News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1896-03-05


WASHINGTON, March 1.-The gosD9l
sends ont its g,addest sound in this
sermon from the nations capital. I'm
mense throngs pack and overflow the
church to which Dr. Talmage breaches
twice each Sabbath. His text this morn.
ing was Isaiah lii, 6: ''All we, like
sheep, have gone astray. We have
turned every one to his own way, and
the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity
of us all. "
.Onco moro ring the old gospel bell.
The first half Of ny next text is an in
diCtment. All we, like sheep, have
gone astray. Some one says: "Can t
you drop that first word? That is too
general; that sweeps too great circle. y
Some man rises in tho audience, and ho
looks over Oh the opposite side Of tho
house and says: "TheTe is blasphemer,
and l understand how he has COMO
sstray. And thcro in another part Of the
house is defaulter, and he has COMO
astray. And thoro is an impure person,
and he has gone astray." Sit down, my
brother, and look at home. My text
takes us all il. 1t starts behind the pull
pit, sweeps the circuit Of the room, and
cJmes back to the point where it start
ed, when it says, All we, like sheep,
have gone astray.
can very easily understand why
Martin Luther threw up his hands after
he had found the Big and cried ont,
Z Oh, my sins, my sins and why the
publican according to the custom to this
day in the east, when they have any
great grief, began to beat himself and
cry, as he smote upon his breast, "God
be merciful to me, sinner" was,
like many Of you, brought up in tho
country, and I know some Of the habits
of sheep, and how they get astray and
what my text means when it says, CAL
we, like sheep, have gone astray. )"
Sheep get aStray i'll two ways-ether
by trying to get into other pasture, or
from being scared by the dogs. In tho
former way some Of us got astray. We
thought tho religion Of Jesus Christ put
as On short commons. We thought there
was better paSturage somewhere else.
We thought if we could only lie down
on the banks Of distant stream, or I'M
er great oaks Oh the other side of some
hill, we might be better fed. We want.
cd other pasturage than that which God,
through Jesus Christ, gave our soul, and
we wandered Oh and we wandered Oh
and wo were lost. We wanted bread,
and we found garbage. The farther we
wandered instead Of finding rich pas.
,turage We found blasted heath and
sharper rocks end moro singing nettles.
No pasture. How was it in the club
p house when you lost your child? Did
they come around and help You very
much? Did your worldly associates CON
solo yOu very much? Did not the plain
Christian man who came into your house
and sat up with your darling child give
you more comfort than all worldly asso-
ciates? Did all the convivial songs yOu
ever heard comfort you in that day CT
bereavement 50 much as tho song they
sang to yop-pc1baps the very song that
was sung by your little child the last
There is happy land
/ Far, far away,
Whore saints Immortal reign
Bright, bright as day.
Coda Masterpiece.
Did your business associates in that
day Of darkness and trouble give yoU
any especial coincidence? Business eXas-
perated you, business wore you out,
business left you limp as rag, business
made you mad. You got dollars, but
you got no peace. God have mercy on
the man who has nothing but business
to comfort himl The world afforded
you no luxuriant pasturage. A famous
English actor stood on the stage imper-
sonating, and thunders of applause
came down from the galleries, and
many thought it was the proudest mo-
ment of all his life, but there was a
man asleep just in front of him, and
the fact that that man was indifferent
and somnolent spoiled all the occasion
for him, and ho cried, wake up, wake
upF' So one little annoyance in. life
has been more pervading to your i.ind
than all the brilliant congratulations
and success. Poor pasturage for your
soul you find in this world. The world
has cheated you, the world has belied
You, the world has misinterpreted you,
the world has prosecuted you. 1t never
comforted you. Oh, this world is good
rack from which horse may pick his
food. 1t is a good trough from which
the swine may crunch their mess, but
1T gives but little food to soul blood
bought and immortal What is soul?
1t is hope high as the throne of God.
What is man? You say, ''It is only
man. " 1t is only n man gone overheard
in sin. 1t is only a man gone overheard
in business life. What is a man? The
battle-ground of three worlds, with his
hands taking hold of destinies of light
or darkness. A man No line can meas
are him. No limit can bound him. The
archangel before tho throne cannot out
live him. The stars shall die, but he
will watch their extinguishment. The
world will burn, but he will gaze at
the confagration. Endless ages will
march on. He will watch the process
sion. A man Tho masterpiece of God
Almighty. Yet you say, 1T is only
man" Can nature like that be fed on
husks of the wildernessF
Substantial comforts win not grow
! On natures barren soil
ALI we can boast till Christ we know