The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-03-08
PEMB1NA COUNTY, DAKOTA,
TABERNACLE PULPIT.

TABERNACLE PULPIT.
An Eloquent Sermon by DIR. Talmage
on Things That are Mysteries.
BROOKLYN, n. Y, Feb. 24.-The audience
that crowded the immense auditorium of
the Brooklyn Tabernacle aud the adjoining
lectureroom and parlors today, united in
singing:
i is not night II thou be near"
Dr.. Talmoge preached on, the subject,
Psulm o. David, verse 4, II will open my
dark sayings on harp"
The world is full OF the inexplicable, the
impassable, the unsathomable, the insur.
mountable We can not go three steps in
any direction without coming up against q
profundities, labyinths, problems that We
cannot solve, hieroglyphics that We cannot
decipher, anagr0ms We can not spell out.
sphinxes that will not speak. For that reu-
son David in my text proposed to take up
some Of these somber and dark things and
try to sct them to music: II will open my
dark sayings on hurp."
SO Hook upon society and find people In
unhappy conjunction Of circumstances and
they do not know what it means and they
have n right TO ask, Why is this? and Why Is
that? and think will be doing a gooi
work by trying to explain some Of these
strange things and make you more content
with yonr lot, md sfas only be answering
questions that hnve often been asked mo OF
that We have alf asSef ourselves whls1 try
to set these mysteries to music and open my
dark sayings on harp.
Interrogation the first. Why does Gcd
take out OF this world those who are useful
and whom We can not spare and lenve alive
and in good health 30 many1who are only
nuisance or positive injury to the world:
! thought would begin with the very
toughest of all the seeming inscruitablcs
Many Of the most useful mon and women
die at 30 or 40 years of age, while YOU often
John Careless wrote to Bradford who
was soon to be put to death, say
ing: why does God suffer me and such
other caterpillars to live that can do moth
ing hut consume the aims fthe church and
take nwny M many worthy worhmen in the
often asked. Here are two mon. The one is
noble character and II Christian man; he
chooses tor lifetime companion one WHO has
been ten,ierly reared nnl she ia worthy of
him nnd he is worthy Of her: ns merchant, or
fnrmer, or professional man, or mechanic. or
HFItSt He VI euucutc itlll ftilr rllll-
dren he is succeeding. but he has not vet en-
tablislied for his family u full competency;
lie seems absolutely indispensable to- that
household, but one day hr.Orc he has pnid off
I lie mortgage on His house he iscomng home
through strong nor theust wind aud Il clill
strikes through him md four days ot pncu-
monia end his earthly career. und the wife
and children go into struggle for shelter
and food. His next door-nrighbnr in a
man who though strong nni we'll. let's
his wife support him; he in round at the gro.
Gerry store or some general loaf
ing place in the evenings while his wife sews:
his boys are initiating his exampl" and
lounge ana swaEerr and swear; all the Use
| that man is in that hnus, is to rave leranse
he coffee iscold when becomes to..i latcbrrak.
fast, or to sny cutting things about his wie's
looks VIII, n he furnishes nothing forller ward
robe. Tie hest thing that could happen to
that fnmily would lie that mans filncrnl:but
have Noticed that many Of tho useful are
early cut OF while the parasites of society
have great vital tenncity.
