Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-09-11
REV. DR.. TALMAGE
The Eminent Washington pivine'S
Sunday Sermon.
SubIeot: "A Shadow on the Harvest
Field"

carry MIN 10 MS NOtner. Ana WnPQ ne ndu
taken him and brought him to his mother he
sat on her knees till noon, and then died" y
II Kings w., lS, 10, %.
There Is at least one happy home In Shu-
hem. To the luXuriance and splendor Of
great house had been given tho advent OF
child. Even when the Angel Of Life brings
a new soul to the poor mans hut. a star Of
Joy shines over the mauger. Infancy, with
its helplessness and innocence, had passed
away. Days Of boyhood had come-days Of
laughter and frolic, days of sunshine and
promise. days OF strange questions and
curiosity and quick development. I suppose
among all the treasures of the house the
brightest WAS the boy. One day there is the
shout OF reapers heard ahell. A boys
heart always bounds at the sound of sickle
or scythe. No sooner have the harvesters
cut swath across the field than the lad
joiLs them, and the swathy reapers feel
young again as they look down at that
lad, as young and beautiful as was Ruth
in the harvest fields OF Bethlehem
cleaning after the reapers. But The sun
was too hot for hun. Congestion of the brain
seized on him. I SEQ the swarthy laborers
drop their slckles; and they rush out to see
what Is the matter, and they fan him aud
they try to cool his brow; but oil is of no
avail In the instant Of consciousness, he
pulS us uduuS dSdlUSt HIS tblupltS dul CIlcS
out: "My headl my head" Aud the father
saids "Carry him to his mother" just as any
father would have said; for our hand is too
rough, and our voice is too harsh, and our
foot is too loud to doctor a sick child, If
there be in our home q gentler voice ano a
! gentler hand an stller footstep, But all
81 no avail. While the reapets OF Shunem
were busy in the field therc came stronger
reaper that way, with keener scythe and for
richer harvest. He reaped only one shcaf
but oh, what golden sheaf was that! do
not want to know any more about that heart-
breaking scene than what I see In Just this
one pathetic sentence: ole sat on her knees
till noon, and thon died" Though hundreds
Of years have passed away since that boy
skipped 10 the haryest-feld aud then was
brought home and died on his mother's lap.
the story still thrills us. Indeed, childhoo
has charm always and oyorywher'. I shall
now speak to YOU OF childhood; It's beauty,
its susceptibility to impression, its power
over the parental heart, md It's bisslul
transition from earth TO heaven.
The child's beauty does not depend upon
FORM or feature or complexion or apparel.
That destitute one that you saw Oh tho
street, bruised with Unkindness and ia rags,
has charm about her, even under her des
titution. You havo forgotten q great many
persons whom you met, Of apelycut features
md with erect posture and with faultless
complexion, while you will always remem-
ber the poor girl who, on q co d. moonlight
night rs you were passing laie home, in her
thin shawl and barefoot iii tho pavement,
put out h'r hand AMI said: "Plcase to give
me penny" Ali how often we have
walked on end said: "Ob, THAI IS nothing
hut street va sbondism;" but after we got 3
block or two on, we stopped and sald TAB,
that is not rights" and we passed up th1t
same way aud dropped a mite into that SUI
feriDg hand. as though it Wer0 not a matter
ofsecond thought, SO ashamed were we OF
our hard heariedness. With what admira-
ton we all look upon group OF children
on the play ground OF in the school, and
we clap our hands almost involun-
tnrily, and say: "How beautiful All
stiffness and dignity are gone, and
your shout is heard with theirs and
their kite, and strike their ball, and all your
WEAKNESS and anxiety are gohe as when q
child you bounded over the playground
yourself. That father who stands rigid and
0nsympathetic amid the sportfuiness of chill
dreD, ought never 10 have teen tempted Out
OF crusty and unbelievable soltarness
The waters leap down the rocks, but they
have not the graceful step of childhood
The morning comes out Of the gates Of tht
East, throwing its silver on the lake and it
sold on the towers and its fire on the cloud
but it is not so bright and beautiful rs III,
morning of life! There is no light like tina
which is kindled in a child's eye, no colo
like that which blooms on q child's cheek
no music.like the sound Of child's voice
Its face in the poorest picture redeems an.
imperfeci0n in art. When we are wear
with toll, their little hands pull the burden
of our back. Oh, what dull, stale, meal
world this would be without the sportful
ness of children. When l find people tina
do not like children, / Immediately Goub
their moral aud Christian character. Blu
when the grace OF God comes UPON a child
how unspeakably attractive. When Samut
begins to pray, and Timothy begins to rea
the Scriptures, and Joseph shows himsel
InvulnerabIe to tempiation-how beautiful
the scenei l know that parents sometime
get nervous when their chldi Ell becom
pious, because they have the idea that goo
children always die. The strange question
about God and eternity and the dead, excit
apprehension in the parental mind rattle
than congratulation. Indeed, there az
some people that seem marked for HEAVIER
! This world is too poor garden for them
bloom in. The hnes Of heaven Are III tn
petals. There is something about their fore
head that makes you think that the hand Q
Christ has been on it, saying: "Let this on
come to Me, and let 1t come to Ne soon
While that one tarried in the house you FL
there was an angel in the room, and yo
; thought that every sickness would be til
last; and when, finally, the winds OF deaf
did scatter the leaves, you were no more SUI
: prised than to see star come oat above til
cloud on dark hight for you had ofte
said to your companion: My dear, W
, Shall never raise that child" But / scor
! the idea that good children always di'
Samuel the plous boy, became Samu'
the great prophet. Christian Timothy b
carno minister at Ephesus. Young DAME
coDsecrated to God, became prime mnistt
OF oil the realm, and there are in hundred
Of the schools and families Of this countr
to day children who love God and keep Il
I commandments, and who are 20 be foremo'
: among the Christians and the phlanthr(
psts aud the re.ornerS of the next century
The grace of God never kills auyOte.
child will be more apt to grow up with r.
f ligion than il will be apt TO grow up withor
( 1t. Length of days is promise to the RICH
D eous. The religion of Christ does not cram
the chest or curve the spine or weaken til
nerves. There are no malarias floating u
from the river of life The religion of Chrl
throws over the heart and life of child
supernal beauty Her ways are ways
pleasantncSs, and all her paths are peace. "
pass on to consider the susceptibility
childhood. Men pride themselv, on the
Nlchangeability. They will make an clabo
<te argument to prove that they thir
low just as they did twenty years ago. 1t
, charged to frailty or fraud whom n MT
changes his sentiments in politics or
q religion, and it is this determination OF so
thai so often drives back tho gospel from
= t. ri 70 = q ~