The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-02-10
rALMAGE'S SERMON.
Iriumphs of Men Who Have La
bored Under Disadvantages.
TIE Physically and Mentally AFFLICTED W NO
Get Closer to Christ than others
The Piety of the Poor
Getting to Heaven.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, during MS
recent lecture tour, delivered the fol-
lowing sermon in Nashville, Tenn,
taking for his text:
The lame take the prey.-Isaiah xxxiiL, Is
The utter demolition of the Assyrian
host was here predicted. Not only ro-
bust men should go forth and gather
the spoils of conquest, but even men
crippled of arm and crippled OF foot
should go out and capture much that
was valuable. Their physical disad-
vantages should not hinder their great
enrichment. So it 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 I'M
favorable circumstances, yet making
grand achievements, getting great
blessing for themselves. great blessing
for the world, great blessing for the
church, and so s'the lame take the
prey.
Do you know that the three great
poets of the world were totally blind?
Homer, Ossian. John Milton. Do you
know that Mr.. Prescott, who wrote
that enchanting book, 1.-THE 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 the
chisel with which he cut it into shapes
bewitching? Do you know that Alex
ander Pope, whose poems will last as
long as the English language. was so
much of an invalid that he had to be
sewed up every morning in rough can
vas in order to stand on his feet at all.
Do you know that Stuart, the cele-
brated painter, did much Of his won
derful work under the shadow OF the
dungeon where he had been unjustly
imprisoned for debt? Do you know
that Demosthenes by almost superhu-
man exertion had to conquer the lisp
of his own speech before he conquered
assemblnges by his eloquence? Do
you know that Bacon struggled all
through innumerable sicknesses, and
that Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott
went Imping on clubfoot 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 cripple their physical or
their intellectual movement. and yet
that they pushed on and pushed up
until they reached the spoils of world
success, and amid the huzzah of nations
and centuries ''the lame took the
prey"
You know that vast multitude Of
these men started under the disadvan
tage of obscure parentage. Columbus
the son of the weaver. Ferguson, the
astronomer, the son of the shepherd
America the prey of one; worlds OF
worlds the prey of the other. But
what is true in secular directions
is more true in spiritual and religious
directions, and proceed to prove it.
There are in all communities many
3linvalids. They never know well day
They adhere to their occupations, bu'
they go painting along the streets will
8 exhanstions, and at eventide they Ii,
down on the lounge with achings beyond
all medicaments. They have tried al
prescriptions, they have gone through
| all the cures which were proclaimed
4 infallible, and they have come now Il
surrender to perpetual ailment. The,
consider they are among many disad
vantages; and when they see thos
who are buoyant in health pass by
they almost envy their robust frame
and easy respiration.
But have noticed among that in
valid class those who have the great
| est knowledge of the Bible, who are il
nearest intimacy with Jesus Christ
who have the most glowing experl
ences Of the truth, who have had tn
most remarkable answers to prayer
and who have most exhilarant antic
pations of Heaven. The temptation
which weary MS who are in rObus
health they have conquered.
d Many who are alert and athletic an
swarthy, loiter in the way--the lam
take the prey. Robert Hall an invalid
Edward Payson an invalid. Richar
Baxter, an invalid, Samuel Rutherfor
an invalid This morning, when yo
want to call to mind those who al
most Christlike. you think of som
darkened room in your fathers nous
! from which there went forth an inf,
ence potent for eternity.
, A step farther: Through raised lie
tiers the art of printing has bee
brought to the attention of the blin'
You take up the Bible for the blin'
! and you close your eyes and you RI
your fingers over the raised letters, ar
you say: "Why never could get al
information in this way. What slo,
: Humorous way of reading! God he
! the blindl'
And yet, / find among that class
persons, among the blind, the deaf al
the dumb, the most thorough acquair
ance with Gods word. Shut out fro
all other sources of information, ]
sooner does their hand touch the rails
letter than they gather a prays
Without eyes. they look off upon Z
1 kingdoms of Gods love. Witho
i hearing, they catch the minstrelsy
4 the skies. Dumb, yet with pencil,
with irradiated countenance, they Z
4 clare the glory of God.
3 A large audience assembled in NJ
4 York at the anniversary of the de
3 and dumb asylum, and one OF the '