The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-08-29
A BOTTLE OF TEARS
VAS THE UNIQUE SUBJECT or Dr.
TALMAGE SERMON.
His Text Was from the Psalms w hlch
Tells Of the Bottle of Tears USED py
theIAncients in Their Burlals..

BroolSlyn. August 27.-Isev. Il. DeWltt
Tolm,pe chose unique theme rs his SUD.
ioct for today. namely: "A Bottle OF Tears
the text selected being Psalms o6:o, 1ut
thou nv tears into thy bottle.
Hardly mail has come to me lor twenty
wears that has not contained lei'ers say
;,,'r that nv sermons have comforted the
vr;tors Of those letters. l have not Tor
tbs summer nor for twenty years spoken
on the platform of any outdoor llee,ins'
but coming down i have been toid D! nun,
dreds of people the same thihs. 30 l.
think j will keep on trying 10 pe~ ii 'o'h
of Consolation.
The PRAYER of my text was pressed out
of Dayid's soul by innulneraDlc ctHi
but it is just as appropriate Tor the "iS~
tressed of all ages. Within the past
century travellers and antiquarlans nave
eyplored the ruins of many OF the ancient
cities and from the very heart OF those
buried splendorS of other days nave peeh
brought up evidences OF customs thal loiiS
ago vanished from the world from
among tombs of those ages have been
brought up lachrymatories or lachrs mas
which are Walls made of earthen ware.
If WAS the custom for the anclcntS TO eaten
the tears that they wept over Their dead i'll
a bottle and to place that boltle III the
graves of the departed and we have many
specimens of the ancient EchryInatofles,
or tear bottle in our museums.
when on the way from the holy land our
ship touched at Cyprus, we went back into
the hills Of that island and bought tear,
bottles which the natives had dug OUT OF
the ruins of the old city. There is nothing
mere suggestive to me than the tear-bottieS
W fch | brought home and put among my
G. Hosities. That was the kind OF bottle
II my text alludes to when David cries,
"l-nt thou my tears into thy bottle
The text intimates that God has an init
mate acquaintance and perpetual relnen-
brance of all our griefs and vial or lachry-
matory or bottle in which he catches and
saves our tears. and bring to you the con
dolence of this Christian sentiment. Why
talk about grief? Alas the world has it's
pangs and now while | speak there are
thick darknesses of soul that need to be
lifted There are many who are about to
break under the assault of temptation and
perchance, if no words appropriate TO their
case be uttered they perish. | come on
no fools errand. Put upon your wounds no
save compounded by human quackery. but
pressing straight to the mark, hail you
as vessel mld-sea cries to passing craft
"Ship ahoy"' and invite you on board Il
vessel which has faith for a rudder and
prayer for sails and Christ for captan
and heaven for an eternal harbor. Cath
crime Rhenfeldt. a Prussian. keeps boat
storm comes on the coast and other peo-
pie go to their beds to rest she puts out in
her boat for the relief of the distressed
and hundreds of the drowning has she
brought safely to the beach. In this life
boat of the gospel | put out today. hoping
by Gods help to bring ashore at least one
soul that may now be sinking in the bill
lows of temptation and trouble. The tears
that were once caught in the lachryma-
tories brought up from Herculancum and
PompeH are all gone and the bottle is as
dry as the scora of the volcano that sub
merged them. but not so with the bottle
in which God gathers all our tears.
First | remark that God keeps perpetu-
ally the tears of repentance. Many q
man has awakened in the morning 50
wFetched from the nights debauch that he
to step into the light. lie grieyes nnt a %or
his nisdolngS. but only about its c0nsnnuan-
ces. God makes no record of such wean-
ing; vi All the million tears that have
sushed as the result of such misdemeanor.
not one ever got into Go1's hot.
tie. They dried on tbo f.
Vered cheek, or We're dashed down by
.he Dioated hand, or fell into the red wine
cup as It came again to the lips foaming
win sun worse lntoxication. But when
a man is sorry for his past and tries to do
beIer-When he moul;nS his wasted adyan-
tages and bomoans his rejection of Gods
mercy, ana cries amid the laccra tions Of
an aroused conscience for help ont of his
terrible predicament, then God listens.
then heaven bows down: then scepters of
pardon are extended from the thronn. tbnn
ms crying rends the heart of heavenly COM
passion; then his tears are cauoht in cor.
bottle. '"'' >
You know the story of Paradise ana the
ferl think it might be put to higher
auaplatlon An angel starts from the throne
o. 'Iod to ma what thing it can on the
earth worthy OF being carried back to
heaven. 1t goes down through the gold
ana silver mines of earth, but finds moth
ing worthy of transportation to the 0ees-
ual City. 1t goes down through the depths
of the sea, where the pearls lie. and finds
nothing worthy of taking back to heaven.
But coming to the foot of a mountain it
sees Il wandcrer weeping over his evil WAYS
The tears of the prodiSal start but do not
fall to the ground for the angels wing
catches Them and with that treasure speeds
back to heaven. God sees the angel com
ing, and says. Behold the brightest gem
of earth. and the brightest jewel of heaven
the tear of sinners repentance"
oh. when | see the Heavenly Shepherd
bringing Il lamb from the wilderness: when
/ hear the quick tread of the prodgal has
tening home to find his father, when | SEE
IL sailor boy coming on the wharf and
hurrylng away to beg his mothers pardon
Tor long neglect and mkindness; when |
fer and the wretchcd and the vile, and
the sin burned. and the pass;orl-bIaSted an
pealing for mercy TO compassionate God
| eXclaim in ecstasy and triumph: More
tears for Gods bottle,'
Again, God keeps tender remembrance
of all your sicknesses. How many of YOU
are thoroughly sound in body? Not one out
of ten! | do not exaggerate The vast ma
jority of the race are constant subjects Of
ailments. There is some one form of dis
ease that you are particularly subject to-
You have weak side, or back, or are
subject to headaches, or faintnesses, or
lungs easily distressed. 1t would not take
a very strong blow TO shiyer the golden
bowl of life or break the pitcher at the
fountain. Many Of you have kept on in
life through sheer force of will. You
think no one can understand your distress
es. Perhaps you look strong, and it is
supposed that YOU are a hypochondriac.
They say you are neryous-as if that were
nothing. God have mercy upon any man
or woman that is nervous. A times you
sit alone in your room. Friends do not
come. You feel an indescrlbablc lone.i-
ness in your sufcrings: but God knows;
God feels; God compassionAtes. Tie counts
the seepless nights; He regards the acute
ness of the pain; He estimates the hard
ness of the breathing. While you pour out
the medicine from the bottle. and count the
drops God counts all your falling tears. AS
phialS fjllnI with