The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-05-25
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
EUE BROOKLYN DgvINE's SUN,
3, DAY SERMON.
Subject: ssSalvatton.n
TEXT: ''Seek ye the Lord while He may bt

y
found. ."-Isaiuh iv., 6.
Isaiah stands heal and shoulders ahov,
the other Old Testament authors in vivid tie
scriptivoress Of Christ. Cher prophets givt
an outline OF our Sav:our's features. Some
Of them present, as it were, the side face O
Christ, others q bust Of Christ, but I$aial
givns US the full length portrait Of Christ
Other Scripture writers excel in sonne thing!
Ezekiel more weird. David moro pathetic.
Solomon more epiGram!natic, Ha5akSns
more sublime-hut wien you want to see
Christ coming out from tho gates Of prophe.
cy In all His grandeur and gloryyou involrn
sarily turn to Isuiah. SO that ii the proohs.
cics in regard to Christ might be called the
"Oratorio Of the Messiah" the writing oi
Isaiah is tho 'Halleluiah Chorus" where ;.u
the batonS wave and all the trunpets come
IN Isaiah was not q man picked up out 0!
insignifcaEce by inspiration. He WAS known
and honorel. Josephus and Philo and
Slrach cxtollcd him in their writings. What
Pnul was among the apostles Isaiah was
among the prophets.
My text finds him standing on noun
tain Of inspiration, boxing out into the tG-
suro, beholdin; Christ advancing and anN-
lous that all men might know Him. His
voice rings down the ages, ''See!l we the
Lord while He may be found" ''Oh," says
some one. 'that was for olden times" No,
my hearer. II you have Travelled in other
lands, you have taken 4 circular letter OF
credit from some banking house in New
York and in st. Petersburg or Venice or
Romo or Melbourne or Calcutta. you pre-
sented that letter and got financial help inn
mediately. And waat You to understand
that the text, instead Of being appropriate
for one age or for one land. is a circular let
tor for all ages and for all lands, and where
ever 1t Is presented for help the help comes
HSeek va the Lord while He may be found"
I come to-day with no hair spun theofei
OF religion, with no nico distinctions, With
10 elaborate disqusition, but with an urgent
call to personal religion. The gospel OF
Christ Is n powerful medicine. It eithe,
kills or cures. There are those who say: 81
would like to become q Christian. have
beon waiting good while for the right
kind of influences to come" and still You
are .waitfne.--Ior- are wiser in worldly
things than YOU are in religious things. II
you want to got to Albany. You go the Grand
Central Depot or to the steamboat wharf,
and having got your ticket you do not sit
down on the wharf or sit In the depot. You
are men who say they are waiting to get te
heaven, waiting, waiting. but not with in.
teligent waiting, orthey would get on board
the line OF Christian influences that woul1
near them into the kingdom Of God.
Now, you know very we'll that to seek
thing is to search for it with earnest endeav.
or. II you want to see a certain man in
this city, and there is matter of 0,00e
connected with your seeinS him, and you
cannot at first End him, you do not give up
the search. You look in ti:e directory. but
cannot find tho name. You so ia circles
where you think perhaps ile,nay yningle, and
having found the part G. ire city where he
lives, bui perhaps not k.:&s'ing the street,
you 90 through street afte htt-r"t and from
block to block, and you keep on searching
for weeks and for months.
You say, sit is a matter of $4,000 whethe
I soc him or not" Oh, that men we're q!
PERSISTENT in seeking for Christ! Had yor
cno-half that persistence you would loEc age
tave found Him who IS the joy OF the for.
given spirit. We may pay our debts, wo may
attend church, we may relieve the poor, we
may be public benefactors. and yet all our
Iifc d;sohoy tho text, never see God, never
gain heaven. Oh, that tho Spirit OF God
would help me, while I try to show YOU III
carryag out tho idea of my text. first how 70
seek tho Lord and In the next place When to
lecli Him.
remark. in The first place. you are to seek
tue Lord through earnest aud believing
payer. GCd is not an autocrat or 4 despot
seated on throne. with His arms resting on
brazan lions and Il sentinel pacing up and
dowE q. the foot OF tho throne. God is
father seated in bower, waiting for His chill
dren to como and climb on His knee and get
bis kiss AMI His bcnediction. Prayer is the
CAP With which we go the ':fountain of living
water" aNh dip up refrcShmcnt for our
tnfrsty soul. Glaco does not como to the
hcact rs wa set q cask at tho cornnr Of the
house to catch the rain in the shower. 1t is
pulley fastened to the throne OF God, which
re pull, bringing the blessing.
I 10 not care so much what posture yoL
take in prayer nor how large an amount OF
voice you use. You might get down on
your face befo1e God, If you did not pray
right inwardly there would be no response.
You might cry at the top Of your voice, and
unless you had believing spirit within your
cry would not 50 further up than the shout
Of plow5oy to his oxen. Prayer must be
believing, earnest, loving. You ere i'll your
house some summer day and Il shower comes
up. and bird, affrighted, darts into the
window and wheels about the room. You
seize it. You smooth its ruffled plumaGc.
You feel its duttering heart. You say, Poor
X
OF the Storm OF this world into the window
Of Gods mercy, and He catches it, and He
feels its fluttering pulse, and He puts it III
His own bosom OF affection and safety.
Prayer Is n warm, ardent, pulsating exercise.
Il Is an electric battery which, touched,
shrllls to the throne of God. 1t is the diving
bell In which we go down into the depths OF
Gods mercy and bring up ''pearls Of great
price" There was IN instance whore prayer
made the waves Of the Gennesa-et solid rs
Sone pavement. Oh, how many wonderful
fhlngs PRAYER has accomplished! Have you
ever tried it? In the days when the Scotch
CoYenanters were prosecuted andthe enemies
wore after them one Of the bead n 5n among
jhe Coveaantors prayed: "Oh, Lori, Ne be
- dead men unless Thou shalt hel p us! Oh,
Lord, throw the lap OF Thy cloa:, ov"r tEesa
suor tkingsl" And instantly Il Scotch mist
developed and hid the prosecuted from their
parsecutors-the promise literally fulfilled.
while thsy are yet speaking I will hear"
Have you ever tried the power Of prayors
God saws. "He is loving and faithful and pa.
Eent." Do you believe that2 You are told
that Christ came to save sinners. Do you
bslioye that? You are toll that nll you have
10 do to get tho pardon OF the gospel is tc
ask for it. Do you boiere that? Then coms
10 Him and say: so Lord: I know Thou
canst not lie Thou hast told INC 10 come
Tor pardon ard could get it. leone. Lord.
Keep Thy promise and liberate my captive
pul."
Oh, tha. you might lave an altar in the
,arlor, in the kitchen, in the store, in the
5nrn, for Christ will be willing to come again
70 the manscr to hear prayer. He would
come to your place Of business as He corr
ironted Matthew, the tax commissioner.
8 measure should come before Congress that
you thought would ruin the Nation, how you
would send in petitions and remonstrances.
And vet there has been enough sin i'll youI
heart to ruin 1t forever, and you have ne7el
demonstrated or petitioned against it. Il
your physical health failed and you had the
means. YOU would 90 and sDend the summer
In Germany and the winter II lEaiT. and you
would think it a very cheap outlay if YOU
had to 20 all round the earth to get back
your physical health. Have you made any
effort, any expenditure, any eXertion fol
your immortal and spiritual health?
Oh. that you might now begin to seeA
after God with earnest prayer! Some OF you
have been working for years and years fol
the support OF your families. Have you