The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-07-16
GOSPEL OF THE WEATHER.
DR.. TALMAGE BREACHES ON THE
COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE RAIN.

1hso - "SS'eif 'Vef fOul Head.
BROOKLYN, July 5.-Dr. Talmare's
sermon today is on Il kind of gospel IN
which few people believe. The weather
is n common object OF complaint and
fault finding, but DR.. Talmagc finds q
gospel i'll 1t. which today he proclalms
from tho Text, "lIath the rain Il iathcr>D
Job XXXviii, %.
This Book of JOB has been the sub
leCt OF unbOunded theological wrangle.
Men have made 1t the ring i'm which to
display their ecclesiastical pugilism
Some say that the Book OF Job is Il true
history; others, that it is an allcgory;
others, that it is an epic poem; others.
that it is drama. Some say that Job
lived eighteen hundred years before
Christ, others say that he never lived at
all. Some say that the author of this
book was job; others, David; others,
Solomon. The discussion has landed
some in blank mIidelity. Now, | have
no trouble with the looks Of job or
Revclation-thc two most mysterious
books in the Bible-bccause of a rule [
adopted some years ago.
l wade down into Scripture passage
as long as can touch bottom, and when
| cannot then l wade out. | used to
wade III until it was over my head and
then | got drowned. | study Il passage
"l Scripture so long rs il is comfort
and help to my soul. but when it be-
comes pcrplcXity and spritua! up
turning quit. In other words, we
ought !" wade in up TO our heart, but
never wade i'll until it IS over our head.
NO man should ever expect to swim
across this great ocean OF divine truth.
90 down into that ocean us ! 90 down
into tic Atlantic ocean at East lIamp-
ton, Long Island. just far enough to
bathc; then | come out. | never had
any idea that with my weak hand and
loot could strike my way clear over to
Liverpool.
GODS MYSTEKIOUS SGONERNMENT.
l suppose YOU understand your family
gcncalogy. You know something about
Your parents, your grandparents, your
great landparcnts. Perhaps you know
where they were born, or where they
died. Have you ever studied tho par
entagc Of the shower, "lIath not the
rain iathcr:' This question is not
asked by pOctaStcr or a scientist. but
by the head Of the universe. To hum
bic and to save Job God asks him four
teen questions: About the worlds ar
chitccture, about the lciraction of the
suns rays, about the tides. about the
snow crystal, about the liwhtnings, and
then he arraigns him with the intcrroya-
ton OF the text, Hath the ram a faith
cr?''
With tn scientific wonders of the rain
| have nothing TO do. 4 minister gets
through with that kind OF sermons with
in the first three years, and If he has
plcty enough he gets through with it in
the first three months. a sermon has
come 20 me to mean one word Of four
letters, ''helpW You all know tnat the
rain is not an orphan. You know il is
not cast out of the gates of heaven =
founding. You would answer the qucs-
ton Of my text in the affirmative.
Safely housed during the storm, you
hear the rain beating against the window
pane, and you find it searching all the
crcviccs of the window sill. 1t first
comes down in solitary drops, pattcring
the dust, and then 1t deluges the fields
and angcrs the mountain torrents, and
makes the traveller implorc shelter.
You know that the rain is not an acci-
dent ofthc worlds economy. You know
it was born of the cloud. You know it
WAS rocked in the cradle Of the wind.
You know it was sung to sleep by the
storm. You know that it flying evan
gel from heaven TO earth. You know it
is the gospel of the weather. You know
that God Is its father.
If this be true, then how wicked is
our murmuring about climatic changes.
The first eleven Sabbaths after | enter
ed the ministry it stormcd. Through
the week it was clear weather. but on
the Sabbaths the old country meeting
house looked like Noah's ark before it
landed. ~ few drcnchcd people sat be-
fore drcnchcd pastor; but most OF the
farmers stayed at home and thanked
God that what was bad for the church
was good for the crops. committed Il
good deal of sin in those days IN dcnounc-
ing the weather. Ministers Of the Cos
pei sometimes fret about stormy Sab
baths, or hot Sabbaths, Dr inclemcnl
Sabbaths. They forget the fact that the
same God who ordained the Sabbath and
sent forth his ministers to announce sal
vatlon also ordained the wcrthcr. "lIath
the rain father"
INCESSANT COMPLAINTS or THE
WEATHER.
Merchants, also. with their stores ill.
ed with new goods, and their clcrke
hanging idly around the counters. cUrl-
NIT the same transgrtssion. There
have been seasons when the whole
spring and fall trade has been ruined
by protractcd wet weather. The mcr-
chants then examined the weather
probabilities" with more interest than
they read their Bibles. They watched
for a patch of blue sky. They went
complaining TO the store and came COM
planning home again. In all that season
of wet feet and dripping garments and
impossible streets they never once asked
the question, "IIath the rain fa.hcr?n
SO agriCultursts commit this sin.
There is nothing more annoying than to
have planted corn rot in the ground be-
cause of too much moisture, or hay all
ready for the NOW dashed Of q shower.
or wheat almost ready for the sickle
spoiled with the rust. How hard il is
to bear the agricultural disuppointmcnts.
God has infinite resources, but do not
think he has capacity tomakc weather