Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-07-11
About the Rain Of Tears.

Of which this country is supposed to
have just received an undue allowance.
He preached from the text, Hath the
rain q father?" Job, xxxviii, %.
This Book OF Job has been the sub
ject OF unbounded theological wrangle.
Men have made 1t 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 II Is an epic poem; others
that It Is drama. Some say that JOB
lived 1900 years before Christ, others
that he never lived at all. Some say
that the author OF this book was job;
others David; others Solomon. The
subject has landed some in blank inf
deity. Now, have no trouble with
the books OF Job or Revelation-the two
most mysterious books in the Bible-be-
cause OF rule l adopted some years
AGO. wade down into scripture pas
sage as long as can touch bottom. and
when cannot, then / wade out. | used
to wade in it until it was over my head,
and then l got drowned. | study pas
sage of scripture so long as it is com
fort and help to my soul; but when 1t
becomes perplexity and spiritual up
turning, quit. In other words. we
ought to wade in I'D 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.
90 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. l never had
any idea that with my weak hand and
foot could strike my way clear over to
Liverpool.
suppose you understand your family
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 shower? Hath the
rain father?" This question Is not
asked by a poetaster or scientist, but
by the head OF the universe. To hum
bic and to save Job, God asked him
fourteen questions about the worlds
architecture, about the refraction OF the
SUMS rays, about the tides. about the
snow crystal. about the lightning, and
then he arraigns him with the inferno
cation of the text: Hath the rain u
father"
With the scientific wonders OF the
rain have nothing TO do. A minister
gets that kind OF sermons within the
three years, and If he has piety enough
he gets through with it in the first
three months. a sermon has come tc
me to mean one word OF four letters;
'.help! You all know that the rain is
not an orphan. You know that it 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
hear the rain beating against the win
dow pane. and you find 1t searching all
the crevices OF the window sill. 1t first
comes down in solitary drops. patterine
the dust, and then it deluges the fields
and the mountain torrents, and makes
the traveller implore shelter. You
know that the rain is not an accident oil
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 by the storm.
You know that it is flying evangel
from heaven to earth. You know it is
the gospel OF the weather. You know
that God is its father. If this be true,
then how wicked is our murmuring
about climatic changes.
The first eleven Sabbaths after
entered the ministry it stormed
Through the week it was clear
weather, but on the Sabbath the old
country meeting house looked like
Noah's ark before it landed. A few
drenched people sat before drenched
pastor, but most OF the farmers stayed
home and thanked God that what wa:
had for the church was good for the
crops / committed good deal OF sir
in those days in den0unctng the weather
Ministers Of the gospel sometimes fre'
about stormy Sabbaths or hot Sabbaths
or inclement Sabbaths. They forget
the fact that the same Cod who or
dained the Sabbath and sent forth his
ministers to announce salvation also or
dained the weather. Hath the rain
father"
Merchants, also. with their store:
filled with new goods and their clerks
hanging idly around the counters, com
nit the same transgression. There have
been seasons when the whole spring
and fall trade has been ruined by pro
tracted wet weather. The merchants
then examined the weather probabili.
ties" with more interest than they read
their Bibles. They watched for patch
Of blue sky. They went complaining tc
the store, and came complaining home
again. In all that season Of wet feet
and dripping garments and impossible
streets they never once asked the ques-
ton: 'Hath the rain q father?"
So agriculturists commit this sin.
There Is nothing moro annoying than
to have planted corn rot in the ground
because of too much moisture, or hay
all ready for the NOW dashed OF show
err, or wheat almost ready for the sickle
spoiled with the rust. How hard 1t Is
- l,aay. the agricultural disaDDOint-