Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-26
Discourse of Rev. DR.. Talmage in
the City OF Brooklyn.
he Selects His Text from. the Book of
Ruth, and breaches an Eloquent
and Touching Sermon.
and They Lifted Up Their Voices and wept,
and Orpah Kissed Her MOther-in-Law,
But Ruth Clave Unto Her"


Talmage gives another evidence of his
genius in his sermon for to-day. The
hook of Ruth has furnished the subject
cor many sermons, but they have natur-
character of that beautiful story; ii re-
NAMED for the popular Brooklyn divine
to find in the character of the less con-
sDicuous widow material for spiritual
lessons. His text is Ruth l.. IA: land
thew lifted up their voices and wept, and
Orpgh kissed her mother-in-law, but
Ruth clave unto her. - Following is the
sermon:
Moab was a heather land. Naomi is
about to leave it and go into the land of
Bethlehem. She has two daughters-in-
Law, Ruth and Orpah, who conclude to
20 with her. Naomi tells them they had
better not leave their native land and
undertake the hardship of the journey,
but they will not be persuaded. They
all three start out on their journey.
After awhile, Naomi although she highly
priced the company of her two daughters
in-law, attempted again to persuade
them to go back because of the hardship
and self-denial through which they
would be obliged to go. Ruth responds
in the words from which l once dis
coursed to you: "Entreat me not TO
leave thee, nor to return from following
after thee, for where thou goest will
co. and where thou lodgest 1 will lodge,
thy people shall be my people and thy
God my God, where thou diest will I die
aud there will be buried, the Lord do
so 10 me and more also if aught but death
mart thee and me. - Not SO with her
sister Orpah. Her determination had
already been shaken. The length and
peril of the journey began to appal her,
and she had
WORsHIPPED THE GODS OF MOAB
go long that it was hard to give them up.
From that point Orpah turned back, the
parting being described in the words of
my text: And they lifted up their voice
and wept again, and Orpah kissed her
mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto
her.
Learn from this story of Orpah that
some of those who do not leave the
Moab of their iniquities are persons of
fine susceptibility. 1t was compassion
for Naomi in hcr widowhood and sorrow
that led Orpah to start with her toward
Bethlehem. 1t was not because of any
lack of affection for her that she turned
back. We know this from the grief ex-
hibited at parting. | do not know but
that she had as much warmth and ardor
OF nature as Ruth, but she lacked the
courage and persistence of her sister.
That there are many with as fine suscep-
bility as Orpah who will not take up their
cross and follow Christ, is truth which
needs but little demonstration. Many of
those who have become the followers of
Jesus have but very little natural i'm
possibility. Grace often takes hold of
the hardest heart and the most unlovely
character and transforms 1t. 1t is a
hammer that Ereaks rocks. In this
Christ often shows His power. 1t
wants but little generalship to con-
quer fiat country, but might of artil-
lery and herOism to take fort manned
and ready for raking cannonade. The
great Captain of our salvation has forced
his way into many an armed castle. |
doubt not that Christ could have found
many fisherman naturally more noble
hearted than Simon Peter, but there was
no one by whose conversion He could
more glorio usiy have magnified His
grace. The conversion of score of
power OF the Holy Ghost as much as the
conversion of one Peter.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER
10 drive twenty lambs like John into the
fold than TO tame one lion like Peter.
God has often made some of his most
efficient servants out of men naturally
unimpressionable. As men take stiff and
unwieldy timbers, and under huge
handed machinery bend them into the
hulk of great ships, thus God has often
shaped and bent into His service the
most unwieldy natures, while those nat
urally lmpressionable are still in their
unchanged state.
Oh, how many, like Orpgh, have
warm affections and yet never become
Christians! Like Orpah, they know how
TO weep, but they do not know how TO
pray. Their fineness of feeling leads
them into the friendship of the world,
but not into communion with God.
They can love everybody but Him, who is
altogether lovely. All other sorrow
rends their heart, but they are I'M
touched by the woes of dying Christ.
Good news fills them with excitement,
but the glad tidings of great joy and
salvation stir not their soul. Anxious to
DO what is right, yet they rob God.
Grateful for the slightest favors, they
make no return to Him who ruug out
the last drop of blood from His heart to
deliver them from going down to the pit.
They would weep at the door of q prison
at the sight of wicked captive in
chains, but have 10 compassion
for thei- own souls over which
Satan, like a grim jailer, holds
the lock and key When repulsive,
grasping, unsympathetio natures resist
the story OF Savior IS love, it does not
excite our surprise; but it is among the
greatest of wonders that so many who
exhibit Orpah IS susceptibility also ex-
hiSit Orpah impenitency. We are not
surprised that there is baroness in O
desert, but n strange thing is il that
sometimes the rose of Sharon will not
grow in a garden. On summer MORN
Ing we are not surprised TO find q rock
without any dew on it, but If, going
among n flock of lilies, we saw in them
no glItteFing drops, we would say:
''What foul spirit has been robbing
those vases?s' We are not surprised
that Herod did not become a Christian,
hut how strange that the young man
Jesus loved for his sweetness of temper
should not have loved the RedenmeF.
HARD HEARTED FELiX TREMBLED,
proud Nebuchadnezzar repeated, and
cruel Manasseh turned unto the Lord;
but many nature, affectionate and
gentle, has fought successfully against
divine influences. Many dove has re-