The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-02-12
THE ONE RIGHT ROAD.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE POINTS 1T OUT
TO LIFE'S TRAVELLERS.

He Shows the Road Of Righteousness to be
Safe. plain, Pleasant, Broad, Smooth
and With Glorious Terminus at
Last.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2.-Rev. DIR.
Talmase's sermon for today was pic
ture of the road that many have tray
eled and others are trying to get on
and is no more appropriate for the
capital of the nation than for all
places. The text chosen was Isaiah
xxxY, 8, 9, 10: ''And an highway
shall be there, and a way, and it shall
be called the way of holiness. The
,unclean shall not pass over it, but it
shall be for those; the wayfaring men,
! though fools, shall not err therein.
No lion shall be there, nor any raven
Gus beast shall 60 up thereon, it shall
not be found there, but the redeemed
shall walk there, and the ransomed of
the Lord shall return and come to
Zion with songs and everlasting joy
upon their heads. They shall obtain
Joy and gladness, and sorrow and
sighing shall flee away"
There are hundreds of people in this
house who want to find the right
road. You sometimes see person
hating at crossroads, and you can tell
BIZ his looks that he wishes to ask a
question as to what direction he had
better take. And stand in your pres
ence conscious of the fact that there
are many of you here who realize that
there are thousand wrong roads, but
only one right one, and 1 take it for
granted that you have come in to ask
which one it is. Here is one road that
opens widely, but have not much
faith in it. There are a great many
expensive tollgates scattered all along
that way. Indeed at every rod you
must pay in tears, or pay in genutiex-
ions, or pay in fagellations. On that
road, if you get through it at all, you
have to pay your own way, and since
this differs so much from what I have
heard in regard to the right way, I
believe it is the wrong way.
Here is another road. On either
side of it are houses of sinful enter
tainment and invitations to come in
and dine and rest, but from the looks
of the people who stand on the piazza
am certain it is the wrong house and
the wrong way. Here is another
road. It is very beautiful and macad.
amized. The horses hOOfS clatter and
ring, and they who ride over it spin
along the hig hway, until suddenly
they find that the road breaks over an
embankment, and they try to halt,
and they see the bit in the mouth of
the fiery steed and cry: "Ho! Hop
But it is too late, and, crash they 60
over the embankment. We shall turn
and see if we cannot find different
kind Of road. You have heard of tie
Appian way. It was $50 miles long.
It was Afeet wide, and on either side
of the road was path foot passengers.
It was made out of rocks cut in hexa-
gonal shape and fitted together. What
q road it must have been! Made of
smooth, hard rock, $50 miles long.
No wonder that in the construction of
it the treasures of a whole empire were
exhausted. Because of invaders, and
the elements, and time-the old con-
queror who tears ups road as he goes
over it-there is nothing left of that
structure but a ruin. But I have to
tell you of a road built before the APP
plan way, and yet it is as good as
when first constructed. Millions of
souls have gone over it. Millions
more will come.
The prophets and apostles, too.
Pursued this road while here below,
We therefore will without dismay,
Still walk In Christ, the good old way.
First, this road of the text is the
kings highway. In the diligence you
dash on over the Bernard pass of the
Alps, mile after mile, and there is not
SO much as a pebble to jar the wheels.
You 60 over bridges which cross
chasms that make you hold your
breath, under projecting rock, along
by dangerous precipices, through tun-
nels adrip with the MEETINGS of the
glaciers, and perhaps for the first time
learn the majesty of road built and
supported by governmental authority.
Well, my Lord the King decided to
build a highway from earth to heaven.
1t should span all the chasms of hu-
man wretchedness. It should tunnel
all the mountains of earthly difficulty.
It should be wide enough and strong
enough to hold $4,000, 600, 900, 900 of
the human race, if so many of them
should ever be born. 1t should be
blasted out of the Rock of Ages,
and cemented with the blood of the
cross, and be lifted amid the shouting
of angels and the execration of
devils. The King sent his son
to build that road. He put head and
hand and heart to it, and after the
road was completed waved his blistered
hand over the way, crying, ut is fin
ishedw Napoleon paid $4,000, ,00O
francs for the building of the Simp.
Ion road that his cannon might 60
over for the devastation of Italy, but
our King at a greater expense has
built road for a different purpose
that the banners of heavenly domin.
ion might come down over it. Being
a kings highway, of course it is well
built. Bridges splendidly arched and
abuttressed have given way and
crushed the passengers who attempted
to cross them. But Christ the King
would build no such thing as that.
That work pene, he mounts the chariot
of his love and multitudes mount
with him, and he drives on and up
the steep of heaven amid the plaudits
of gazing worlds! The work is done
.