Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1897-03-11
DR.. IALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Noted Washington Divine's
Sunday Subject,
"WINGS OF ~SERApHIM.o

twain he did ~. Isaiah vi. 2
In a hospital II leprosy good King Czziah
had died. and the whole land was shatoWel
with solemn.tv. aud theological aIi pro-
plletic Isaiah We. thinking about -TilSIous
things a. ore q AT 70 Do II time ., great
national bereavement. AMI forgetting the
presence 81 bfs wife and TWO sons. who Ea-o
up his family. he has q dream not ike the
dreams Of ordinary character. whi"h gen
orally come trcn inf!ge9t:on, bat q vision
most ins,r-1tive. and under the touch o. TIE
hand 81 the Almighty.
The place. the ancient ten pte-5atliinR
grand, awful, majestic. Within that temple
throne higher and eranter than that &C.,
GU pied By Any czar c- sultan Or emperor
On TINT ,hrone. the eternal Christ. IL lines
surrounding that thr ne, the brightes. Gales
tais, not the cherubin. but Eigherthan they,
the most exquisite and radiant Of the heay-
eniy inhabitants the seraphin. Ihev are
called burners because they look ike fire
lips Of fire, eyes Of fire, fee. Of Ara. In ad-
dition TO the features and the limbs; which
suggest a human being, tbrre are p!nions
which suggest the iithest, the swIftest, the
most buovant and the most aspiring Of all
unintelligent c~reaticn-ab bird. Each seraph
had six wings, each two OF the wings for a
different purpose. Ifaiah's dream quivers
md flashes with thesI pinions. now folded,
now spread, now beaten in lecomotion.
with twain he covered his feet, with twain
he covered his face, and with twain be did
fly"
The probability is that these wings were
not all used AZ once. The seraph stanting
there near the throne, overwhelmed nj The
insignifcauce OF the paths his fsnt had
trOdden rs compared with the paths trotden
by the feet II God. and with the laneness Of
his locomotion amounting almOstto decrepi-
tude az compared with the divine velocity,
with 'eathery veil Of angelic modesty hide,
the feet. with twain he did cover the
feet.
Standing there, ~overpowcred " the over
matching splendors Of Gods glory and Un-
aole longer with the eyes 70 look upon them
and Wishing those eyes shaded from the in
suferable glory, the pinions gather over the
countenance. with twain he did cover the
face" Then, ns God tells this seraph to 90
70 tho fnrthest outpost Of immensely OF
message Of light ami love and Joy and get
back before the first anthem, il does not take
the seTaph O. great while to spread himself
upon the air with nninagined celebrity, one
stroke Of the wing equal 10 10 1000 leagues Of
air. with twain he did fly
The most practical and useful lesson for
you and ne, when we see the seraph spread
ing his wings over the feet, l.. the lesson Of
humility at i'm perfection. The brightest
angels OF God are 50 far beneath God that
He charges them with folly, the seraph 50
far beneath God and we so far beneath the
seraph in service we ought to be plunged in
humility, utter and complete. Our feet, how
laggard they have been in the divine ser
vice! Our feet. how many missteps they
have taken Our feet. in how many paths
of worldliness and folly have they walked
sound the praises of the human foot.
With that we halt or climb or march. 1t Is
the foundation OF tho physical fabric 1t is
the base OF a God poised column. With it
the warrior braces himself for battle. With
1t the orator plants himself for %eulogium.
With It the toiler reaches his work. With 1t
the outraged stamps his indignations, its loss
an irreparable disaster. its health an inval-
liable equipment. II you want to know Its
value. ask the man whose foot paralysis hath
shriveled, or machinery hath crushed, or
surgeons knife hath amputated. The Bible
honors 1t. Especial care. "Lest thous dash
thy foot to be moved 9Th feet shall no,
stumble" Especial charge. keep thy foot
when thou goest to the house Of God
Especial peril. ''Their feet shall slide in due
time" Connected with the worlds dissolu-
ton. "He shall set one foot on the sea and
the other on the earth"
Give me the history ofyour foot, and I will
give YOU the history OF your lifetime. Tel
me up what steps it hath gone, dow wha;
declivities and IN what roads and In wha,
directions, and | will know moro about you
than | want TO know. None Of Us could en-.
dure the scrutiny. Our feet not always il
paths Of God. sometimes in paths of worldii.
ness. Our feet, q divine and glorious ma
chinery for usefulness and work. SO otter
making missteps. so often going in the wrong
direction. God wi ever" step. til,
patriarch saying, "Thou s-ttest n print or
the heels OF my feet" Grimes Of the hand
crimes Of the tongue. crimes of the eye
crimes Osthe ear not worse than crimes o
the foot. Oh, we want the wings Of humilit
7 IN cnypr tho fpatf Ouphf "a NOT tn 90 int
self a~bnegation before the all searching. nj
scrutiniziuG, all trying eye OF God? TIL.
sersphs do. How much more we? "Witl
twain he covered his feet"
All this talk about The dignity of human
nature is hraggadocio and sin. Our natur,
started atthe land Of God regal, but it ha.
been pauperizad. There is a we'll in Bel
GUM which once had very pure water. ane
it was stoutly masC ned with stone an =! brick
but that we'll afterward became the centr,
OF the baltic Of Waterloo. At the opening 0
the battle the soldiers with their sabers com
PEELED the gardener. William Won kyison, +
draw water Out Il the we'll for them. and /
was vary pure water. Butthe battle ragged
and 800 dead and half dead were flung int
tho well for quick anl easy burial. 50 tha
the we'll OF refreshment became the We'll o
death. an. long after people looked dow
into the well and they saw tho bleache,
skulls, hut no water. So the human sou
" - - "t44N ~. ~ LA A1 IA .1A'S3 - sai nav
fought around. ii and fought across it an,
been slain. aud il has become "a we'll ofskele
tons. Dead hopes. lead resolutions. deat
opportunities, dead ambitions. An ahan
doned we'll unless Christ shall reopen an
purify and hll il rs the well OF Belgiuu
never was. Unciean- unclean.
Another serapnic posture in the text
with twain he covered the face" Tina
means reverence Godwar1. Never SO nue.
irrevcrence abroad in the world as to-day
You see ii in the defaced statuary. in tn
cutting out q figures from fne paintings. i
the chipping 81 for a mementc
In the fact 'hat military guard must stand a
the grave o. Lincoln ana Garfield, and tina
on shade trees must h. cut down for fire
wood. though fifty George 7. Morrse- te
me Nooinen % spare b tree. AMI that ca
a cori>e a Saiave-. all THAI speaks Of iea;
Is kong over u TIE majority. and suhsti
tGte> ttr The reverent terms father AT
mother "tae Old man an the oil woaas.
Ani ends nothing Impressive IN the ruins
baaltTAc Or 'te columns II karnAc. and -
10 difference IN The >attath from other dan
except X allows more dissipation. ana rra
Inc blole Il WIS; - called higher c.lti.is-
IaAtnc X net TIE word - G,.d. bU: a GOO
zoos WIKI >ca<e fae things IN X.
: lrrNyerec e never % much abroad. Ho'
many tax" ne lame .. God il vain. no
.Aay trivial things sail abors the A might
Ny EH |aH- -