiration.
&, But have noticed among that invalid
class those who have the greatest knowledge
OF the Bible, who are in nearest intimacy
with Jesus Christ, who have the most glow
ing experiences Of the truth, who have had
ssthe most remarkable answers to prayer. and
who have most exhilarant anticipations OF
heaven. The temptations which weary US
who are in robust health they have con-
:quered.
/ MANY who are alert and athletic and
swSr,ny loiterin the way-''the lame take
Fhe prey Robert Hall an invalid, Edward
,Payson an invalid, Richard Baxter an inya
lid, Samuel Rutherford an invalid. This
ymornng. when you want to call to mind
those VINO are most Christ-like, you think OF
some darkened room in your fathers house
from which there went forth an influence
potent for eternity.
:; A step farther: Through raised letters the
art OF printing has been brought to the atten-
zion of the blind.
You take up the Bible for the blind, and
you close your eyes, and you run your fingers
lover the raised letters and you say "Why,
I never could get any information In this
way. What slow, lumbrous way Of read
ing! God help the blind!'
/ And yet find among that class Of persons.
among the blind, the deaf and the dumb, the
most thorough acquaintance with Gods
WORD. Shut out from all other sources OF
information, no sooner does their hand touch
the raised letters than they gather a prayer.
Without eyes, they look of upon the king
doms OF Gods love. Without hearing, they
catch the ministre!sy of tho skies. DurGo,
yet with pencil. Or with irradiated counre-
nance, they declare the glory OF God.
! large audience assembled in New York
; at the anniversary OF the Deaf and Dumb
Asylum, and one OF the visitors with chalk
on the blackboard wrote this question to the
pupils, ''Do you not find it very hard to be
deaf and dumb" And one Of the pupils
took the chalk and wrote on the blackboard
Ehis sublime sentence in answer, "When the
song oi the angels shall burst upon our en-.
lraprured ear. we will scarce regret that oui
ears were never marred with earthly sounds.
Oh, the brightest eyes IN heaven will be
those that never saw on earth. The ears
most alert in heaven will be those that in
this world heard neither voice Of friend nor
thrum OF harp, nor caro-! OF bird nor doxol-
ogy Of congregations.
: A lad who had been blind from infancy
was cured. The oculist operated upon the
lad and then put a very heavy bandage over
the eyes and after few weeks had gone by
the bspdage was removed and the mother
said to her child: "Willie. can you see?"
He said: "oh. mamma, is this heaven?''
The contrast between the darkness before and
> the brightness afterward was overwhelming.
And tell you the glories Of heaven will be a
thousandfold brighter for those who never
saw anything on earth. While many with
good vision closed their eyes in eternal night,
and many who had good, artistic and cul-
eured ear went down into eternal discord,
these afflicted ones cried unto the Lord in
their trouble, and he made their sorrows
: their advantage, and so 1.-The lame took the
prey
In the seventh century there was le-
gend of st. Modobert. It was said that his
mother was blind. and one day while look
ing ut his mother he felt so sympathetic for
der blindness that he rushed forward and
kissed her blind eyes, and the legend says
her vision came Immediately. That was
only legend, but it is truth. a glorius
truth, that the kiss Of Gods eternal love has
brought to many blind eye eternal illumi-
nation.
step farther: There are those in all COM
munities who toll nightly for a livelihood.
They have scant wages. Perhaps they are
discussed or have physical inarmities, so they
are hindered from doing continuous days
work. A city missionary finds them up the
dark alley. with no fire, with thin clothing,
with very coarse bread. They lever ride in
the street car they cannot afford the five
those in the show window onthe street, from
which thay ara Often iostled and looked Mt hy