Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-07-27
TAlMAGE.
The insignificant Becomes Mo-.
mentOus.
"A SERMON BY THE REV. DR.. TALMAaE
Illustrating How Everything is Of
Value, Even the Most Insig-
nifcant,
MANY BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATIONS.

q Subject: "The insignificant becomes mo-
mentous."
Text Ruth ii, g. "And she went and
came and CLEANED in the field after thereap-
ers, and her hap was to light on part Of
the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of
he kindred Of Elimelech.n
1fne tine nst nath 4nd Naomi arrive 81
Bethlehem is harvest time. 1t was the Gus
tom when shsaf fell from load in the
harvest field for the reapers to refuse to
gather it up; that was to be left tor the poor
who might happen to come along that way.
lfthere were handfuls of grain scattered
across the field after the main harvest had
been resped, instead Of raking it as farmers
do, it was by the custom of the land left in
its place so that the poor coming along that
way might CLEAN it aSd get their bread.
But you might any What is the use Of all
these harvest felds to Ruth and NsoTli2
Naomi Is too old and feeble TO 60 out and
toll in the sun, and can you expect that
Ruth, the young and the beautiful should
tan her cheeks and blister hSr hands in the
harvest field" Roaz owns large farm,
and he goes out TO see the reapers gather in
'he grain. Coming there, right behind the
swarthy sun.browned reapers, he beholds
A Beautiful Woman Cleaning
"a woman more fit to bend to a harp or
lit upon throne than to stoop among the
sbeaves. Oh, that was an eventful day. II
was love at fret sight Boaz forms an at
tachment for the woman gleaner-an at
yachment full Of undying interest to 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
adventures ofthe day. That Ruth who left
her native land of Moab in darkness aud
travelled, through an undying affection for
her mother.in-law, is in the harvest field Of
Bosz, is afisnced to one of the best families
in Judah and becomes in after time the
ancestress of Jesus Christ, the Lord o.
Glory Out of SO dark. night did there
ever dawn 60 bright morning.
learn in the first place from this subject
how
Trouble Develops Character.
II was bereavement, poverty and exile that
developed illustrated and announced to all
ages the sublimity Of Ruth's chsrater Thst
is very unfortunate man who has no
trouble. II was sorrow that made John
Bunyan the better dreamer and Dr.. Young
the better poet, and 0'Connell the better
orator and Bishop Hall the better preacher,
and Hancock the better soldier and Ki;to
the better encyclopaedia, and Ruth the bet
ter daughterin-lsw. once asked an aged
man in regard to his pastor, who was very
brilliant man: Why is it that your pastor,
so very brilliant, seems TO have 80 little
heart and tenderness in his sermonsP'
"Well, be replied, The reason is our pas.
tor has never had any trouble, When mis-
fortune comes upon him his style will be
different" After awhile the Lord took a
child out of that pastor house; and though
the preacher was Just as brilliant as he was
before, oh the warmth, the teudern- IS of his
discourse! The fact is that trouble is. o
great educator. You see sometimes mu-
sician sit down at an instrument and his
execution is cold and formal and unteeling.
The reason is that all his life he has been
PROSPEROUS. But let misfortune or bereaye-
ment come TO that man AMI he sits down
t the instrument and yor discover the
psthos in the first sweep of the keys.
Misfortune and trialsare
Great Educators.
A young doctor come, into a sick room
where there is dying child. Perhaps he
is very rough in his prescription and very
rough in his manners, and rough in the |
feeling of the pulse, and rough in his an
swer to the mothers anxious question; but |
years roll on and there has been one dead |
in his own house; and now he comes into the |
sick room and with fearful eye he looks at |
the dying child, and he says: "0b, how this |
reminds me Of lay Charlie" Trouble, the |
great educator. Sorrow see its touch in |
the grandest painting; hear its tremor in |
the sweetest song; l feel its power in the
aid that she fountain of Hippocrene was
struck out By the foot Of the winged horse
Pegasus. have often noticed in life that
he brightest and most beautiful fountains
of Christian comfort and spiritual life have
been struck out BY the iron shod hoof Of
disaster and calamity. see Daniels cour.
age best by the fash of Nebuchsdnezzar
furnace. see Pauls proWess best when /
End him in the laundering ship under the
glare Of the lightning in the breakers Of
Melita. God crowns bis children amid the
bowling of wild beasts and the chopping Of
blood splAshed guillotine and the cracking
6res Of martyrdom. It took the persecu-
tons of Marcus Aurelius to develop Poly
carp and Justin Martyr. II took the Pope
bull and the Cardinals curse and the worlds
snethtma to develop Martin Luther 1t
took all the hostilities against the Scotch
and the fury of Lord ClsSer
house to develop james Remvick aud An
irew Melville and Hugh McKsiL, the glori-
ous martyrs of Scotch history. Il took the
stormy sea and the December blast and the
iesolate New England coast and the war
Rhoop Of savages to show forth the prowess
of the Pilgrim Fathers.
sswhen amid the storms they sang,
And the stars heard and the sea;
And the sounding aisles o: the dim wood
Rang 20 the anthems OF the free
It took ell
Our Past National Distresses
md II takes all our present national sorrovs
% lift up our ration on that high career,
sbere it will march long after the foreign
that have Knocked and the
yrannies that have jeered, shall be swept
Town under the omnipotent wrath Of God,
sho hates despotism, and who, BY the
urength Of his own red right srm, viii make
II men free. And so it is individually and
n the family and in the church and in the
sorld, that through darkness and storm and
rouble, men, women, churches, nations are
developed.
Aeain, see in my text the beauty Of un-
altering friendship. suppose there were
,lenty of friends for Naomi while she was In
but Of all her acquaintance,
low many were willing to trudge of with
'er toward Judah, when she had to make
bat lonely journeyf 0ne-the heroine Of
ny text. 0ne-absolutely one. suppose
Tken Nsonis husband was living and they
,ad rilanfv If rnonav and All thinca went