Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1896-03-11
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
nv 'ne Coates Arc Always Open TO Return.
ana Cordial Welcome Waits the Lost
o"es Coming--How Young Men
In the Great Cities fAlL

4
In the Gr~at Citi-s FALL
Ut Talmagc's text Sunday morning
VAS: lisa, liii., o: IAN we. like sheep.
'a'e gone astray; we have turned every
one to his own way, and the Lord hath
s,a on him the iniquity of ms ALL"
onee more ring the old Gospel bell.
The first half of my text is an indict-
'en'; All we, like sheep, have gone
sstray. Some one saws: Can't you
irop that first word? that is too gen.
erai' that sweeps too great circle"
some man rises in the audience and he
LOOKS over on the opposite side of the
mouse and says: There is bias
phemer; and understand how
ne has gone astray. And there
IN another part of the house
Is dcfaultcr, and he has gone
aS'ray. And there is an impure per-
son. and he has gone astray." Sit
Town, my brother, and look mt home.
MY text takes ms all in. IL starts be-
nind the pulpit, sweeps the circuit OF the
room and comes back To the point where
~ started, when it says, All we, like
sheep, have gone astray.
can very easily understand why
Martin Luther threw up his hands at
Ter he had found the Bible and cried
out: "Oh. my sins, my SINS" and why
.hc publican, according To- the custom
Of this day in the east, when they have
any great grief began To- beat himselfand
cry, rs he smotc upon his breast, God
% mcrciful TO me, n sinner" was,
ike many of you, brought up in the
country, and know some of the habits
Of sheep, and how they get astray,
and what my text means when it SAYS:
All we like sheep, have gone astray."
sheep get astray in two ways, either bv
.rying To get into other pasture or
hom being scared by the dogs. In the
former way some of MS got astray. We
thought the religion OF Jesus Christ
| put us on short commons. We thought
there was better paSturagc somewhere
else. We thought IL we could only lie
down on the banks of "A distant stream
or under great oaks on the other side OF
some hill we might bc better fed. We
wanted other paSturagc than that
which God. through Jesus Christ, gave
our soul, and we wandered on
and we wandered on, and we
were lost. We wanted bread and
we found garbage. The further we
wandered, instead of finding rich pas
turagc, we found blasted heath. and
sharper rocks, and more singing net
ties. No pasture. How was il in the
clubhouse when you lost your child?
| Did they come around and help YOU
very much? Did your worldly asso-
cintcs console YOU very much? Did not
the plain Christian man. who came into
1, a ..sI.
child. give you more comfort than all
worldly associates? Did all the con-
viyial songs you ever heard com fort
| you in that day of bereavement as
much rs the song they sang To you
| perhaps the very song that was sung
! by your little child the last Sabbath
afternoon OF her life.
There IS happy land.
Far far away.
Where saints immortal reign,
Bright. bright as day.
Did your business associates in that
day of darkness and trouble give you
any especial coincidence? business ex-
aspcratcd you, business wore You out.
business left you limp as "A rag. bust
ness made you mad. You got dollars,
but you got no peace. God have mercy
ness TO comfort him! The world n ford
ed you no luxuriant pasturagc. a ia
nous English actor stood on the stage
impersonating. and thunders of APP
plause came down from the galleries.
and many thought it was the proudcst
moment of all his life; but there
was man asleep just in front of
him, and the fact that the man was
indifferent and somnolent spoiled all
occasion for him, and he cried: wake
up, wake up" So one little ANNOYANCE
In life has been more pervading 20 your
mind than all the brilliant congratula-
tions 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 misintcrpretcd
you, the world has prosecuted you. oh!
this world is a good rack from which n
horse may pick his food; IL is good
trough from which the swine may
crunch their mess; but it gives but
little food TO n soul blood bought and
immortal What is a soul? 1t is hope
high as the throne of God? What is Il
man? You say, at is only a man"
IL is only man gone overheard in
sin. II is only a man gone overheard
I'm business life. What is n man? The
battle-ground OF three worlds. with his
hands taking hold of the dcstinies Of
light or darkness. a man! No line can
measure him; no limit can bound him.
The archangel before the throne can
not outlivc him. The stars shall die.
but he will watch their extinguish-
ment. The world will burn, but he
will gaze at the conhagration. Endless
ages will march on; he will watch the
procession. A mani The masterpiece
of God Almighty. Yet you say, at
Is only a man" Can a nature like that
be fed on huslSs of the wilderness?
Substantial comfort will not grow
On Natures barren soil;
All we can boast Till Christ we know
Is vanity and toll
Some Of you got astray by looking
for better pasturage; others by being
scared Of the dogs. The hound gets over
in the pasture field. The poor things
fly in every direction. In few mo-
ments they are torn off the hedges and
they are FLASHED Of the ditch. and the
lost sheep never gets home unless the
farmer goes after it, There Is nothing