Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-08-14
REV. DR.. TAlMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT: "GLEANERs IN LIES
FIELD" preached AT
GLESwOoD, COLI

Within a few weeks have been in North
Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New
York, Ohio, Michigan, Canada, Indiana,
Illinois Kentucky, Missouri, and they are
one great harvest fed, ana no season can be
more enchanting IN any country than the
season of harvest
The time that Ruth and Naomi arrive
at Bethlehem is harvest time. 1t was the
old custom when a sheaf fell from
load in the harvest field for the rea Ners
to refuse 10 gather it up; that was to be
left for the poor who might happen to
come that way. II there were handfuls OF
| grain scattered across the field after the
| main harvest had been reaped instead OF
| raking it. as farmers do now, it was by
| the custom Of the land, left in its place, so
| that the poor coming along that way might
| CLEAN il and get their bread. But, you say,
| what is the use OF 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 checks and blister
her hands in the harvest tieldy'
Boaz owns large farm, and he gJes out
to see the reapers gather in the grain. Com
| ing there, right behind the swarthy, sun
| Drowned reapers he beholds beautiful wo-
man gleaning-a woman more fit to bend to
A harp or sit upon a throne than to stoop
among the sheaves. All, that was an event
! full day
Itwas love at first sight Boaz forms an
attachment for the womany gleaner-an
attachment full OF undying interest to the
Church of God in all ages: while Ruth,
with an ophah, or nearly a bushe of bar
lev, goes home 10 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 un-
dying affection tor her MOTHER law, is in
the harvest field of Boaz is Alliance to one
OF the best families in Judah, and becomes
| in after time the ancestress of Jesus Christ,
the Lord Of Glory! Out Of 50 dark a night
did there ever dawn so bright a mornins'
learn in the first place from this subject
| how trouble develops character. 1t was be-
reavement poverty and exile that developed,
| illustrated and announced TO all ages the sub
Unity of Ruth's character. That is a very
unfortunate man who hss no trouble. Il
was sorrow that made John Bunyan the
better dreamer, and DR.. Young the better
poet, and O'Connell the better orator, AMI
Bishop Hall the better preacher and Have
lock the better soldier, and kitUo the better
encyclopedia, and Ruth the better daughter
| in-law.
once asked an aged man in regard to his
| pastor who was a very brilliant man why
| is it that your pastor, so very brilliant
seems to have so little tenderness in his SER
monsy' swell, !" he replied, 'the reason is
our pastor has never had any trouble. When
misfortune comes upon him his style will DO
| different" After awhile the Lord took
child out Of that pastors house, and though
the preacher was just as brilliant as he was
| before oh, the warmth, the tender
ness Of his discourses! The fact is
| that trouble is great edu-
Gator. You see sometimes a musician sit
! down at an instrument and his execution
is cold and formal and unfeeling. The rea-
son is that all his life he has been prospered.
| But let misfortune or bereavement come to
that man, and he sis down at the instru
ment, and ycu discover the pathos in the first
sweep OF the keys. Misfortune and trials are
great educators.
A young doctor comes into a sick room
where there is a dying child. Perhaps he
Is very rough III his prescription, and very
rough in his manner, and rough in the feel
ing OF the pulse, and rough in his answer
| to the mothers anxious question, tut
the years roll on and there has been one
dead in his own house, and now he comes
| into the sick room, and with fearful eye he
looks at the dying child and he says "Oh,
how this reminds me CT my Charlie!'
Trouble, the great educator! Sorro"-I
see its touch in the grandeSt painting; 1
hear its tremor in the sweetest song: feel
its power in the mightiest argument.
Nhplphf Ahhb tho lOuh'ta-
ton Of Hippocrene 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 Christian COM
fort and spiritual life have been struck out
by the iron shod hoof OF disaster and ca
lamity. | Zee Daniels courage best by the
fash OF SebuchadnezZar' furnace. l see
Paul's proves best when | find him on the
foundering ship under the glare of the light
| ;,,f ha bran Ear nf Malifo (,nl
His children amid the bowling of wild beasts
and the chopping Of blood splashed guillotine
and the cracking fires OF martyrdom.
1t took all our past national distresses,
and it takes all our present national sor'
rows to Ult uu our Eation on that high
career WHERE /. will march along after th'
'jreign despotisms that have mockIi anc
the tyrannles that have jeered shall b
swept down under the omuipotent wrat
of God, who hates oppression, and who, bl
the strength of His own red right arm, vii
make all men free And so it is individually
and III the family, and in the charch, and II
the world. that through darkness and storn
and trouble men, women, churches, nations
are developed.
Again, | see in my text the beauty of un
fnltcring friendship. | suppose there wert
In prosperity. But of all her acquaint
ances, how many were willing to Srudg
Off with her toward Judea, when she hat
to make that lonely journey? One-th
heroine Of my text. One-absolutely one
/ suppose when Naomi's husband was liv
ing, and they had plenty of money, and al
things went well, they had great man
callers. But suppose that after her hus
band died and her property went and sh
got old and poor, she was not troubled YER
much with callers All the birds that saul
in the bower while the sun shone have gon
to their nests, now the night has fallen.
In this world, SO full of heartlessness an
hypocrisy, how thrilling it is to find som
friend as faithful in days OF adversely as /
days OF prosperity David had such
friend In Hushai; the Jews had such
friend in Morjecai. who never forgot thei
cause; Paul had such friend in Onrsipl
orus, who visited him in jail; Christ ha
I such in the Marys, who adhered to Him O
the cross; Naomi had such a one In Rutl
who cried out, "Entreat me not to leaN
Q thee, or to return from following after the'
: for whittier thou goest, | will go; and whel
thou lodgest will lodge; thy people shall
1 my people, aud thy God my God; where tho
diest will die, and there will | be burie
the Lord do so to me and more also, II augl
but death part thee and me-"
0 Again, learn from this subject that pat
y which open in hardship and darkness oft;
come out in places of Joy. When Ruth start
r from moaD toward Jerusalem. to 90 aloi
with her motherin law. l suppose the peor
- said: "Oh, what foolish creature to go aw
o from her fathers horse, to go of with a po
old woman toward the land Of Judeal TIL,
l. won't live to get across the desert They W
he drowned in ths sea, or the jackals OF {
wilderness will destroy them" It was
in very dark morning when Ruth started
- with Naomi but behold her in my text
ia | tho baryast fl ald of Roar IN ha aifianced
y, one OF the lords of the land, and become o
80 of the grandmothers Of Jesus Christ,
a. Lord OF glory And 80 It often is that
path which starts very dsrkly ends We
j. brightly.
ia II was very hard for Noah to endure I
scofing OF the people in his day, while
was trying to build the ark, and was eve