Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-07-10
REV. DIR. TALMAGH.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject; Gospel of the Weather"

This Book of Job has been the subject Of
unboun16d theological wrangle, Men have
made it the ring in which to display their
ecclesiastical pugilism 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 a drama. Some say
that Job lived eighteen hundred years be-
fore 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 in
fidelity. Now, | have no trouble with the
Books Of Job or Revelation-the two most
mysterious books in the Bible-becauss Of q
rule l adopted some years ago.
wade down into a Scripture passage as
long as | can touch bottom. and when can
not then | wade out | used to wade in until
it was over my head and then got drowned.
/ study passage of Scripture so long as it
is comfort and help to my soul, but when
it lecomes a perplexity and spiritual up
turning quit. In other words, we ought to
wade in up to our heart but never wade in
until it is over our head. No man should
ever expect to swim across this great ocean
of divine truth. | go down into that ocean
as l go down into the Atlantic Ocean at
East Hampton, Long Island, just far enough
to battle; then | come out. | never had any
idea that with my weak hand and foot |
could strike my way clear over to Liverpool.
l suppose YOU understand your family
genealogy. You know something about your
parents your grandparents your great
grandparents. Perhaps you know where
they where born, or where they died. Have
you ever studied the parentage Of the show
err. Hath not the rain fatherY This ques-
tion is not asked by poet3ster or a scien-
fist, but by the head of the universe. To hum
bic and to save Job God asks him fourteen
questions: About the worlds architecture.
about the refraction of the suns rays, about
the tides, about the snow crystal, about the
lghtnings, and then He arraigns him with
the Interrogation of the text, Hath therain
father
With the scientific wonders of the rain
have nothing to do. A minister gets through
with that kind of sermons within the first
three years, and if he has piety enough he
gets through with it in the first three
months. A sermon has come to me to mean
one word of four letters, help" You all
know that the rain is not an orphan. You
fnow it is not cast out ofthe gates of heaven
a founding. You would answer the ques-
ton Of my text in the affirmative
Safely housed during the storm, you hear
the rain beating against the window pane,
and you find 1t searching all the crevices of
the window SILL 1t first comes down in soli-
tary drops patterng the dust, and then it
deluges the fields and angers the mountain
torrents, and makes the traveller implore
shelter, You know that the rain is not an
accident of the 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 Ivy the storm. You know
that it is a flying evangel from heaven to
earth You know it is the gospel of the
weather: You know that God Is It's father.
II this be true, then how tsicked 6 our
murmuring about climatic changes. Tue
first eleven Sabbatbs after l entered tho
ministry it stOrmed. Through the week IL
was clear weather, but on the Sabbaths the
old country meeting house looked like NOahs
ark before it landed. A few drenched peo-
pie sat before drelched pastor; but most OF
the farmers stayed at home and thanked
Col that what was bad for the church was
God for the crops. / committed good Zeal
L sin i'm those days in cenouncng the
weather, Minister'S Of the Gospel sometimes
fret about stormy Sabbaths or hot Sabhaths,
or Indictment Sabbaths. They forget tho
fact that the same God who ordained the
Sabbath and sent forth his ministers to an
nounce salvation also ordained the weather
Hath the rain father
Merchants also with their stores file a
with new goods, AMI thei" CLERKS hanging
aAOGl4iA AA4I N+ulitNAs NNAAiAAiA wv stttifr
trangress.on. There have been seasons when
the whole spring and fall trade has been
ruined by protracted wet weather. The
merchants then examined the weather
probabiities' with more interest than they
read their Bibles. They watched for
patch of blue SKY. They went complaining
to the store and came complaining nome
again In all that season Of wet feet and
dripping garments and impossible streets
they never once asked the question, Hath
the rain father
So agriculiuiists commit this sin. Ihera
is nothing more annoying than 70 have
planted corn rot In the ground because OF
too much moisture, or nay all ready for the
now dashed of a shower, or wheat almost
ready for the sickle spoiled with the rust.
How hard it is to bear the agricultural dis
appointmentS God has infinite resources,
but do not think He has capacity to make
weather TO please all the farmers. Some
times it is too hot or il is too cold, 1t Is too
wet. or it is too dry; it is too early, or 1t IS
too late. They forget that tle God who
promised seed time and harvest summer ana
winter cold and heat, also ordained all en-
matte changes There IS one question that
ought to be written On every barn, on every
Fence, on every haystacS. on every lafih'
house. Hath the rain iatherF
"
it is TO provide appropriate weather for TINS
world we would not be 50 critical OF the Lord.
Isaac Watts at ten years of age complained
that he did not like the hymns that were
sung in the English chapel well said his
father. Isaac, Instead of your complaining
about the hymns, go and make hymns that
are better And he did go and make hymns
that were better. Now, | say 10 you il you
Go not like the weather get ~ welther
company and have president, and score.
tary, and a treasurer, and board Of drec-
tors, and ten million dollars of stock, aud
then provide weather that will suit us all.
There is a man who has weak head, ami hs
cannot stand the glare of the SUN. You must
have a cloud always lowering over him.
like the sunshine; ] cannot live without
plenty OF sunlight, 50 you must always havJ
enough light for me. Two ships meet in
mid-Atlantic The one is going to South
amp.on and the other IL coming TO New
York. Provide weather that, while It il
abaft for one ship. il is not head wind for
the other, There is a farm that is dried up
for the lack OF rain, and there is a pleasure
party going out for field excursion, Pro-
vide 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 provide the
right kind Of weather for this world Hath
the rain father"
Ny text also suggests Co.'s minute SUPER
visal. You see the divine Sonship in every
drop of rain. The jewels OF tue shower are
not flung away by n spendthrift who knows
not how many he throws or where they fall.
They are all shining princes o. heaven.
They all have eternal lineage. They
are all the children Of king. Hath the
rain fathery' Well then. I say il Col
takes notice OF every minute raindrop He
will take notice Of the most Insignificant
affair of my life IL is ths astronomical
View OF things that bothers me.
We look up into the night heavens, ami
we say, "Worlds! worlds" and how insig-
nifcant we feel We stand at the foot Of
Mount Washington or Mont Blanc, and we
feel that we are only insects, and then we
say to ourselves, Though the world is 50
large, the sun is one million four hundred
thousand times larger" "Ohr we say, lit
is no use, If God wheels that great machinery
through I'M ncnsity He will not take the
trouble TO look down at me- lnfdel con.
c'usion. Saturn, Mercury and Jupiter arc
no more rounded and weighed aid swing by
the hand of God than are the globules Oh
a lilac bush the morning after a shower.
God is no more in magnitudes than He is
in minuti8 If He has scales to weigh the
mountains He has balances delicate enough
O., ,syaigh tho tofuitae;mol Won can no