The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-03-05
DR.. 1AlMAGE'S SUNDAY Sermon.
A GOSPEL MESSAGE.
Subject. GAN Men Are Astray."

Subject. Gan Men Are Astray."
TEXT. "All we, like sheep, have gone
nstrny. We have turned every one TO MS
own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the
iniquity OF us all."-lsaiah ILL.,. 6.
Once more ring the old gospel bell. The
ilrst half of my next text II an indictment.
All we, like sheep, have gone astray. Some
one says: Cant you drop that first wordf
That Is too general; that sweeps too great
circle" Some man rises in the audience, |
aud he looks over on the opposite side ofthe |
house and says: "There IL n blasphemer, !
and [ understand how he has gone astray. |
And there in another part OF the house Is |
defaulter. and he has gone astray. And there
is an impure person. and he has gone astTny.
sit down. my brother, and look at home: MY
text takes us all in. II starts behind the
pulpit, sweeps the circuit Of the room, and
comes back TO the point where 1t started,
when II 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 sins,' aud why the publican, according
to the custom to this day in the East, when
they have any great grief, began to beat
/ himself aud cry, rs he smote upon his breast,
"God be merciful TO me. Il sinner" was,
like many Of you, brought up in the country,
and I know some Of the habits OF sheep, and
7 how they get astray and what my text means
, when IL 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 10y 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 pnstur-
aye somewhere else. We thought II we could
only lie down on the banks Of distaut
utr
side Of some hill. we might be better fed. We
wanted other pasturacs than that which
/ God, through Jesus Christ. gave our soul. and
we wandered on and we wandered on ana
we were lost, We wanted bread. and we
found garbage. The farther wa wandered.
instead OF finding rich pasturage. we found
, blasted heath and sharper rocks and more
singing nette-. No pasture. How was u
in the club mouse when you lost your childS
Did they come around and help YOU very
muchl Did your worldly associates console
You very muchy Oil not the plain Christian
mau who came into your house and sat ur
| with your darling cbiid give you more com
fort than all worldly associatesf Did all the
. convivial songs you ever heard comfort you
in that day of Bereavement so much az the
song they sang 20 y0u2-perhaps the very
l song that was sung by your little child tn,
: last sabbath afternoon OF her life:
There is a happy land
&, Far far away,
. Where saints immortal reign
Bright bright as day.
. Did your business associates in that da
OF darkness and trouble gave you any cspeciu
. condolcnce2 Business eXaspsrated you
& business wore you out. business LETT yo
y limp as raS, business made you mad. 70
/ got dollars, but YOU gotn peace. God nav
ID mercy on the man who mas nothing bu
business to comfort him! The world alforde
20 you no luNuriant pasturage. Afamous Ems
Ia lsh actor stood on the stage impersonatinl
and thunders OF applause came down iror
the galleries, and many thought II was IN
r proudest moment Of all his life, but ther
D. was a man asleep Just In front OF him, an
the fact that that man was Indifferent an
- somnoent spoiled all the occasion for hin
:, and he cried, ''Wake up, wake up" So or
III little annoyance IN life has been more pc
vading 10 your mind than all the brilliai
r congratulations and success. Poor pastu
age for your So \ his w"rl'
VI The wC~'' has
BELIZE. you. the worlI mlstnterprete
p you, the world has prosecuted you.
never comforted Won. Oh, this world Is
good rack from which horse may pie
s. his food. It Is "a good trough from whic
% the swine may crunch their mess, bJ
~ 1t gives bu. little food TO n soul bloc
bought and immortal. What is Il soulI
is u hops high as the throne OF God. VIII
Is man2 You say, "lt Is only n man."
Is only a man gone overheard in sin. IL
only man gone overheard In business lif
u What Is Il man? The battle-ground OF thr,
lc worlds. with his hands taking hold o; dc
Or tinies Of -ht or darkness. Il mau! NO III
!, can measure him. No,limit can bound hir
i'l The archangel before the throne cannot on
or live him. The stars shall die, but he W
TX watch their reNtinguishment. The world w
no burn. but he will gG2e at the confagTlio
,S Endless ages will march on. lie Will wat
80 the procession. 4 man, The masterpie
-. a ". - ~,
is man." Can a nature like that be led
husks OF the wilterue-?
in Substantial comforts will not grow
le- On natures barron soil:
All We can boast TIL Christ we know
l. vanity and toll.
~ Some OF you got astrHy by looking for bt
Mt ter pasturage. others by being scared by {
dogs The hound gets over into the pastu
field The poor things fly in every dire
-. tion. In few moments they are torn OF I
re- hedges and they are splashed OF the ditc
ng and the lost sheep never gets home unl,
AS the farmer goes after II. plerc Is nothi
en-, so thoroughly lost as "A lost sheep. II m
have been in 1857. during the tnanc
IN panic or during the financial stress in
ul- fall of 1873 when you got astray. You alm
vas became IN atheist. You said, "Whctois q
al that honest men 80 down ani thieves pr
nv per?" You were toggel OF creditors, Y
ma were dogged OF the banks. you were dogg
or. of worldly disaster, and some OF you w
into misanthropy and some Of you took
strong drink and others Of you fed out
Christian association. aud you got astri
oh. man. that was the last time when y
.ein ought 10 have iorsaken God Standi
- amid the laundering Of Your early failur
'n'' how could you get along without God
cen comfort You and God to deliver you an
OF God to help you and God TO save y,
, ia You tell me you have been throu
enough business trouble almost to
'Nel you. / know il. | cannot underst,
iud how the boat could live one hour in I
-ar. chopped sea. But do not know by "
a. process YOU got astray; some in one way
'H' some in another, and II you could really
the position some OF you occupy before
the your soul would burst into an agony OF u
.on. and you would pet the heavens with the
God have mercy" Sinats batteries h
nn been uulimberel above your soul. and
and times you have heard 1t thunder, :"
ting wages OF sin is death" "All have sin