The Odessa herald. (Odessa, Del.) 1888-1892, 1889-03-02
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINEs SUN
DAY SERMON.
sapieos. "Dark Sayings On Harp.a

TEXT: ~ wiu open mn ddrlc sayings on
harp. Psalm Of David, Xix, a.
The world is full Of the inexplicable,
the impossible, the unfathomable the insur-
mountabe. We cannot go three steps
in any direction without coming up
dies, paradoxes, profundities, labyrinths,
Problems that we cannot solve,
heroglyphics that we cannot decipher, ana
grams we cannot spell out sphinxes that will
not speak. For that reason David in my
text proposed to take up some of these sonber
and dark things and try to set them to sweet
harp.n
So look Off upon society and find people
In unhappy conjunction Of circumstances and
they do not know what 1t means and they
have right to ask why is thisl and why
Is that2 and I think will be doing a
good work by trying to explain some OF
these strange things and make YOU more
content with your lot and shall only be
answering questions that have often been
asked me, or that we have all asked our
selves, while l try to set these mysteries
to music and open my dark savings on a
harp.
Interrogation the first: Why does God
take out of this world those who are useful
and whom we cannot spare and leave alive
and IN good health SO many who are only
nuisance or a positive in ;ury to the world2
l thought would begin with the very
toughest of all the seeming inscrutables.
Many of the most useful men and women
die at thirty or forty years of age, while you
often lind useless people alive at sixty and
seventy and eighty. John Careless wrote to
Bradford, who was soon to be put to death,
saying: why doth God suffer me and such
other caterpillars to live that can do
nothing but consume the aims of the church,
and take away so many worthy workmen
IN the Lords yineyardp Similar questions
Offnn A...4
one is noble character and a Christian.
man; he chooses for lifetime COM
panlon one who has been tenderly
reared, and she is worthy Of him and he Is
worthy OF her; as merchant. or farmer, or
professional man, or mechanic, or artist he
tolls to educate and rear his children; he is
succeeding, but he has not yet established for
his family a full competency: he seems
absolutely indispensable to that household,
but one day before he has paid off the mort
gage on his house he is coming home through
a strong northeast wind and chill strikes
through him and four days of pneumonia
end his earthly career and the wife and
chlldren go into a struggle for shelter
and food. His next door neighbor is a man
who, though strong and well, lets his wife
support him; he is round at the grocery
store or some general loafings place in
the evenings while his wife sews
his boys are initiating his ex-
ample and lounge and swagger and
swear; all the use that man is in that house
Is to rave because the coffee is cold when be
comes 10 lale breakfast, or to say cutting
things about his wife's looks when he furnish
IS nothing for her wardrobe. The best thing
that could happen to that family would
be that mans funeral; buthe declines to die;
ne nves on and on and on So we have ali
noticed that many of the useful are early chi
off while the parasites OF society have creat
hss y his fESlll4a1S fEillaS Tss,-.,t,,,,,
80 threS or four thrute JT}string ii,
the way Of surmising and hopeful guess
ferhaps the useful man was taken out OF the
world, hecarse he and his family were SO
constructed that they could not have endured
some great prosperity that might have
been just ahead and they altogether
might have gone down in the
vortex OF worldliness which every year swal-
lows up ten thousand households. Andoso he
went while he was humble aud consecrated
\ and they We're by the severiUes of life kept
close to Christ and fitted for usefulness here
and nigh seats in heaven; and when they meet
at last before the Throne, they will acknowl-
edge that though the furnace was hot it
purlned them, and prepared them for an
eternal career of glory and reward for which
no other kind of life could have fitted them.
On the the other hand, the useless man
lived on to fifty or sixty, or seventy
years, because all the ease he ever can
have he must have in this world, and
you ought not, therefore, begrude him
MS earthly longevity. In all the ages
there has not single loafer ever
entered heaven There is no place for
him there. to hang around. Not in the
temples, for they are full of the most
vigorous, alert and rapturous wor-
ship. Not on the river bank, for that is
the place where the conquerors recline.
Not in the gates, because there are
multitudes entering and we are told
that at each of the twelve gates, there is an
0nnhl nFah hat sant1 Il -
allow the place to be blocked up with
idlers. If the good and useful go
early, rejoice for them that they
have 50 soon got through with
human life, which at best is a struggle And
II the useless and the bad stay, rejoice that
they may be out in the worlds fresh air a
tion.
Interrogation the second: Why do so many
good people have so much trouble; sickness,
bankruptcy, persecution, the three black vul-
lures sometimes putting their fierce beaks
into one set Of tangled nervesl l think
now of good friend l once had. He
was consecrated Christian man. an elderin
the church and as polished a Christian gem
tleman as ever walked Broadway. First his
general nealGn gave out ana ne hoDbed
around on cane, an old man at forty.
After while paralysis struck him. Having
by poor health been compelled sud.
denly to quit business, he lost what property
he had. Then his beautiful daughter died.
Then son became hopelessly demented.
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 Fernandina,. Fla, he suddenly ex,
pired. So you know good men and women
who have had enough troubles, you think, to
crush fifty people. No worldly philosophy
could take such a trouble and set it to music
or play it on violin or flute or dulcimer or
sackbut, but dare to open that dark saying
on a gospel harp
You wonder that very consecrated people
have troubef Did you ever know any very
consecrated man or woman who had not had
great troubled Never. 1t was through their
troubles sanctified that they were made
very good If you find anywhere in this
city a man who has now and always
has had perfect health, and never lost
child. and has always been popular, and
never had business struggle or misfortune,
who is distinguished for goodness pull your
wire for telegraph messenger boy and send
go right away to look at him. There
never has been a man like that and
never will be. Who are those arrogant,
self-conceited creatures who move
about without sympathy for others and who
think more of st. Bernard dog, or an Al
derney COW, or Southdown sheep, or a
Berkshire pig than OF manl They nevn,
1 had any trouble, or the trouble was never
sanetiied. Who are those men who listen
with moist eye as you tell them of suffering
and who have a pathos in their voice and
kindness in their manner and an ex,
cuse or an alienation for those gone astray
They are the men who have graduated at the
Royal Academy Of Trouble and they have
the diploma written in wrinkles on their own
conntenances Myl my What heartaches
they had! What tears they have weptl What
injustice they have suffered. The mighties
influence for publication and salvation
is trouble. No diamond fit for a crown un,
til it is cut. No wheat fit for bread till 1t il
ground. There are only three things that
can break off chain--a hammer, a file or
fire; and trouble is all three of them The
greatest writers, orators and reformers get
much of their force from trouble. What
gave to Washington Irving thai
exquisite tenderness and pathos which viii
make his books favorites while the English
language continues to be written and spoReni
An early heartbreak that he never once
mentioned; and when, thirty wears afte,
the death Of Matilda Hoffman. who wa,
to have been his bride her fathet
picked np piece of embroidery ana
SAID: THAT is a piece of poor Matilda,
Workmanship Washington Irving sank
from hilarity into silence and walked away,
Out of that lifetime grief the great author