Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-21
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
HE TALKS ON THE PETTY AN
NOYANCES OF LIFE.
The Hornet on Its MissiOn-Varietie
of Insect Annoyances-Nece for
Little TroubIes-They Are All Bless
inEs in Disguise.


Will send the hornet. deuteronomy
vii, 20.
1t seems as if the insectile world were
determined TO eXtirpate the human race.
1t bombards the grainheids and the or
chards and the vineyards. The Colorado
beetle. the Nebraska grasshOpper. the
New Jersey locust, the universal potato
bug seem TO carry on the work which was
begun ages ago when the insects buZZed
out of Noah S ark as the door was opened.
In my text the hornet flies out on its
mission. 1t Is a species of wasp. swift in
its motion ana violent in its sting. Its
touch Is torture 10 mPn or beast. We
have all seen the cattle run believing un
der the cut of its lance, In bOyhoOd we
used 10 stand cautiously looking ut the
Globular nest hung from the tree branch.
and while we were looking at the wonder
full covering we were struck with some
thing that sent us shrieking away. The
hornet goes in swarms. 1t mas captains
over hundreds. ana twenty of them alight
Ing on one man will produce death.
The Pcrsians attempted To conquer a
Christian city. but the elephants and the
beasts on which the Persans rode were
assaulted by the hornet 81 thar the Whole
army was broken up and the beSieged
city was rescued. This burning and noX-
ious insect stung ont The iIitfites and the
Canaanites from their country. What
cleaning sword and chariot OF war could
not accomplish WAS done by the puncture
of an insect. The Lord sent the hornets.
Small Arnoyanccs.
Ny friends, when we are assaulted by
great bchenloths OF trouble. we become
q, H.. IL n
on the high mettcd Stced &C cur courage.
and we make Il cavalry charge at them.
and if God be with us, we come out
stronger and better than when we went
in. But. alas. for these insectile annoy
ances OF life-these foes too small to shoot
these things without any ayoirdupois
weight, the gnats. and the midgcs. and
the flies, and the waSpS. and the hornets.
In other words. it is the small. singing
annOyances of our life which drive us out
and use us up In the best conditioned
life. for some grand and glorious purpose,
God has sent the hornet.
| remark, in the first place. that these
small. singing annoyances may come in
the shape of Il nervous organization.
People who are Frustrated under typhoid
fevers or with broken bones get plenty of
sympathy, but who pities anybody that is
nervous? The doctors say. and the fam
lily say, and everybody says. ''Oh, she's
only little nervous; that's air. The
sound of a heavy foot. the harsh clearing
of throat, a discord in music. Il want
of harmony between the shawl and the
glove on the same person. a curt answer.
n passing slight. the wind from the east.
any one of 10000 annoyances opens the
door for the hornet. The fact is that the
vast majority of the people in this coun-
try are overwOrked and their nerves
are the first to give out. a great null
titude are under the strain of Lcyden,
who. when he was told by his physician
that if he did not stop working while he
was in such poor physical health he
would die. responded. doctor. whether
| live or die, the wheel must keep going
round These sensitive persons of whom
l speak have bleeding sensitiveness.
The flies love to light on anything raw,
and these people are like the CanaaniteS
spoken of in the text or in the context
they have very thin covering and are
vulnerable at all points. And the Lord
sent the hornet"
Like Insects.
Again, the small insect annoyances may
rome to in the shape of friends and ac-
quaintances who are always saying dis
agreeable things. There are some people
you cannot be with for half an hour but
you feel cheered and comforted Then
there are other people you cannot be with
for five minutes before you feel miserable.
They dc not mean To disturb you. but
they sting you to the bone. They gather
up all the yarn which The gossips spin
and retail it. They gather up all the ad-
verse criticisms about your person, about
your business, about your home, about
your church, and they make your ear
the funnel into which they pour it. They
laugh heartily when they tell you, as
though it We're Il good joke and you
laugh, tOO-OutSidc.
These people are brought to our atten-
ton in the Bible, in the book of Ruth.
Naomi went forth beautiful and with the
finest of worldly prospects, and into an
other land. but, after awhile. she came
back widowed and sick and poor. What
did her friends do when she came to the
city: They all went out. and instead of
giving her common sense consolation,
what did they do? Read the book of
Ruth and find out. They threw UP their
hands and said. us this Naomi" as much
rs to say, How awful You do lookr'
When l entered the ministry | looked very
pale for years, and every year, for four
or five years, a hundred times a year. |
was asked if | had not the CONSUMPTION.
and passing through the room | would
sometimes hear people sigh and say.
"A-ah, not long for this worldw / re-
solved in those times that l never in any
conversation would say anything depres-
sing, and by the help of God | have kept
the resolution. These people of whom
/ speak reap and bind in the great har-
vest field of encouragement. Some day
you greet them with hilarious good
morning" and they come buzzing at YOU
with some depressing information 1.-THE
Lord sent the hornet"
When | see so many people i'm the world
who like to say disagreeable things and
write disagreeabe thinNs, | come almost
In my weaker moments To believe what a
man said to me in Philadelphia one Mon
day morning. | went to get the horse at
the livery stable, and the hostler, n plain
man, said to me, "Mr. Talmage. | saw
that you preached to the young men yes
terday" | said, Yes" He said, mo
use-nO use. Mans failure