The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1896-03-13
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Another Vigorous Ring at the Old
Gospel Bell
Calling Anew the Sheep Who Have Gone
Astray-The Lord Bath Laiu
Upon One the Iniquity
of Us All.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage delivered
the following sermon to his Washing
ton congregation, taking for his text:
All we, like sheep. have gone astray; we
nave turned every one to his own way, ana the
Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity Of as all
Once more ring the old Gospel bell
The first half of my next text is an in
dietment: All we, like sheep, have gone
astray. Some one says: Cant you
drop that first word? That is too gen
eral; that sweeps too great a circle"
Some man rises in the audience and he
looks over on the opposite side of the
house, and says: There Is a bias
phemer; and understand how he has
gone astray. And there in another
part of the house is a defaulter, and
he has gone astray. And there is an
impure person, and he has gone
astray" Sit down, my brother, and
look at home. My text takes
us all in. 1t starts behind the
pulpit, sweeps the circuit of the
room, and comes back to the
point where it started, when it says:
All we, like sheep, have gone astray."
1 can very easily understand why Mar
tin Luther threw up his hands after
he had found the Bible and cried out:
'Oh! my sins, my sinsl' 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, a sinner" 1
was, like 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
1t says: ''All we, like sheep, have gone
astray."
Sheep get astray in two ways; either
by trying to get into other pasture, or
from being scared by the dogs In the
former way some of us got astray We
thought there was better pasturage
somewhere else. We thought if 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
be better fed. We wanted other pas
turage than that which God, through
Jesus Christ, gave our soul, and we
wandered on, and we were lost. We
wanted bread, and we found gar
bage. The farther we wandered, IN
stead of finding rich pasturage,
we found blasted health and sharper
rocks and more stinging nettles. No
pasture. How was it in the club house
when you lost your child? Did they
come around and help you very much?
Did your worldly associates console
you very much2 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 associates2 Did all the con-
vivial songs you ever heard comfort
You in that day of bereavement so
much as 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 a happy land
Far far awav.
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-
Rsperated you, business wore you out,
business left you limp as a rag, busi-
ness made you mad. You got dollars,
but you got no peace. God have mercy
on the man who has nothing but bust
ness to comfort himl The world af-
forded you no luxuriant pasturage.
A famous English actor stood on the
stage impersonating, and thunders of
came down from the gal
leries, and many thought it was the
proudest moment of his life; but there
was man asleep just in front of him,
and the fact that that man was indif-
ferent and somnolent spoiled the occa-
sion for him, and he cried: wake
up, wake upI'" So one little annoy
ance in life has been more pervading
to your mind than all the brilliant con-
gratulations and success. Poor pas
turage 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. Oil this world is a good rack
from which a horse may pick his food;
it is good trough from which the
swine may crunch their mess; but it
gives but little food to a soul blood
bought and immortal. What is a soul?
1t is hope high as the throne of God.
What is man? You say, 1T is only
n man." 1t is only a name 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 measure him No limit
can bound him. The archangel before
the throne can not outlive him. The
stars shall die, but he viii watch their
extinguishment. The world will burn,
but he viii gaze at the conhagration.
Endless ages viii march on; he will
watch the procession. A mani The
master piece of God Almighty. Yet
you say: 1T is only man." Can ma
ture like that be fed on husls of the |
Substantial comforts viii not grow
On Natures barren soil;
AL we can boast till Christ we know
Is vanity and toll
Sinai's terrible batteries have been !
unlimbered above your soul, and at /
times you have heard 1t thunder: THE |
wages of sin is death" "All have |
sinned and come short of the glory of /
God" by one man sin entered the 1
world, and death by siEi and so death /
passed upon all men. for that all |
have sinned." ''T,he soul that sinneth. |
It shall. die. - When Sebastopol was /
being bombarded two Russian frigates
burned all night i'm the harbor, throw
ing a glare upon the trembling fort /
ress; and some Of you, from what you |
have told me yourselves, some Of you /