Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-27
BOAZ'S WO0ING OF RUTH
TALMAGE TEACHES A LESSON
FROM THE HARVEST FIELD.

and "A Wonderful Educator-Beauty OF
unfaItering Friendship - Hard and
Dark Paths often Open Into JOy-in-
significant Events Often GOmentous.
The following sermon was delivered by
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, ID. D., the sub
iect of which is 1.-THE Insignificant Be
comes Momentous." The text is Ruth H.,
3: "And she went, and came, and CLEANED
in the fields after the reapers: and her
hap was to light on part of the field be-
longing unto Boaz, who was Of the kin
dred of Elimelech."
The time taat Ruth and Naomi arrive
at Bethlehem is harvest time. III was the
custom when = sheat fell from load Ia
the harvest field for the reapers TO refuse
10 gather it up; that was TO be lett Tor the
Door who might happen to come along that
way. If there were handouts OF grain
scattered across the field after the main
harvest had been reaped, instead OF raklng
it as farmers do, 1t was, by the custom OF
the land, left in its place, so tnat the poor
coming along that way might CLEAN " ana
get their bread. But YOU say, "Wbat Is
the use of all these harvest fields TO Ruin
and NaOmiY Naomi is too Old and feeble
20 go out and toll in the sun, and can you
expect that Ruth, the young aud the beau
tiful should tan her cheeks ana blister
her hands in the harvest heldW B)aI
owns a large farm, and be goes out 10 see
the reapers gather in the grain. Coming
there right behind the swarthy, sun
Drowned reapers, he beheld beautiful
woman gleaning-a woman more tit to
bend to a harp or sit upon throne than
70 stoOp among the she8Yes, On, that was
an eYentful day. 1t was love at first
sight. Boaz forms an attachment Tor Inc
Womanly gleaneT-an attachment iull OF
undying interest 70 the church OF God IN
all ages--While Ruth, with an ephah, or
nearly bushel Of barley, goes home to
Naomi TO tell her the successes and ad-
ventures Of the day. That Ruth who left
her native land of Moab in darkness and
Travelled through an undying affection for
her mOther-ln-law, IL in the harvestteid
Of BOaz. is atfianced TO one Of the best
families in Judah, and becomes IN after
time the ancestress Of Jesus Christ the
IS Lord of Glory Out OF So dark night
did there ever dawn so bright morning?
learn, in the first place, from this sub
ject how trouble develops character. II
was bereavement, poverty, and exile that
developed, illustrated and announced to
all ages the sublimlty of Ruth's charac-
ter. That is very unfortunate man who
has no trouble. 1t was sorrow that made
John Bunyan the better dreamer, and DR..
Young the better poet, and O'COnnell the
preacher and HavelOck the better soldier,
and Kitto the better encyclopaedia, and
Ruth the better daughter-in-law. ] once
asked an aged man in regard to his pas
tor, who was very brilliant man: why
is il that your pastor, so very brilliant
seems to have so little heart and tender
ness in his sermOnsY" "Well, " he replied,
''the reason IS, our pastor has never had
any trouble. When misfortune comes
fu fuI ruill 10
After a while the Lord took child out of
that pastors house, and though the
preacher was Just as brilliant as he was
BEFORE oh, the warmth, the tenderness Of
his discOurses! The tact is that trouble
Ia great educator. You see sometimes
a musician sit down at an instrument and
his execution is cold and formal and I'M
feeling. The reason is that all his life ne
has been prospered. But let misfortune
or bereavement come to that man and be
sits down at the instrument, and you dis
cover the pathos in the first sweep OF the
KEYS.
Misfortune and trials are great educa-
tors. A young doctor comes into sick
room where there is a dying child. Per-
haps ne is very rough in his prescription,
and very rough in his manner, and rough
in the feeling OF the pulse, and rough in
his answer TO the mothers anxious ques
ton; Dat years roll on and there has been
one dead in his own house, and now be
comes into the sick room, and with tear
ful ewes he looks at the dying child and he
SAYS: ''Oh, how this reminds me OF my
Charlie Trouble, the great educator.
Sorrow Sc it's touch in the grandest
painting; | hear It's tremOv In the sweet
est song; l feel its power in the mightiest
argument. Grecian mythology said that
She fountain OF Hippocrane was struck
out by the foot of the winged horse
Pegasus. / have often noticed in life that
the brightest and most beautiful fountains
of Christial comfort and spiritual life
have been struck out by the iron-shod hoof
Of disaster and calamity. l see
Daniels courage best by the flash
of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS furnace. | see
PauPs prowess best when / find
him on the laundering ship under the
glare of the lightning in the breakers OF
Melta. God crowns his children amid
the bowling of wild beasts, and the chop
ping of bl0od-splashed guillOtlne, ana the
cracking fires of martyrdon. IL took the
prosecutions of Marcus Aurelius to de-
veiup POlycarp and Justin Martyr. II
took the Pope's bull and the Cardinals
curse and the worlds anathema 80 de-
Neiop Martin Luther. 1t took all the hos
tilities against the scotch covenanters
and the fury of Lord ClaverhOuse 10 de-
yolop James Renwick and Andrew Mel
Nllle ana bugn Nickel, TIE giOrlOuS mar
tyrs Of Scotch history. IL took the stormy
sea and the December blast and the deco.
lutte New England coast, and the war
whoOp OF savages TO show forth the prov.
ess Of the pilgrim fathers
''Whcu amis the storms they sang,
Aud the stars heard, and The sea;
And the sounding ;isles OF the dim wood
Rang u the anthems OF the free
II took all our past national distressee
and il takes all our present national sor
rows 20 lift up our nation on that high
career where 10 will march long after the
foreign aristOcracies that have Knocked
and the tyrannles that have ieered shall
be swept down under the Omnipoieui
wrath OF God. who hates despOtism, ana
who by the strength Of his own red right
arm viii make all men free. Aud so IL is
Individually, and IN the family, and in The
church, anu IN the world. that through
darkness and storm and trouble, men
women, churches. nations. are developed
Again, GEE in my text the beauty Of uu
faultering friendship. ] suppose Their,
were plenty OF friends for NaOmi " nile sht
WAS in prosperity; but Of all her acqaint
ances now many We're willing &.
trudge Cd wita her toward Judah wheI
she had 30 make that lonely journey? Out
the heroine OF my text. One--abso
lutely one. ! suppose when Naumi's hus
band was living, and they bad plenty @
money and All things went well. they hgt