The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-02-19
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
bNDAY'S DISCOURSE SY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "The kings Highway"

Subject: "The kings Highway"
TEXT: "And an highway shall be there
pd way, and II shall be called, the way o
Yoliness tho unclean shall not pass over 1t
ut 1t shall be for those; the wayfaring men
fough fools. shall not err therein. No lio1
kau be there, nor any ravenous beast shall
3 up thereon, it shall not be found there
RDsomed OF the Lord shall return and COM
b Zion with songs and everlasting Joy upol
heir heads. They shall obtain Joy and glad
&ess, and sorrcw W and signing shall fee away
Isaiah xxxv., 8, Q, 10.
There are hundreds of people in this house
who want to find the right road. You some
lines see person halting at crossroads, and
ycu can tell by his looks that he wishes tc
RsS question as to what direction he had
better take. And I stand in your presence
conscious of the fact that there are many oi
you here that realize that there are thou
sand wrong roads, but only one right one,
in to ask which one 1t is. Here Is one road
that opens widely, but have not much faith
in It. There are great many expensive
tollgates scattered all along that way: In
deed at every rod you must pay In tears, OF
! pay in genufiexions, or pay in flacellations
On that road, If you get through it at all.
you will have to pay your own way, and
since this differs 80 much from what have
heard in regard to the right way, believe II
Is the wrong way.
are houses of sinful entertainment and invi-
tations 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 wong way. Here is another
road. It is very beautiful and macadamized.
The horses hoofs c!atter and ring, and they
who ride over it spin along the highway un-
til suddenly they find that the road breaks
over an embankmept, and they try to halt,
and they see the bit in the mouth OF the fiery
steed and cry: "Ho! Ho!" But it is too late,
and. crash! they SO over the embankment.
We shall turn and see if we cannot find diff
ferent kind OF road. You have heard of the
Appian way. 1t was $50 miles long. 1t was
twenty-four feet wide, and en- either side of
the road was path for foot passengers. 1t
/ was made out OF rocks cut in hexagonal shape
and fitted together. What a road 1t must
have been! Made OF smooth. hard rock, $50
miles long! No wonder that in the con-
struction of it the treasures of a whole en-
pire were exhausted. Because Of invaders
and the elements and time-the old con-
queror who tears up road as he goes over
it-there is nothing left OF that structure but
ruin. But have to tell you OF q road
built before the Appian 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 dismav,
Still walk in Christ. tho good old way.
First, this road OF the text is the King 5
highway. In the diligence you dash on over
the Bernard pass OF the Alps, mile after
mile, and there Is not so much as pebble 10
lar the wheels. You go over bridges which
cross cbasms that make you ho.d your
breath, under projecting rock, along by
dangerous precipice, through tunnels a-drip
with the MEETINGS of the glaciers and per-
haps for the first time learn the majesty of
road built and supported by Governmental
authority. Well, my Lord the King decided
to build highway from earth to heaven. 1t
should span all the chasms OF human
wretchedness; it should tunnel all the
mountains Of earthly difficulty; 1t should be
wide enough and strong enough to hold
fifty thousand millions Of the human race,
If SO many Of them should ever be born; il
should be blasted out Of the "rock Of ages"
and cemented with the blood OF the
cross and be lifted amid the shout
ing of angels and the execration OF devils.
The King sent His Son to build that road. he
put head and hand and heart to 1t, and after
the road was completed waved His blistered
hand over the way. crying, sit is flnished!"
Napoleon paid $4,000, 900 francs for the build
ing OF the Simplon road that his cannon
might 20 over for tho devastation OF Italy,
but our King at great expense has built
road for different purpose, that the ban
ners of heavenly dominion might come down
over it. Being Kings highway, Of course
1t is we'll built. Bridges splendidly arched
and buttressed have given way and crushed
the passengers who attempted to cross them.
But Christ the King would build no such
thing as that. The work done, 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 gaz-
ing worlds. The work is done-well done
|. gloriously done-magnifcently done.
Still further, this road spoken Of is clean
road. Many q fine road has become miry
and foul because it has not been properly
cared for, but my text says the unclean shall
| not walk on this one. Room on either side
Ito throw away your sins. Indeed. If you
want to carry them along you are not on the
fright road. That bridge will break, those
overhanging rocks will fall, the night will
|come down leaving you at the mercy OF the
mountain bandits. and at the very next turn
of the road you will perish. But if you are
fkeally on this clean road Of which I have
|1been speaking, then you will stop ever and
@apon to wash In the water that stands in the
basin of the eternal rock.
Aye, at almost every stop OF the journey
vou will be crying out: "Create within me
a clean heart" If you have no such aspira-
htions as that, it proves that you have mis-
Eaken your way, and if you will only look
sp and see the flngerboard above your head,
,ou may read upon 1t the words, "There is a
yay that seemeth right unto man, but the
bnd thereof is DEATH" Without holiness no
man shall see the Lord. and If you have any
idea that you can carry along your sins.
3your lusts, your wordlinesS, and vet get at
The end Of the Christian race, you are so aw-
fully mistaken. that, in the name OF God, l
shatter the deiusion.
Still further. the road spoken Of Is plain
road. "The wayfariny men, though fools,
| shall aot err therein" That is, il man Is
Sthree-fourths IN idiot, he can find this
road Just as we'll as if he were Il philosopher.
The imbecile boy, tho 'aughing stock Of the
street, and followed by mob hooting at him.
/ has only just to knock ut the gate OF
heaven and it swings opea. while there has
been many q man who ".th lecture about
pneumatics. and chemist. and tell tn,
/ story of Faraday's theory electrical polar
ization and yet has been sint rut of heaven.
There has been many mas who stood in Ill
observatory and swept the heavens with his
telescope and yet has not been able to see
the morning star. Marry q man has been fa-
miliar with all the higher branches OF math-
ematics and vet could not do the simple
sum. "What shall it profit man IL he gain
the whole world and lose his own soulT'
:, Many o man has been fine reader Of TRACE.
dies and poems and yet could not "read his
title clear to mansions in the Skies"
Many a man has botanized across the con.
tinent, and yet not known the "Rose oil
Sharon, and the Lily Of the Valley" But il
one shall come in the right spirit, asking the