The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-08-29
RURAL Religion. VIC
Dr.. Talmage's Sermon to the
Farmers on a Perti.
nent Topic.
As a Man Soweth in This
World SO Must he
Reap.

AHS wis Vue Sulteu 10 tNr
vast audience, hcing on "Furming Gospel
Type" l. Kings, xix. 10: Elisha, the son
OF Shaphat. who was ploughins with twelve
oxen before him. and he with The twelfth"
Representatives, oi tho great Farmers us.
aOciatlcns from all purts OF the country nre
ut the encampment. preparations for which
nave been going on Tor months in advance.
The surrounding densely populated counties
OF Pennsylvania are also iully represented.
To.iay's services were held In tho open mir.
An immense choir, from tho churches of I.e.
banon, led the music.
Rev. DIR. Tnlmage spoke as follows:
Farmers OF America! Accept my snluta.
tiOn. Our text puts us down into the pluw's
iurrow, where many OF us have been before
My boyhood passed on IN farm, and my
father farmer your style life is amiliar
to me. One Of my enrlest rrcoilcrtions is
that of my tather coming in from the no,
harvcstfel'l exhausted, the per. r.pirntiun
streaming from his forehead and chin. and
fnnting ON tho doorsill, and NV mother re-.
suscitating him, until seeing the alarm OF
the household he said, "Don't bc ri shtrncd
lgot u little tired. and the sun was hot. hut
am all right now And remember mother
seated ut the table, often saying, Well, I'm
too tired to eat!" The fact is. that | do nor
think tho old folks got thoroughly rested
until they lay down in the graveyard back
of Snmrrville to take tho last sleep
Ohiee-aeekcrs go through the land and they
stand on political platforms. and they tell
life of a farmcr, giving tlnttery wli,re they
ought to give sympathy. independent OF
what: No cass oi people in this country
have il harder than the farmers. In,ieprnd.
cnt of what? OF the curculO that stings the
peach trees? of the rust in the wheat: of the
long rain with the rye down? Independent
OF the grasshoppcr' of the locust: of the
army wcrms? the potato.bug? independent
of the drought that burns up the harvest?
Independent of tllec0w with tho hollow horn?
or the sheep with the :oot-rot? the pet
horse with II null in his hoo:? independent
Independent of the snowbnnk out OF whirh
he must shovel himself. Independent of tho
cold weather when lie stands thrpsliing his
numhcd fingers around his body TO keep
them from being frosted! Independent Of the
frozen ears nnd the frozen feet? ln,lcpei,,l.
ent Of WHAT. Fancy farmers who
have made their fortunes in the city
md 30 out in the country to build houses
with all the modern improvements. and
make 'nrming u luxury, mny not need any
solace: but the yeomanry who get their liv
ing out Of the soil, ind who that way have to
clothc their families and cdurnte tleir chill
dren, and pny their taxes mud meet the ill.,
terest on tho mortgagei farms-such men
find II terrific struggle. And my hope is
that this great National Farmers Encnmp-
ment may do something toward lifting tho
burdens Of tho ngriculturists. Yes, We were
nearly all of us horn in the country.
We dropped corn in the hill, and went on
center OF the sack 80 that the contents on
either side of tho horse balanced each o,hcr;
and drove tho cattle nfeld. our bare eet wet
with the dew. and rode the horses with the
hnlter to the brook until we fell of, aud
hunted the NOW for nests until tho leatlcred
ot,t
understand rustic illusions. The Billie s
full Of them. In Christ's sermon on tho
mount you see the full blown lilies and the
glossy back of tho crows wing as it flies over
Mt. Olivet. David aud John. Paul and
Isaiah find in country life source of frequent
bility of declaring God farmer, declaring:
MY fnther is tho huslandman."
Noah was the first farmer. We shy moth
ing about Cnin the tiller Of Il he soil. A,um
was n gardener on large scale, but to Noah
was given all the acres of tho earth. Elisha
was an agricultural, not culturing II 10 acre
lot, for in my text you find him plowng with
II yoke OF oxen before Him, aud he will, tho
18th. In Bible times the land was plenty
and the inhabitants 40 few that Nnnh was
right when iie gave to every inlahitnnt u
certain portion Of land. thnt land if cultured
ever alter to be his own posscssinn.
