The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1891-07-10
GODS MYSTERIOUS RULE
THE RAIN USED BY DR.. TALMAGE
As A COMMON ILLUSTRATION.

40 SOWWON ICIOo HA IONs
God IL InAnity In In6nitesimals " Mucl
- In Things Infinitely Great. In Ou
Everyday Sorrows ~ In the World
Erection.
BROOKLYN. July 5.-Dr. TOlmage'i
sermon today is on a kind of gospel ir
which few people believe. The weather
% common object of complaint and
fault finding, but DIR. Talmage finds a
gospel in it, which today he proclaims
from the text. Hath the rain a fa-
there" Job xxxviii. %.
This Book of Job has been the sub
ject of unbounde2 theological wrangle.
Men have made it the ring In which to
display their ecclesiastical pugilisnl.
Some say that the Book of Job is a true
history; Others, that it Is an allegory
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 infidelity. Now
] have no trouble with the books of
Job or Revelation-the two most mys-
terious books in the Bible-because of
q rule adopted some years ago.
wade down into Scripture pas
sage as long as can touch bottom, and
when l cannot. then wade out.
used to wade in until Il Wa over my
head, and then l got drowped study
passage of Scripture ~ lon4 ssit is
comfort and help u H ~ but when
it becomes perplexil spiritual
upturning, quit. 81 soiSds, we
ought to wade in up To 61y heart, but
never wade in until u y over our head.
No man should ever expect to swim
across this great ocean Of divine truth.
I go down into that ocean as go down
into the Atlantic ocean at East Hamp-
ton, Long Island. just far enough to
battle. then come out. I never had
any idea that with my weak hand and
foot could strike my way clear overto
Liverpool.
SCIENCE rs NOT RELIGION.
/ ! suppose you understand your fam
lily genealogy. You know something
about your parents, your grandparents,
your great-grandparents. Perhaps you
know where they were born or where
they died. Have you ever studied the
parentage of the shower9 Hath the
rain a fatherg" This question is not
asked by poetaster 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 archi- |
lecture. about the refraction of the |
suns rays, about the tides, about the |
snow crystal. about the lightnings, and
then he arraigns him with the interro-
cation of the text, Hath the rain a |
father2"
With the scientific .wanaenon,f, -
have nothing td
rough with that HI BINS I
the first three years. aHdsff he
pfety enough he gets through with
It in the first three months. A sermon
has come to me to mean one word of
four letters, ''helpl" You all know
that the rain is not an orphan. You
know that it is not cast out of the
gates of heaven fouEdling. You
would answer the question Of my text
n the affirmative. Safely housed dur
ng the storm you hear the rain beat
ng against the window pane, and you
ind it searching all the crevices of the
window sill.
1t first comes down in solitary drops,
catering the dust, and then it deluges
he fields and angers the mountain tor
'ents, and makes the traveller implore
|helter. You know that the rain is not
IN accident of the worlds economy.
You know it was born of the cloud.
You know it was rocked in the cradle
# the wind. You know it was sung to
deep by the storm. You know that it
3 a flying evangel from heaven to
'arth. You know it is the gospel of
he weather. You know that God is
Is father.
If this be true, then, how wicked is
,ur mur1nuring about climatic changes.
The first eleven Sabbaths after en-
cred the ministry it stormed. Through
he week it was clear weather, but on
he Sabbaths the old country meeting {
louse looked like Noah's ark before it ;
anded. A few drenched people sat
,efore drenched pastor, but most of
he farmers stayed at home and thanked
Tod that what was bad for the church
vas good for the crops. committed a
God deal of sin in those days in de-
louncing the weather. Ministers of
he Gospel sometimes fret about stormy I
|abbaths or hot Sabbaths or inclem-
Mt Sabbaths. They forget the fact
hat the same God who ordained the
'abbath and sent forth his ministers to
nnounce salvation, also ordained the
7eather. Hath the rain fatherw