The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-06-25
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON
Subjec: All Troubles Past"


and hulks that float about, so old Noah's ark,
at the close of the deluge floats on over the
wreck Of dead world. Looking out of the
window of the ark, you see the planks of
houses, and the sheaves Of wheat, and the
carcasses of cattle AMI the corpses of men.
No tower is left to toll the burial; no mourn
ers to form in line cf procession; no ground
in which to bury the dead. Sinking line
twenty-seven feet long, you just touch the
ror! The ark, instead Of walking the seq,
like modern ship in majesty and beauty,
tosses helplessly; no helm to guide; no sail to
set; no shore to steer for. Why protract the
agony Of the good people in such craft,
when they might in one dash of the wave
have been put out of their misery?
But at yonder spot in thu horiz IN we see
colors gathering in the sky. At just the op-
posite point in the horizon other colors are
treSses of au arched bridge. The yellow, the
red, the orange, the blue. the indigo tho
violet, are mingled, aud by invisible hands
the whole structure is hung into the sky, and
the ark has a triumphal arch to sail under.
An Angel Of Light swings his hand across
the sky, and in the seven prismatic colors he
paints with pencil of sunbeam the eyerlast-
ing covenant between God and every living
creature. Col lifted up that great arched
bridge and set it over his own head in the
heaven. John saw it, for he says: ''There
was rainbow round about the throne"
notice that none but the people who were
in the ark saw the rainbow. 1tcast its shadow
clear down into the water where the people
were buried and lighted up the dead faces
with strange radiance but they could not
see it. So only those who are at last found
in Christ the Ark, will see the overspanning
glories of the throne. Hence you had better
get into the ark! As you call your family out
at the close of the shower TO show them the
sign in heaven, so want you all at last to see
the grander rainbow round about the throne.
LOOK therem said Noah to his wife, 'tat that
bow in the clouds; and. Shem and Japhet,
look! look!-the green, the yellow, the red,
and the orange~ / should not wonder if
some of your children in the good land should
after while cry out to you, "Look, father! !
look, mother. there is a rainbow round about
the throner You had better get into the
ark, with all your families if you want to
see it.
lnoticed also that the chief glory Of God
comes after the rain. No shower, no rain
bow; no trouble, no brightness of Christian
consolation. Weavcrs are sometimes, bJ
reason of their work, dusty and rough in
their apparel; and so it is the coarse clad tenn
pest, whose hand and foot swing the shuttle,
that weaves the rainbow. Many Christians
are dull and stupid and useless, because they
have not had disaster enough to wake them
up. The brightest scarf that heaven makes
is thrown over the shoulders OF the storm.
You cannot make thorough Christian life
out of sunshine alone. There are some worry
dark hues in the ribbon of tho rainbow; you
must have in life the bluo as well aS the
orange. Minglipg all tho colors OF the for
mer makes a white light; and it takes all
the shades and sadnesses and vicissltudes OF
life to make the white lustre of u pure Chris
tiau character.
Your child asks you: "Father, what
makes the rainbow" AMI you say: ut is
the sunlight striking through the rain
drops" Therefore l wondered how there
could be q rainbow in heaven, since there
are no storms there; but then conclude that
that rainbow must be formed by the striking
of heavens sunlight through tho falling
tears of earthly sorrow. When we see man
overwhelmed with trouble, and his health
goes, and his property goes and his friends
go, say, "Now we shall see the glory OF God
in this good mans deliverance." AS at Nj
agara Falls I saw. one day, ten rainbows
spanning the awful plunge of the cataract,
so over the abyss Of the Christians trial
hover the rich hued wings Of all the promises.
notice that the most beautiful things Of
this world are to be preserved in heaven.
When you see the last color fade out from
the rainbow Of earth, you need not feel sad,
for you will see the rainbow round about
the throne That story about the world
burning up has given me many pang:
When read that Paris was besie2ed, l
said: "Now the pictures and statues in the
Louvre and Luxembourg will be destroyed;
all those faces Of Rembrandt, and those
bold dashes of Rubens, and those enchant-
ments of Raphael on canvas, and those stat
ues Of Canova." But is it not more mel
ancholy thought that ruin is to come upon
this great glory of tho earth, in which the
mountains are the chiseed sculptures, and
upon the sky, in which the TRANSPORTATION"
+ of sunrise and sunset is hung with loops and
tassels OF fire?
was relieved when found that the pict-
ures had been removed from the Louvre and
the Luxembourg, and I am relieved now
when I think that the best parts Of this earth
are either to be removed or pictured in the
good land. The trees must twist in the Last
fre-the oaks, and the cedars and the NAPLES;
but in heaven there shall be the trees Of life
on the bank of the river, and the palm trees
from which the conquerors shall pluck their
branches. The Hudson, and the st. Law
renee, and the Ohio shall boil in the last
flame. but We shall have more than their
beauty in the river of life from under tn,
throne. The daisies, and the portulacas and
the roses Of earth will wither in the hot siroc.
CO Of the judgment, but John tells of the gar.
lands which the glori6ed shall wear; and
there must be flowers, or there could be no
garlands.
The rainbow on our sky, which is only
the pillow of the dying Storm must be re-
moved; but then, glory be to God 'there is
rainbow round about the throne have
but to look up to the radiant arch above the
throne Of God to assure mysalf that the most
glorious things Of earth are to be preserved
in heaven. Then let the world burn all that
is worth saving will be snatched out Of the
fire. '~''--@-'-'"'ssist
see the same truth set rorLn IN the twelve
foundations Of t,o we'll Of heaven. st. John
Announces the twelve foundations Of this
want be the first, of jasper-yeIlow aud
-sl; the second, OF. sapphire-a deep blue;
5 he third chacsionya Earsd Irtnt beauty;
color; the fifth, sardonyx-a BLUSH
white; the sixth, sardius--red and fiery: the
seventh, chrysolite-golden hued; the eighth,
oeryl-a blush green; the ninth, topaz--a
oalo green mixed with yellow; the tenth,
,hrySoprasus-a golden blush tint; the
eleventh, jacinth-flery as the sunset; the
twelfth, amethyst. But these precious stones
arc only tho foundation of the wall of hea-
ven-the most inferior part of it. On the top
Of this foundation thore rises mighty wall
of jasper-of brilliant yellow and gorgeous
crimson. Stupendous cataract Of color!
Throne of splendor and sublimity!
You sec that the beautiful colors which
are the robes of glory to our earth arc to be
brewer preserved in this wall Of heaven.
Our skies of blue, which sometimes seem al
most to drop with richness of color, shall be
glorified and eternized in the deep, everlast-
ing blue of that fiery stone which forms the
second foundation Of the heavenly wall.
Tho green that sleeps OH the brooks
bank, and rides on the sea wave, and
spreads its banners on the mountain top,
shall be cternized in tho emerald that forms