They we're not small crops ruircd in hose
pow turned up verv rich soil. and barley
and cotton and flax, and nll kinds of GRIM,
came up at the call of the harvcsters. PIiny
tells OF ono stalk Of grain that had on ii la.-
tween 300 and 400 ears. The rivers and the
brooks. through artificial channels were
brought down to the roots of he corn aud
to this habit of turning river wherever IT
WAS wnntcd Solomon refers when llr 1lys
"Jhe kings heart il in The hand oTtllr Lord,
and he turneth it rs the rivers Of water nre
turned. whithersoevcr lie will +"
The wild brnsts were caught, and then IL
hook WAS put into their nose. und hen tlty
w"rG led over the field, and to that God re-.
fers when he says to the wicked Scnnncherih:
II will put II hook in thy nose aud will
bring thee hnck by the way which thou
cnmest." And God has n hook in every
mans nose, whether it l,e Nehuclln,nezzar or
Ahah or Iierod, He mny think himself very
independent, but some time in his life
or in the hour oi his death he will find that
the Lord Almighty has Il hook in his nose.
This was HE rule in regard to the culture
of the ground: "'rhon shalt not plnw with
an OK and an ass together" illustrating the
folly of ever putting intelligent and useful
and plinble men in aH-orintion with the
stubborn and tho uninunilgeal,le The vast
majority OF troubles in he churches and in
rc!orma' institutions comes from thu
daregard nfths command of the Lord:
II hnu shnlt not plOw with mn OK and I'M ASS
together.
There were lnrge amounts OF property in-
vested in cnttIe. Tie MonIites paid luo.-
600 sheep as an annual tax. Job had 1000
sheep. 5000 camcla, 500 yoke of oxen.
The time of vintag" WIS ush"rGl in with
mrth and music The clusters ot til" vine
were put into ,l" wineprrss, nn,!
then five men would get into the
grape until their garments were saturated
with the wine and had become the rmhrms
of slaughter. Christ Iiimscl' wounded un-
til covered with the blood of rruriXion,
made use of this nllusion when the question
wns asked: "Wherefore art thou red III thy
treadeth the wine vat?" iic responded: II
have trodden tho wine press alone."
In all ages there has been great honor
paid to agriculture Seven-cghths OF tho
people in every country are disciples Of the
plow. A government is strong in proper.
tion as it is supported by an,n'h'ctic and in
dustrious yoemnnry. So long ago az be-
tore the fall of Curthage Strubo wrot" twcn.
ty right books on agriculture; II"sind wrote
n poem on the snme suhjcct-"Thc Weeks
and Days" Cato was proutlcr his work on
hushnndry than OF MI his military cnn,l'i"sis.
But must not be tempted into u discussion
oragricultmral conIuests. Standing amid
the harvrsts and orchards and vineyards of
ourown conntry-l want to run out thrnnal-
Ogy hetween the production of crops and
the growth of grace in tie soul-nll .hes. f;l-
cred writers making uso of that analogy.
In he first place remark. in grace as in
the fields there must he n plow. That which
theologiuns cnll convict ion is only tho plow-
SHIRE turning up the sins that have been
rooted md matte in the soul. iarrncr
said to his indolent son: "rhcre are IL hun
drcd dollars buried in that field" Tho son
went to work and plowcd the field from fence
to fence, and he plowed it very deep. aud
then complained that he had not found the
money; but when the crop had been gather
ed and sold for q hundred dollars more thnn
my previous year, then the young man took
the hint as to What his father meant when
when he said there were hundred dollars
buried down in that field. Deep piowing
never amount to anything III the church or
in the world. Ifn man speaks Of Sin as
though 1t we're an inaccuracy or mistake,
instead Of the lonthsome, abomihablr con
suming and damning thing that God
hates. that man will never yield harvest
of usefulness.
When was q boy plowed n field with
team Of spirited horses. | plowe,l it very
quickly. Once in while passed over some
Of the sod without turning it. hut did not
.crk back the plow with it's rafting ceviscs.
| thought it made no difference. After awhile
my inther came along and said: why, this
will never do; this isn't plowed deep enough:
there you have missed this and you have
missed that And he plowed it over again.
The difficulty with great many people il
that they are only scratched with conviction
when the subso plow of Gods truth ought
to be put in up to the beam.
My word il to all Snbbath-scl,nol teachers,