take mp his dark saying on my harp and
give three or tour thrinls on the string in
the way ofsnrmising and hope ul guess Per
maps the use'ul man wns taken out of the
world, because he and his family were 40 con-
strurted that they could not have endured
some grent prosperity that night have been
Just nle;ld aud they altogether might have
gone down in the vortex OF worldliness which
every year swallows up ten thousand house
hollis And so he went while lie was humble
and cons.aratcd. and they wcrc by the sever
tiles ot life kept close to Christ ana fitted
Tor usefulness here nnl high seats in
heaven, and when they meet at last before
he throne they will acknowledge that
ihongh the furnace was hot it purified them
and prepared them for an eternal career OF
glory and reward for which no other kind Of
Ia Itnv taI n,, ~
hand, the useless man lived on to so, or go,
or 70 years, because all tho ease he ever can
have he must have in this world, and you
ought not. therefore. bcgrndge him his earth
ly longevity. In nll th" nges there has not
n single lonfer ever entered heaven. There
in no place for him to hang around. Not in
he temples, for they are full of the most
vigorous. alert, md rnpturons worship. Not
oil the verlank. for tlnt is the place where
I lie conqner0rs rerlinc. Not in the gates, l,e-
canfe there are mnltitudes entering mud We
nretold that mt each of the twelve gates
there in .nn angel. and that celestial guard
wonld not allow the place to b. blocked up
with oilers II the good and useful go early,
rejoice Ior them that they have so soon got
through with human li(r, wlicl, at best is a
struggle. And If tho useless aud the buds,ay
rejoice thnt they may le out in the worlh's
fresh air a good many years before tIier finul
incarceration
Interrogation the Second: Why do 70
many good people have SO much trouble,
sickness, bankruptcy. persecution the three
black vuliurts sometimes putting their fierce
beaks into one sct ofianglcd nerves? think
now ofn good friend once had lie was
Il concentrated Christian man. ancdcr in the
church, and as polished n Christian gei,tc-
man as ever walked Broadway First his
general h"nlth gave ont and he hObrh
around on II r.,nn an old nun at 40, After
while paralysis struck him. Having by
poor health been compelled suddenly TO quit
business. he lost what property he had.
Their, his beautiful daughter dicI Then a
son became hopclessly 'irmcnt"l. Another
son, splendid Of mind and commanding of
presence, resolved that he would take care of
his fathers household. but under the swOop
OF yellow fever at FrrnnnIinn, Fin lie sud
denly expired. So you know good men and
women who have had enough troubles you
think, to crush ffty people. No worldly phil
osopher could take turl trouble and ret il
to music, or play il ON violin or flute or dull
elmer ur snckbut, but ! dnrn to open TINT
dnrk Saying ON n gospel harp.
iou wonder that very consrrrhted people
lavetrnub!e? Did you ever know amy very
cOnserratp,l man or woman who had not had
great trouble? Never. II was through their
troubles sanctiiied that they were made very
good lfyou find anywhere in this city u
man who has now and always has had per-
feet health. and never lost n child. aud has
always been popular and never had business
struggle or misfortune. who is distinguished
for goodness, pull your wire for II telegraph
lnessenger-bOy and send me word and will
drop everything and go right away to look
at him. There never has been man like
that and never will lie. Who nre those ;,r-
rOgant. self-cumcrt-i creature who move
about with sympathy Tor Others. and who
think more of a st. Bernard dog, or an Alder
ney COW, or IL SOutl,own sheep. or {: Berk.
shire pig tlnn ola man' They never had
any trouble. Or the trouble was never sancti-
fed. Who are those men who listen with
moist eye az you tell them of suffering. and
who have q patlOs in their voice aud II kind
ness in their manner and an excuse or an nl.
deviation for those gone as,ray? They are
the men who have graduated ut the Royal
academy of trouble md they have the .liplo-
ma written in wrinkles on their own c0unten-
nnccs. My! my. What lienrtncl"s they had!
What tears they have wcpt What injustice
they have suffered! The might;cst influence
for purifcation and salvation is trouble No
diamond fit for crown until it is cut. No
wheat fit for bread till it is ground There
are only three things that can break off
chain-; hammer. II file. or u fire; and trou-
Bile is oil three Of them. The greatest writer's
orntors. and reformrr. get mucl, of their
force from trouble. Whnt gave Vanishing.
ton Irving that exquisite tenderness md
pathos which will make his books fuvorites
while the English language continues to be
written and spoken? An early heartbreak
that lie never onca mentioned: and when
tirt,. n far = lao laa ,,f