Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-08-30
REV. DR.. TALMAGE
The Eminent New York Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: "COmfOrf."

rs u0 TO the huD OF the carriage Wneel, dud
while long distance from any shelter, there
came a sudden shower, and while the rain
was falling in torrents. the sun was shining
as brightly as l ever saw it shine, and
thought what q beautiful spectacle this isl
So the tears of the Bible are not midnight
storm, but rain on pansed praires in God 8
sweet and golden sunlight. You remember
that bottle which David labeled as contain
ing tears, and Mary's tears, and Paurs tears,
and Christs tears and the harvest OF Joy
that is to spring from the sowing OF tears.
God mixes them. God rounds them. God
shows them where to fall. God exhales
them. census is taken of them, and there
is a record to the moment when they are
born and as to the place OF their grave.
Tears of bad men are not kept. Alex
ander in his sorrow had the hair clipped
from his horses and mules and made gre lat
ado about his grief. but in all the vases OF
heaven there is not one Of Alexanler's tears.
speak of the tears OF Gods children. Alas
me. they are falling all the timel In sum-
mer you sometimes hear the growing
thunder, and you see there Is storm miles
away. but you know from the drift of the
clouds tina. it will not come any.
where near you. So though 1t may be all
bright around about you, there is Il shower
of trouble somewhere all the time. Tears!
Tears
What is the use Of them anyhow Why
not ST bstitute laughter? Why not make this
a world where all the people are well AMI
! eternal strangers to pain and aches? What
| is the use of an eastern storm when we
| might have n perpetual nor'wester9 Why,
when a family is put together, not have
| them all stay, or il they must be transplant
ed to make other homes. then have them all
| live-the family record telling a story OF
marriages and births, bdt Of no death2 Why
moi have the harvasts chase each other with
out fatiguing toill Why che hard pillow,
| the hard crust. the hard struggled 1t is easy
enough to explain smile, or a success, CT
| congratulatioD, but come now and bring all
| your dictionaries, and all your philosophers,
| and all your religions, and help me explain
tear. chemist will tell you that 1t is
made up of salt and lime and other compo-
nent parts, but he misses the chief ingredients
the acid of soured life, the vperine
| sting OF q bitter memory. tho fragments oil a
broken heart. I will tell YOU what tear is.
| 1t is agony in solution. Hear, then, while
discourse Of the uses of troublH
First, it is the design of trouble to keep
this world from being too attractive. Some-
thing must be done to make us willing to
trouble, this world would be a good enough
heaven for me. You and would be willing
to take lease Ct this life for 100, 100000
years if there were no trouble. The earth
cushioned and upholstered and pillared and
cnandeliered with such expense, no story OF
other worlds could cnchant u.s.
We would say: "Let well enough alone.
If you want to die and have your body dis
integrated in the dust and your soul go out
on a celestial adventure, then you can 90,
but this world is good enough for me-" You
might as well go to q man who has Just en-
tered the Louvre at Paris end tell him to
hasten off to the picture galleries of Venice
or Florence. ''Why," he would say. "what
is the use of my going there? There are
Rembrandts and Rubenscs and Raphaels here
that l haven't looked at yet" No man
wants to 60 out of this world, or out of any
house, until he has better house. To cure
this wish to stay here God must somehow
create disgust for our surroundings, How
shall He doit2 He cannot afford to deface
His horizon, or to tear off fiery panel from
the sunset, or to subtract an anther from the
water lily, or to Danish the pungent aroma
from the mignonette, or to drag the robes OF
the morning in mire. You cannot expect
Christopher Wren to mar his own st. PauPs
Cathedral, or a Michael Angelo to dash out
his own ''Last Judgment" or Handel to
discord his "Israel in Egypt" and you can.
not expect God to spoil the architecture and
music OF His own world. How, then. are we
to be made willing to leave2 Here is where
trouble comes in.
After man has had good deal of trouble
he says: "Wel, I am ready to go. II there
Is q house somewhere whose roof doesn't
leak, would like to live there. II there Is
an atmosphere somewhere that does not dis
tress the lungs would like to breathe it.
eff there Is society somewhere where
l. A,ltl II 4 10 10 Iva
there. If there is home circle somewhere
where l can. find my lost friends, | would
like to go there" He used to read the first
part of the Bible chiefly, now he reads the
last part Of the Bible chiefly. Why has he
changed Genesis for Revelation? All, he
used to be anxious chiefly 10 know how this
world was made and all about its geological
,onstru tion. Now he is chiefly anxious to
know how the next world was made, and
low it looks, and who live there. and how
| hey dress. He reads Revelation ten times
low where he reads Genesis once. The old
| tory, "In the beginning God created the
heavens and the EARTH" does not thrill him
lalf as much as the other story, III saw @
lew heaven and new EARTH" The old
mans hand trembles as he turns over this
pocalyptic leaf, and he has to take out his
handkerchief TO wipe his spectacles. That
! book of Revelation is prospectus now OF
he country into which he is soon to fmmi-
| crate; the country in which he has lots al
| ready laid out, and avenues opened, and
mansions built.
Yet there are people here to whom this
world is brighter than heaven. Well, dear
| souls, do not blame you. 1t is natural.
| But after awhile YOU will be ready to go. 1t
was not until Job had been worn out with
| bereayements that he wanted to see God. 1t
was not until the prodigal got tired of living
among the hogs that he wanted 70 go to his
| fathers house. 1t is the ministry of trouble
| to make this world worth less and heaven
worth more.
Again, it is the use of trouble to make us
feel our dependence upon God. Men think
that they can do anything until God shows
them they can do nothing at all. We lay out
our great plans and we like to execute them.
1t looks big. God comes and takes us down,
AS Prometheus was assaulted by his enemy,
when the lance struck him 1t opened great
swelling that ha threatened his death, and
he got we'll. So it is the arrow OF trouble
.aat let's out great sweings Of pride. We
never feel our dependence upon God until
we get trouble 1 was riding with my little
child along the road, and she asked IL she
might drive. l said, "Certainly." l handed
over the reins to her, and l had to admire
the gee with which she drove. But after
awhile we met team and we had
to turn ont. The road was narrow,
and 1t was sheer down on both sides:
She handed the reins over to me and
said, 81 think you had better take charge OF
the horse" So we are all children: ana on
this road of life we like to drive. 1t gives
one such an appearance of superiority and
power. It looks big. But after awhile we
meet some obstacle and we have 10 turn out,
and the road is narrow, and it is sheer down
on both sides; and then we are willing thar
God should take the reiRs and drive. An,