Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-09
tai IMAGES SERMON.
Discourse on a Kind Of Gospel
In Which Few People Believe.
SHATH THE RAIN A FATHERP
The Weather is a Comm on Object of Conn
Plant and Fault-EiDdng, But DIR.
Talmage Finds a Gospel in 1t,
which He Proclaims.
THE GOSPEL OF THE WEATHER.

Special TO the Gazette.
BRooKLTS y. Y, July 5-Dr. Talmage's
sermon to-day i on a kind OF gospel IN
which few people believe The weather IS
q common object of complaint and fault
finding. but DR. Talmage finds gospel IN
i, which to-day he proclalms from the
the text: ''Hath the rain father""-Job
Xxxvlii., 2S.
This book of Job has been the subject OF
unbOundCd theological wrangle. Men nave
made II the ring in which 10 display their
ecclesiastical pugflism. Some say that the
Book of Job IS true history, others that 1t
IS an alleC0ry. others that it IS an epic poem,
others that il is drama. Some say that
JCo Ive. 1900 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 discus
sion has landed some in blank infideiity Now,
have no trouble with the Books OF JOB
Of Revelation--the two most mysterious
books il. the Bibls-beCause If rule
adopted some years ago. l wade down mic
Scripture passage as long Is | can touch
bottom, and when | cannot. then l wade
out ! used 10 wade in until it was over
ny mead. and thcn ! got drowned. / study
passage Of Scripture So 4Ong as II IS
comfort and helpto my soul; but when ii
becomes perpleHity and a spiritual up
turning, | quit. IN other words,
We OUGHT To WADE ~
i over our head No man should ever.ex-
poet 10 swim across this great ocean OF di-
vine truth. 90 down into that ocean rs l
90 down INTO the Atlantic ocean al East
Hampton, Long Island. just far enough 10
battle; then | come out. / never had any
idea that with my weak hand and foot
could strike ny way clear over to Liver
pool.
suppose you understand your family gen
calngA. You know something about your
parents, your grandparents, your great
grandparents. Perhaps YOU know where
they .ere born. or where they died. Have
sou ever studied the parentage Of the shower
hath the rain father This question IS
not asked by a pOctaStcr or q scientist,
but by 'he head of the universe. To humble
and TO save Job, God asks him fourteen
questions; about the worlds architecture,
about the rclractiOn Of the sun 5 rays, about
The tides. about the snow crystal about the
iigntuiugS. and then he arragnS him with
the Interrogation of the text: Hath the
rain a father With the scientific Won
ders of the rain have nothing 10 do. y
minister gets through with that kind of
sermons within the first three years, and if
t.e has plety enough he gets through with 1t
in the first three months. y sermon mas
come 10 me 10 mean one word or four
letters: "help'' You all know that the
RAIN - NOT An ORPHAN.
You know II is not cast out OF the gates Of
heaven a founding. You would answer
the question of my text in the affirmative.
Safely housed during the storm you hea'
the rain beating AGAINST the window pdue,
and you find it searching all the creviceS of
the window sill. II first comes down in
solitary drops, pattering the dust, and then
il deluges the fields and Anglers the noun
tain torrents, and makes the traveller inn
plcre shelter You know that the rain is
not an accident of the world s economy.
You know it was born of the cloud. You
know il was rocked in the cradle of the
wind. You know il was sung TO sleep by
the storm. You know that it is d flying
evangcl from heaven TO earth. You know
it IS the gospel of the weather. You know
that God is its father.
# this be true, then. how wicked is our
murmuriug about climatic changes The
first eleven SaObaths after | entered the
ministry il stOrmed. Through the week it
was clear weather, but on the Sabbaths the
old country meeting house looked like
NoRh's ark before it landed. \ few
drenched people sat before a drenched pas
tor; but most of the farmers stayed 1t home
and thanked God that what was bad for the
church was good for the crops. ! CON-
mtsted good deal Of sin in those days in
DTSCUN'ING THE WEATHER.
Ministers Of the gospel sometimes fret
about stormy Sabbaths or hot Sabbaths, or
Indictment Saboaths. They forget the fact
that the same God. who ordained the Sab
bath and sent forth his minister's TO an
Bounce salvation, also ordained the weather.
Hath the rain Il father
Merchants. also. with their stores filed
with new goods, and their clerks hanging
Idly around the counters, commit the same
trauSE reSSiOu. There have been seasons
WHEN the whole spring and fall trade has
been ruined by protracted wet weather.
The merchants then examined the
weather prOba abilities" with more interest
I tlrf.ir 4ln,a
for patch of blue sky. They went COM
p,a.uug 10 the store. and came complaining
home again. " all that season of wet feet,
and dripping garments. and impossible
streets, :hcy never once asked the ques-
ton. Hath the rain father
50 aCriculturlstS commit this sin. There
IS nothing more annoying than TO have
planted corn rot in til" ground because of
TOO much moisture, or hay all ready for the
NOW dashed of 4 shower, or wheat almost
ready for the sickle spoiled with the rust.
How hard it Is L. bear the agricultural dis
appointments. God has infinite resources,
but ! do not Think he has capacity TO make
weather 10 please all the farmers. Some
times il Is TOO not. or il is toe cold il is too
wet. or ii is too dry; il Is too early,
Or IT - roo LATE.
They forget that the God who promised
seed time and harvest. summer and winter,
cold and heat also ordained all the climatic
changes. There IS one question that ought
10 be written on every barn, on every fence.
on every haystack, ON every farmhouse.
Hath the rain father"
II we oriy knew what vast enterprise it
IS 10 provide appropriate weather for this
world, would not De so critical of the
Lord. Isaac Watts. AZ ten years of age,
complained thai he did not like the hymns
that were sung in the English Chapel.
Well said his father. ''lsaac, instead of
YOUR complaining about the hymns. go and
make hymns that are better" And he did
90 and make hymns that We're better. Now,
] say 10 you. If You DO rot like the weather,
get up a weather company, and have Il pres
ident ana a secretary and d treasurer and Il
board of directors aud ten million dollars of
STOCK, and then provide weather that will
suit all of US. There IS man who has
weak head. and he Garnet stand the glare of
the sun. You must have a cloud always
lowering over him. ! like the sunshine: |
cannot live without plenty Of sunlight. SO you
must always have enough light for me. Two
ships meet in md-AtlantiC. The one is going
10 SOUTHAMPTON. and the other is coming
10 New York Provide weather. that while
il is abaft for one ship. il is not head wind
for the other There is farm that is dried
up for The lack Of rain, and here is a pleas
ure party going out for
FIELD EXCURSION.
Provide weather that Will suit the dry
farm and the pleasure excursion. No, sirS,
! Will not take one dollar of stock in YOUR
weather company. There is only one being
in the universe who knows enough TO pro-
vide The right kind of weather for this
word. "HIth the rain fathcrH
AIy text also suggests Gods minute su-
paryisal. You see the Divine Sonship in
every drop OF rain. The jewels of the shower
are not fling away by a Spendthrift who
knows not how many he throws or where