The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-03-11
LIKE SHEEP ASTRAY.
AND REV. DR.. TALMAGE SAYS ~
MEANS EVERYBODY.

church to which DIR. Talmage preache
twice each Sabbath. His text thi
morning was Isaiah lii, 6: ''All we
like sheep, have gone astray. W.
have turned every one to his owl
way, and the Lord hath laid on hin
the iniquity of us ALL"
Once more I ring the old gospa.
bell. The first half of my next text il
an Indictment, "All we, like sheep
have gone astray." Some one says
Cant you drop that first word9 That
is too general; that sweeps too great q
J circle" Some man rises in the audi
ence, and he looks over on the other
side of the house and says: There
is a blasphemer, aud I understand
how he has gone astray, and there IN
another part of the house is default,
or, 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.
It starts behind the pulpit, sweeps the
circuit of the room and comes back to
the point where it started, when 1t
says, "All We, like sheep, have gone
astray."
can very easily understand why
Martin Luther threw up his hands
after he had found the Bible and cried
out, "Oh, my sins, my sinsW 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" I
was, like many of you, brought up in
the country, and I know some of the
habits of sheep, and how they get
astray, and what my text means when
it says, Call 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 the religion
Of Jesus Christ put us on short COM
mons. We thought there was better
pasturage somewhere else. We
thought if we could only lie down on
the banks of distant stream or under
great oaks on the other side of some
hill We might be better fed. We
wanted other pasturage than that
which God, through Jesus Christ,
gave our soul, and we wandered on,
and we were lost. We wanted bread,
and we found garbage. The farther
we wandered instead of finding rich
pasturage we found blasted heath
and sharper rocks and more singing
nettles. No pasture. How was it in
the clubhouse when you lost your
childs Did they come around and
help you very much2 Did your
worldly associate 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
associates9 Did all the convivial
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 on the last sabbath after
noon of her life2
There Is happy land
Far, far away,
Where saints immortal reign
Bright. bright &c de-: .,...s..,,
Did your business associates in
Lat day of darkness and trouble
give you any especial condolences
Business exasperated you, business
wore you out, business left you limp
as a 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 him
The world afforded you no luxuriant
pasturage. A famous English actor
stood on the stage impersonating, and
thunders of applause came down from
the galleries, 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 Indifferent and somnolent
spoiled all the occasion for him and he
cried: "Wake up! Wake upw So
one little annoyance in life has been
moro pervading to your mind than all
the brilliant congratulations and sue
cess. Poor pasturagef 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; it is good trough from
which the swine may crunch their
mess, but it gives but little food to
soul blood bought and immortal !
What is a soul2 1t is hope high as
the throne of God. What is mana
You say, 1T is only a man." 1t is
only q man gone overheard in sin. It
is only a man gone overheard in bust
ness life. What is q mana The bat
tleground 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
cannot outlve him. The stars shall
die, but he will watch their extinguish-
ment. The world will burn, but he
will gaze at the confagration. End
less ages will march on. He will
watch the procession. A man! The
masterpiece of God Almighty. Yet
YOU say, "It is only a man." Can a
nature like that be fed on husks of the
Milderness2
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 by the dogs. The hound gets
over into the pasture field. The poor
things fly in every direction. In