The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1896-11-05
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Divine'S Sermon Dec
LIvsrod in Washington.
Subject: "Gospel Farming"
TEXT: "My Father is the husbandman."-


John XIV, l.
This last summer. having gone in different
directions over between five and sixthOusand
miles Of harvest fields, can hardly open my
Bible without smelling the breath OF new
mown hay and seeing the go.'ien light OF the
wheat field. Aud when [ open my Bible to
take my text. the Scripture leaf rustleS like
the tasseis OF the corn.
We were nearly all Of us born in the cohn-
try. We dropped corn in the hill. and went
on Saturday to the mill. tying the grist in
the centre OF the sack 50 that tho contents Oh
either side the hor5, balanced each other;
and drove tho cattle atie!d, our bare feet wet
| with tho dew, AMI rode tn, horses with the
! halter to the b OK until Wa fell off, and
hunted the NOW for nests until the feathsre1
occupants went ca;EsinG away. Wa Were
nearly all OF US born in the country, ani all
would have stayed there had not some al
! venturous lad On his vacation como back
with better clothes AL softer hands AMI set
the whole village on fire with ambition for
city life. So We all understand rustic alus-
ions. The Bible is full OF them. In Christ's
Sermon on the Mount You could SEQ the full
| blown lilies aud ths glossy back Of the crows
win 3 as it dies over Mount Oiv3t. David
aud John. P..ul AL Isaiah tlnl in country
life source OF frequent illustration, while
Christ in the text takes the responsibility OF
calling Go I a farmer, declaring: "My Fath.r
| is the hu3banlman."
Noah was the first farmer. We say nothing
about Cain, the miller OF he soil. Alan was
Il gardener on a large scale. bat to Noah was
given all the acres OF the Each. Elisha was
an acr cuiturtst, no. cultiyating Il ten-acrs
lot. for wa fad him blowing with twelve
yol,a OF oxen. In Dihs times trs Ian was
SO plenty and the innabit.ntS 50 few that
Noah WAS right when he gavs TO every ia
habi!ant Il certain portion OF land, that and
| il cultivated ever after to be his own possess
sion.
They vera not small crops raise in those
| times for though the arts vera rule, the
rlow turned up V ry rich soil, an barley
and cotton and fax and all kinds OF grain
ga ne up at the call ofihe harvesGers. PIiny
tells OF one st TX OF grain that had on il be-
tween three and four hundred ears. The
rivers and the brooks, through artificial
channels, were bt ought dOwn to the roots OF
the corn. and to this habit OF turning river
| wherever it was wanted. Solomon ref~rs
when he says: "Ihe kings heart is in the
hand of the Lord. AMI He ,urneih it as the
rivers Of water are turned, Whithero o5ve- He
WILL
The will beasts were caught. aai thon a
hook was put into their nose. and then they
were led over the tlea, and to that Col re-
ters when Hs says TO wicked Sennacherib:
| 81 will put a hook in thy nose aud l wilt
bring thee back by the way which tnou
earnest" And God has hook in every bal
mans nose. whether it be- Northumberland or
Ahab or Herod. He may think himself vrrv
Independent, but some time N his life, or in
the hour Of his death. he will find that the
Lor Almighty has Il hook in his nose.
This was the rule in regard to the culture
o. the ground 'rhou shalt not pillow with
an OK and an ass together" illustrating the
folly Of ever putting intelligent and useful
and pliable men i'll association with the
stubborn anu unmanagea5le. The vast ma-
jority OF troubles in the churches and in re-
formatory institutions comes from the disce-
gard Of this command OF the Lord, Chou
shalt no. plow with an OK and gu ass to-
gether"
There were large amounts of property in
vested in cattle. The Moabites pail 100 900
sheep as IN annual tax. Job had 1000 sheep.
5000 camels, 800 yoke OF oXeD. The tins OF
vintage was usherei in with mirth AMI
music. The clusters OF the vine were pat
into tue wine press, and then five men would
get into tho press and trampe out the juice
from the grape until their garments Were
saturated with the wine and had bacome the
emblems OF slaughter. Christ Himself
wounded until covered with the blood OF
crucitixion. making use of this a'lusion when
the question was asked: "Wherefore ar
Thou red in Thine apparel and Thy garments
like one who treadetb the wine vat?" He re-
sponded. 81 have trod len the wine press
alone"
In all ages there has been great honor paid
to agriculture. Seven-eghts OF the peonla
jill every country are disciples OF the plow
A government IS strong in proportion as it is
supported by an athletic and in iustrious
yeomanry. SO long ago as before the fall OF
Carthage. Strabo wrote twenty-eiCht books
on agriculture: Hesiod wrote poem Oh h,
same subject-''Ihe Weeks and Days" Cato
was prouder OF his work on husbandry than
of all his military conquests. But I must
not he tempted into discussion Of agricul
tural conquests. Standinca midthe harvests
and orchards and vineyards Of the B; bic. an
standing amid the harvests and orchards anc
vineyards of our own cOuntry-larger har.
vests than have ever before been gathered
want to run out the analogy between tn,
production OF crops and the growth OF grac;
in the souI-ail these sacred writers maxim :.
USE Of that analogy.
In the first place. I remark, in grace as il
the fields, there must be pillow. That which
theoosians cal conviction is only the ptow
share turning up tho sins that have be y
rooted and matted in the soul. A farmer
said to his INDECENT sen: "rhere are
hundred dollars buried deep in that field
The son went to work and piowed the fislt
from fence TO fence, and he ploWed it verj
deep. and then complained that he had no
found tbs money: but when the crop hac
| d
more than any previous year, then the youns
man took the hint as to what his fathn
, meant when he said there were hundre,
dollars buried down in that field. Deer
| plowing for { crop. Deep blowing for ;
, soul. He who makes light OF sin will Eevel
amount 10 anything in the church or in thu
world. Ii a man speaks of sin as though i
were an inaccuracy or a mistake, instead o
the loathsome, abominahle. consuming an,
!. damning thing that God hates, that mar
will never yield n harvest OF usefulness.
. When l was q hoy l plowed field witt
. a team OF spirited horses. p.owed it Yer,
| quickly. Once in while I passed owe
some Of the sod without turning it. tut lii
, not jerk back the pillow with its raitlug de
vices. l thought it made no difference
, After awhile my father came along aud said
"Why, this will never do: this isn't plowe
deep enough: there you have missed thi
and you have missed that" Ana he ploWe
it over again. The difficulty with Il srea
many people is that they are only scratcGe
, with conviction when the subsoii pillow O
Gods truth ought to be put in up to tn,
3 beam.
My word is 10 all Sabbath-school teachers
I to all parents, to all Christian workers
Piow deep! Piow deep.
! But what means all this crooked blowing
these crooked burrows, the Repentance tina
|, amounts TO nothing? Men oroan nvar Tn