Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-01-10
REV. DR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Washington Divine'S
Sunday Sermon.
Subject, "The Petty AnnOyances OF
Life"

TEXT: "The Lord thy God will send tho
hornet. "-DeuteronomY wis. 90
It seems as II the insectile world were de-
tormine1 to extirpate the human race: It
bombards the gratnnelds and the orchards
and the vineyards. The Colorado hootle,
the Nebraska grasSHopp5t, the New Jersey
locust, the universal potato bug seem to
carry on the WORK which was begun ages ago
when the insects buzze out OF Noahs ark
as the ark was opened.
In my text, the hornet flies out on its mis-.
sion. 1t Is a species OF wasp; swift Id IT.
motion and violent IT. itt sting. Its touch is
torture to man or beast. We have all seen
the cattle run believing under the cut of its
lancet. In boyhood we used to stand eau
tiously looking ar the globular nest hung
from thu tree branch, and while we were
looking at the wonderful covering we were
struck with something that sent us shrieking
away. The hornet goes In swarms. 1t has
captains over hun lreis,. AMI twenty OF
them alighting on ons man will proiu:e
death.
The Persihns attempted to conquer a
Christian city; but the elephants aud the
beasts Upon Which Persians rode were
assaulted by the hornet; so that the whole
army was broken up and the be3eged city
was rescued. This burding and noxious in
sect stEHG out the Hittites and the Canaan
mites from their country. What cleaning
sword and chariot Of war could not accom-
plish was done by the puncture of an insect.
The Lori sent the hornet.
My friends, when we are assaulted by
great behemoths Of trouble we, BECOME
chivalric, aud we assault them We get On
the high mcttled steed of our courage, and
We make cavalry charge at them, and IL
God be with us we come out stronger and
better than when we went in. But, alas! for
these insectile annoyance of life. these foes
too small to shoot, these things without any
avoirdupois weight, the gnats, and the
midges, and the flies and the wasps, and
the hornetsI In other words, it 10 tho small
singing annoyances Of our life which drive
US out and use us up, In tbs best con-
ditioned life, for some grand and glorious
purpose. God has sent the hornet.
l remark, In the first place, that these
small singing annoyances may come in the
shape of nervous organization: People who
are prostratel under typhoid fevers CT With
broken bones get plenty Of sympathy, but
who pities anybody that is nervous! The
doctors say. and the family say, and every
body says. sob, she's only little nervous,
that's ALL" The sound of heavy foot, the
harsh clearing Of d throat, a discord in
music; want Of harmony between the
shawl did the glove on the same person, a
curt answer. d passing slight the wind from
the east, any one of 10, 900 a1noyances opens
the door for the hornet. The fact is that
the vast majority OF the people in this coun-
try are oysrworGed. and their nerves are the
first to give out. A great multitude are un-
der the strain OF LeydeD, who, when he was
told by his physician that if he did not stop
working white he was in such poor phys
ical health he would die, responded, "Doc-
tor, whether l live or die, the wheel must
keep going rOuna." These sensitive persons
OF whom I speak have q bleeding sensitive
ness. The flies love to light on anything
raw, and these people are like the Canaan-
ties spoken of in the text or In the context
they have very thin covering and are vul-
nerable at all points. "And the Lord sent
the hornet"
Again, the small insect anuoyances may
come to US in the shape Of friends and ac-
uuaiMancas WAC are always saying disagree
able things. There are some people you
cannot BIZ with for an hour but you feel
| chesred and Go nforte1. Then there ara
other people you cannot be with for I'VE
minutes before you feel miserable. They. do
not mean to disturb you, but they sting you
10 the bone. They gather up all the yarn
which the gossips spin, and retail it. They
gather up all the a lverse criticisms about
your person, about your business, about
your homo, about your church, aul tasy
make your ear the funnel into which they
pour It, They laugh heartily when they tell
| you, as though it were good JOKE and you
laugh, too-outside.
These people are brought to Our attention
in the Bible. in the book OF Ruth. Naomi
went forth beautiful and VITA the finest OF
worldly prospects, and into another land;
| RI. oha WIHOWn1
aud sick AMI poor. What did her friends do
when she came to the city? They ali went
out, aud, Instead OF giving her common
sense consolation, what did they do? Read
the book Of Ruth and find out. They threw
No their han Is au1 said, SIS this Naomi" as
much as to say, "How awful bad you do
look!' When l entered the ministry, L
looked very palo for years, and every year,
for four or five years, u hundred times
year, l was asked If had not the consump-
ton, and, passing through the room would
sometimes hear people sigh aud say 'A-ah.
not long for this world" resolved IN those
times that l never, in any conversation,
would say anything depressing, and by the
help OF God 1 have kept the resolution.
These people OF whom | speak reap and
bind in the gre It harvest field Of discourage
meat. Some day you greet them with NJ
larioas good morning." AMI they come
buzzng at you with sons depressing info--
nation "The Lord seat the horne.
When see 80 many people in the world
who like to say disagreeable things and
write disfwreeable things, come almost in
nv weaker moments to believe what u man
said to me in Philadelphia one Monday
morning. 1 went to get the horse at
the livery stable, aud the hostler, a plain
man, said to me, ont Talmage, saw thai
| ff,a
said. "Yes" He said, "Nosuse, no use,
mans failure"
The small insect annOyance5 OF life some
times come in the shape Of local physical
trouble which does not amount to posi-
tive prostration, but which bothers you
when you want to feel the best. Perhaps it
is sick headache which has been the plague
OF your life, and you appoint some oc'
casion Of mirth or sociabllity or usefulness,
and when the clock strikes the hour you can
not make your appearance. Perhaps tna
trouble is between the ear and me loreneau'
in the shape of q neuralgia twinge. NOBODY
: can see it or sympath;ze with it, but Just al
the time when you want your intellect
clearest and your disposition brlghtest, vop
feel a sharp, keen, discOnOertlng thrust.
THE Lord sent the hornet. e,
T>e,haps these small insect Gnnoyances vii
come in the shape of domestic lrrssatloh
The parlor and the kitchen do not Away;
harmonize. To get good seryice and 20 keel
it is one of the greatest questions Oh tht
country. Sometimes it may be the AFRO
gancy aud inconsiderateness OF employees
but whatever be the fact we all admit Their
are these insect aunoyances winging then
way out from the culinary department. l
the grace Ct God be not in the heart OF tn
housekeeper, she cannot maintain her equl
librium. The men come home at night an.