The Brookhaven leader., 1891-02-19
LESSONS OF THE SNOW.
. winter Discourse by Rev. T. De-
Witt Talmage.
.,mmaculate Mantle Thrown Ger the
Earth and the Various Lessons
TO be Learned by Its
Contemplation.

bv Rev. #. Dewitt 1almage Delore
i:-ro congregations in both Brooklyn
Nd New York City, his text being:
,,,s, ,bou entered into the treasures OF the
snow.-Job xxxviii.;2I
Grossly maligned is the season OF win
,or The spring and summer and autumn
h,ve had many admirers, but winter,
boarv.headed and whitc-bearded win
.sr hath had more enemies than friends.
Vol without winter the human race
,rould he inane and effortless. You
rn;gbt speak of the winter as the moth
.rof tcmpests; / take it as the father of
whole family of physical, mental and
sriritual energies. The most people that
know are strong in proportion to the
number of snow banks they had to
climb over or push through in child
hood while their fathers drove the sled
loaded with logs through the crunching
drifts high as the fences. Atthis season
Of the year, when we are so familiar
with the snow, those frozen vapors,
those falling blossoms of the sky, those
white angels of the atmosphere, those
nocms of the storm, those Iliads and
odvssevs OF the wintery tempest, turn
over the leaves of my Bible and-though
most of it was written in cline where
snow seldom or never fell find many
of these beautiful congelations. Though
the writer's may seldom or never have
felt the cold touch of the snowflake on
their check, they had in sight two
mountains, the tops of which were sug-
gestive. Other kings sometimes take
off their crowns, but Lebanon and
Mount llcrmon all the year round and
through the ages never lift the coronets
of crystal from their foreheads. The
first time we find deep fall of snow in
the Bible is where Samuel describes a
fight between Benaiah and lion in a
pit; and though the snow may have
crimsoncd under the wounds of both man
and brute, the shaggy monster rolled
over dead and the giant was victor. But
the snow is not fully recognized in the
Bible until God interrogates Job, the
scientist, concerning its wonders, say
ing Hast thou entered into the treas
ures of the snow?"
rather think that job may have ex-
amined the snowflake with u micro
scope; for, although it is supposed that
the microscope was invented long aft
er Jobs time, there had been wonders
of glass long before the microscope and
telescope Of later day were thought of.
So long ago as when the Coliseum was
in its full splendor. Nero sat in the
Emperor's box of that great theater,
which held one hundred thousand peo-
pie, and looked at the combatants
through gem in his finger-ring, which
brought every thing close up to his
eye Four hundred years before Christ,
in the stores of Athens, were sold pow
erful glasses called burning spheres,
and Layard, the explorer, found mag
nifying glass amid the runis of Nine
veh, and In the palace of Nimrod.
Whether through magnifying instru-
ment or with unaided eye can not say,
but am sure that Job somehow went
through the galleries of the snowflake
and counted its pillars and found won
ders, raptures, mysteries, theologies,
maJestieS, infinities walking up and
down its corridors, as a result of the
questions which the Lord has asked
him; Hast thou entered into the treas
ures of the snow?"
And now propose for your spiritual
and everlasting profit, if you will ac-
cept my guidance, to take you through
some OF these wonders of crystalization.
And notice first God in the Titles. You
may take alpenstock and cross the Mer
DE Glace, the Sea of Ice, and ascend
Mont Blanc which rises into the clouds
IKE pillar of the great throne, or
with Arctic explorer ascend the mount
rms around the north pole and see gla-
clers a thousand feet high grinding
AGAINST glaciers three thousand feet
nlgh' But | will take you on a less
pretenuous journey and show you God
In the snowflake. There is room enough
between its pillars for the great Jeho-
van to stand. In that one frozen drop
Un the UP OF your finger you may find
tne throne-room of the Almighty. /
take up the snow in my hand and see
.ne courscrs of celestial dominion paw
ing these crystal pavements. The
@leScope is grand, but j must confess
uat am quite as much interested in
une microscope. The one reveals the
universe beneath us. But the telescope
oVerwhelms me, while the microscope
oomiorts me. What you want and
want especially is God in Titles. If
VIC were seraphic or archangelic in our
natures we would want to study God in
W ne great; but such small, weak, short
aVed beings as you and are want to
una Tod in the Titles.
mhen see the Maker of the universe
sNing Himself to the architecture of a
snownake and making it's shafts, its
uOnieS It's curves, its walls, its irradia-
aohs SO perfect, l conclude He will look
si'er our Insignificant affairs. And if
We are OF more value than sparrow,
oS' :. certainly we are of more value
p.a sn an lnanimate snowflake. So the
onu. o,oie would chiefly impress us with
.C Uu IN the Titles. 1t does not say:
;Sonsider the clouds, :" butt says: "Con-
S Sluer' the lilies" 1t does not say: BE
u une tempests!" but "Behold the
w..n mis' And it applauds cup of cold
"a'er and the widows two mites, and
n Ss the hairs of your head are all
numbered. Do not fear, therefore, that
TSu ~ are going to be lost in the crowd.
NOT think, because You esti-
aa,s e yourself as only one snow
a~ Ae among a three days Janu-
h. snow-storm that you will
lorgotten. The birth and death of a
erop OF chilled yaror Is as ea,ta,nlv ra-