Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-08-08
HALMAGE'S SERMON.
He breaches to an Immense
Throng In the Silver State.
Tho Beautiful story Of Ruth IL the Sub
Ject OF the Discourse-the Lessons
t Contains Pointed out and
valuneNaAaA


lllucidated.
10 was IN Denver, Col, that DR.. Tai
mage preached last Sunday, or rather
at q campmeeting, nearthere, 1T place
called Greenwood Springs. The SER
mon was listened to attentively by an
immense audience. His text Is taken
from Ruth ii, 3: "And she went and
CLEANED in the field after the reapers;
and her hap was to light on a part OF
the field belonging unto Boaz who was
OF the kindred OF Elimelech."
Within few weeks l have been In
North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylva-
mia, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Cana
da. Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Miss
.ouri, and they are one great harvest
field. and no field can be more enchant
ing in any country than the season OF
harvest.
The time that Ruth and Naomi ar
rived ut Bethlehem iss harvest time:
II was the custom when q sheat Tell
from q load in the harvest field for the
reapers to refuse TO gather It up; that
was 10 be left for the poor who might
happen to come that way. II there
we're handfuls OF grain scattered across
the field after the main harvest had
been reaped, instead OF raking 1t, as
farmers do now, 1t was, by the custom
of the land. left in it's place, SO that the
poor, coming along that way. might
CLEAN 1t and get their bread. -,
But. YOU say, What Is the use oil all
these harvest fields to Ruth and Naomi:
Naomi is too old and feeble to go out
and toll in the sun: and can you expect
that Ruth, the young and the beautiful
should tan her cheeks and blister her
hands in the harvest field:" Boaz owns
a large farm and he goes out to see the
reapers gather in the grain. Coming
there, right behind the swarthy, sun
Drowned reapers, he beholds beautiful
woman glesning-a woman more mt to
bend to harp or sit upon throne than
to stoOp among the sheaves. All, that
was an eventful day! 1t was love at first
sight. Boaz forms an attachment for
the womanly gleaner-an attachment
full OF undying interest to the church OF
God in all ages; while Ruth. with an
ephah, or nearly bushel OF barley. goes
home to Naomi to tell her the successes
and adventures OF the day. That Ruth.
who left her native land OF Moab In
darkness, and journeyed through an
undying affection for her mother-in-law.
IL in the harvest field OF Boaz, is atti-
anced to one OF the best families in
Judah, and becomes in aftertime the
ancestress OF Jesus Christ. the Lord OF
glory! Out of so dark night did there
ever dawn 30 bright morning?
learn, in the first place, from this
subject how trouble developes charac-
ter. 1t was bereavement, poverty and
exile that developed. illustrated and
announced IN all ages the sublimity OF
Ruth's character. That is very I'M
fortunate man who has no trouble. 1t
was sorrow that made John Bunyan the
better dreamer. and DIR. Young the
better poet, and OConnell the better
orator, and Bishop Hall the better
preacher. and Havelock the better SOL
der. and Kitto the better encyclope-
dist, and Ruth the better daughter-in-
law.
once asked an aged man in regard
to his pastor, who was very brilliant
man: why is II that your pastor, so
very brilliant, seems to have SO little
tenderness in his sermons well !"
he replied, 1.-THE reason is, our pastor
has never had any trouble. When mis-
fortune comes upon him, his style will
be different" After q while the Lord
took a child out OF that pastors house,
and though the preacher was Just as
brilliant as he was before, D, the
warmth, the tenderness OF his dis
courses! The fact Is that trouble is q
great educator. You see sometimes a
musician sit down at an instrument. and
his execution is cold aud formal and I'M
feeling. The reason is that all his lie
has been prosperous But let misfor-
tune or bereavement come to that man,
and he sits down ut the in
strumeut, and you discover
the pathOs in the first sweep OF
the keys. Misfortune and trials are
great educators. A young doctor comes
into sick room where there there Is q
dying child. Perhaps he is very rough
in his prescription. and very rough in
his manner, and rough in the feeling OF
the pulse, and rough in his answer to
the mothers anxious question: but
the years roll on, and there has been
one dead in his own house: now he
comes into the sick room, and with tear
full eye he looks at the dying child, and
he SAYS, 20, how this reminds me OF
my Charliew Trouble, the great edu-
Gator! Sorrow see its touch in the
greatest painting: hear its tremor in
the sweetest song; feel its power in
the mightiest argument Grecian my
thology said that the fountain OF Hip
pocrene was struck out by the foot OF
the winged horse, Pegasus. l have
often noticed in life that the brightest
and most beautiful fountains OF Chris
tian comfort and spiritual life have been
struck out by the hoof OF disaster and
calamity.
see Daniels courage best by the
fash of Nebuchadnezzar's furnace. l
see Paul's proves best when find him
on the laundering ship under the glare