The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-05-24
Love AT FIRST sight.
Rev. Dr.. Talmage PlelCheS About
the Conquest Of Ruth in
the Harvest Field.
How Misfortune and Trials Develop
character Sorrow Always
{, an Educator.
Ruth's UndyIng Friendship for Ma
omi-The Importance of In
significant Events.
BROOKLYN, May 20. = The opening
hymn at the Tabernacle service to-day
begins with the words -

DhOOkIIh, May AV' - Ahe OPSulhS
hymn at the Tabernacle service to-day
begins with the words
''More love to Thee, Christ
More love to Thee"
After making running commentary
on some passages OF Scripture the Rev,
T. Dewitt Talmage, D. D., took the text:
"And she went, and came, and cleaned
in the field after the reapers; and her
hap was to light on part OF the field
belonging unto Boaz, who was of the
kindred OF Elimelech. Ruth ii. 3. He
preached from these words the following
sermon -
The time that Ruth and Naomi arrive
at Bethlehem is harvest time. 1t was
the custom when a sheaf fell from load
in the harvest-feld for the reapers to re-
fuse to gather it up; that was to be left
for the poor who might happen to come
along that way. Ii there were handfuls
of grain scattered across the field after
the main harvest had been reaped, in
stead of raking it, as farmers do now, it
was by the custom OF the land, left in
it's place, so that the poor, coming along
that way, might CLEAN it and get their
bread. But, you say "What is the use
of ali these harvest fields to Ruth and
Naomi Naomi is to old and feeble to go
out and toll in the sun; and can you
expect that Ruth, the young and the
beautiful, should tan her cheeks and
blister her hands in the harvest field ?'
Boaz owns large farm, and he goes
out to see the reapers gather in the grain
Coming there, right behind the swarthy,
sun-browned reapers, he beholds beau
tiful woman gleaning-a woman more fit
to bend to harp or to sit upon throne
than to stoop among the sheaves. Ah'
that was an eventful day
1t was love at first sight. Boaz forms
an attachment for the womanly cleaner
an attachment 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 Of the day.
That Ruth, who left her native land OF
Moab in darkness, and travelled through
an undying affection for her mother-in-
law, in the harvest field of Boaz, is affian-
ced to one of the best families in Judah,
and becomes in after time the ancestress
of Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. Out
OF so dark night did there ever dawn
so bright morning?
learn in the first place from this sub
iect how trouble develops character. 1t
was bereavement, poverty, and exile that
developed, illustrated and announced to
all ages the sublimity OF Ruth's character.
That is very unfortunate man who has
no trouble. 1t was sorrow that made
John Bunyan the better dreamer, and
Doctor Young the better poet, and o.
Connell the better orator, and Bishop
Hall the better preacher, and Havelock
the better soldier, and Ritto the better
encyclopedia, and Ruth the better
daughter-in-law.
once asked an aged man in regard to
his pastor, wo was a, very brilliant man !:
"Why is it that your pastor, so very bril-
liant, seems to have so little heart and
tenderness in his sermon P' "Weli" he
replied, "the reason is our pastor has
never had any trouble. When misfort-
une comes upon him, his style will be
different" After awhile 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 discourse. The fact is
that trouble is a great educator. You
see sometimes a musician sit down at an
instrument and his execution is cold and
formal and unfeeling. The reason is
2 that all his life he has been prospered.
But let misfortune or bereavement come
to that man and he sits down at an in
strument and you discover 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 dying child. Per-
haps he is very rough in his prescrip.
ton, and very rough in his manner, and
J rough in his answer 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 al
the dying child, and he says ooh, how
this reminds me OF my Charlie ' Trouble
the great educator. Sorrow, l see its
touch in the grandest painting; / hear
| its tremor in the sweetest song fee
its power in the mightiest argument.
y Grecian mythology said that the foun
tain of Hippocrene was struck out by the
foot OF the winged horse Pegasus. l have
often noticed in life that the brightest
and most beautiful fountains of Christian
comfort and spiritual life have beer
struck out by the iron-shod hoof OF dis
aster and calamity. see Daniels cour
age best by the flash Of Nebuchadnez
zars furnace. see Paul's prowess best
when find him on the laundering shiI
under the glare OF the lightning in the
breaker, OF Melita. God crowns hi
children amid the bowling OF Wild beasts
an \ the chopping of bloodsplashed gull
lot. ne and the cracking fires of martyr
dom. 1t took the prosecutions of Marcus
Aurelius to develop Polycarp and ,IustiI
Martyr. It took the worlds anathemi
to develep Martin Luther. 1t took al
the Aostilites against the Scotch Cove
\ nanters and the fury OF Lord Claverhoust
to develop James Berwick, and Andrew
Melville, and Hugh McKail, the glorious
martyrs OF Scotch history. 1t took the
sea Ind the December blast, and the
don - Nauy En0Iond Coaot ond the