The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-08-19
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Gleaners in Life's Field
preached at Glenwood, Col)

TEXT: "And she ,cent and came an1
cleaned in the field after the reuperS:; nnc
her hap ,ras to light on q part of the field
belonging unto Boaz. acho 1cdS of the kin
-dred of Elimelech. Ruth H., 3.
Within few weeks I have been in North
Carolina. Virginia, Pennsylvania, New
York, Ohio. Michigan, Canada, Indiana,
Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri. and they are
one great harvest field, and 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 a
load in the harvest field for the reapers
to refuse to gather it up; that was to be
left for the poor who might happen to
come that way. If there were handtuls Of
grain scattered across the field after the
main harvest had been reaped, instead Of
raking it, as farmers do now, IL was, by
the custom of the land, left in its place, so
that the poor coming along that way might
CLEAN it 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 90 out and toll in the sun; and can
YOU expect that Ruth. the you-g and the
beautiful, should tan her chee'.s and blister
her hands in the harvest fieid@
Boaz owns a large farm, and he goes 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 tt to bend to
q harp or sit upon throne than to stoop
among the sheaves. An, that was an event
ful day!
Itwas love at first sight. Boaz forms an
attachment for the womanly gleaner-an
attachment full of undying interest to the
Church of God in all ages: while Ruth,
with an ephah, or nearly bushel OF bar
lev, goes home to 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-
diving affection for her mother-in law, is in
the harvest field Of Boaz. is afianced to one
of the best families in Judah, and becomes
In after time the ancestress Of Jesus Christ,
the Lord Of Glory! Out Of so dark night
did there ever dawn so bright morning?
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 SUBJ
Unity of Ruth's character. That IS very
unfortunate man who has no trouble. 1t
was sorrow that made John Bunyan the
better dreamer, and DR.. Young the better
poet. and OConnell the better orator, and
Bishop Hall the better preacher, and Have
lock the better soldier, and Kitto the better
encyclopedia, and Ruth the better daughter
tn-law.
once asked an aged man in regard to his
pastor, who was very brilliant man: why
Is it that your pastor, so very brilliant,
seems to have so little tenderness in his SER
mons" "Well," he replied, 1.-THE reason IS
our pastor has never had any trouble. When
misfortune comes upon him his style will be
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
uess Of his discourses! The fact is
that trouble is great edu-
eator. You see sometimes 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.
chat man, and he sits down at the instru-
1nent, 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 in 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, cut
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 Of my Charlie"
Trouble, the great educator! Sorrow
zee its touch in the grandest painting; !
hear its tremor in the sweetest song; feel
Its power in the mightiest argument.
Grecian mythology said that the founda-
ton of Hippocrene was struck out by the
foot of the winged horse, Pegasus. 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. ! see Daniels courage best by the
flash of Nebuchadnezzar'S furnace. l see
Pauls proves best when I find him on the
laundering ship under the glare of the light
ming in the breakers OF Melita. God crowns
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 lift up our nation on that high
career where it will march along after the
foreign despotisms that have Knocked and
the tvrannies that have jeered shall be
swept down under the omnlpotent wrath
Of God, who hates oppression, and who, by
the strength OF His own red right arm, will
make all men free. And 80 it Is individually,
and In the family, and in the church, and in
the world that through darkness and storm
and trouble meE, women, churches, nations,
are developed
Again, I see in my text the beauty OF un-
faltering friendship. | suppose there were
plenty Of friends for Naomi while she was
in prosperity. But of all her acquaint-
ances, how many were willing to trudge
OF with her toward Judea, when she had
to make that lonely Journey? One-the
heroine Of my text. One-absolutely one.
suppose when Naomi's husband was liv-
ing, and they had plenty Of money, and all
things went well, they had a great many
callers. But suppose that after her hus-
band died, and her property went, and she
got old and poor, she was not troubled very
much with callers. All the birds that sang
IN the bower while the sun shone have gone
to their nests now the night has fallen.
In this world, so full of heartlessness and
hypocrisy. how thrilling it is to find some
friend as faithful in days Of adversity as in
days Of prosperity! David had such q
friend in Hushai; the Jews had such a
friend in Mordecai. who never forgot their
cause; Paul had such friend in Onrsiph-
orus who visited him in Jail; Christ had
such in the Marys, who adhered to Him on
the cross; Naomi had such a one in Ruth,
who cried out, "Entreat me not to leave
thee, or to return from following after thee;
for whittier thou goest, will go; and where
thou lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be
my people, and thy God my God; where thou
diest will l die, and there will 1 be buried
the Lord do SO to me and more also, if aught
but death part thee and me-"
Again, I learn from this subject that paths
which open in hardship end darkness often
come out in places of JOY. When Ruth started
from Moab toward Jerusalem, to 60 along
with her mother-in-law. suppose the people
said: "Oh. what foolish creature to 90 away
from her fathers horse, to 60 of with poor
old woman toward the land of Judea! They