The morning times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-02

The Ministry of Tears was the subject
OF Rev. DIT T. De Witt Talmages sermon
at the First Presbyterian Church yesterday
morning, the preacher taking his text
from Revelations. vii:l7-"And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes He
said, in part:
Riding across Il Western prairie, wild
flowers up 10 the hub OF the carriage
wheel. ana while long distance from any
shelter, there came sudden shower, and
while the rain was falling in torrents. the
sun was shining as brightly rs ever saw
II shine; and l thought, what beautiful
spectacle this Is!
so the tears Of the Bible are not mid
night storm, but rain an pansied pralries In
Gods sweet and golden sunlight. You re-
member that bottle which David labeled as
containing tears. and Mary's tears, and
Paul'S tears. ana ChriSt's tears, and the
harvest OF joy that is 10 spring from the
sowing of tears.
'',loI mixes them. God rounds them.
GOD shows them where 10 fan. God exhalcS
them. 4 census Is taken of them, ana there
is a record as To the moment when they
are born. and a Ia the place of their grave
Tears of bad men are not kept. Alex
ander. i'm his sorrow. had the hair clipped
from his horses and mules. and made great
ado Il bout his grief; hut i'll all the vases or
heaven there is not one of Alexander tears.
Il speak OF the tears OF Gods children
Alas! me! they are falling all the time. In
summer. YOU sometimes hear the growing
thunder, and you see there is storm
miles away; but you know from the drift
OF the clouds that il VIII not come any
where near you.
WHAT is THEIR Use?
$50, though il may be all bright around
bout yOu. there is a ---T OF trouble
somewhere all the lime. Tears! Tears!
What is the use of them anyhow? Why
not substitute laughter" Why not make
this world where all the people are well,
and eternal strangers to pain aud aches?
What is The use OF the East wind when we
might have a perpetual northwester? Why,
when a family is put together, not have
them all stay. or if they must be trans
planted TO make other homes, then have
them all live?-the family record telling
story Of marriages and births, but or
no deaths.
why not have the harvests chase each
other without faliguing toll? II is easy
enough TO explain a smile, or success, or
a conCratulation: but, come now. and bring
all yoar dictionaries and all your philoSo-
phieS and all your religions. and help me
explain tear. A chemist Will tell you
il ismade up of sail andlime ana other COM
ponent parts; hut he misses the chief in
gradients the acid of a -soUred life. the
viperne sting OF bitter memory, the
fragments OF a broken heart.
Il VIII tell You what n tear is: 1t
is agony in solution. If II were not for
trouble this world would be a good
enough heaven for me. You and l
would he willing 10 TAX lease OF
this life for a hundred million years
If there were no trouble.
1T WERE GOOD ENOUGH.
The earth cushioned and upholstered
and pillared and chandeliered with such
expense, no story of other worlds could
enChant us.
We womld say: Let well enough
alone. II you want 10 die and have your
body disintegrated in the dust, and your
soul go out on celestial venture, then
you can go. but this world is good
enough for met!
You might as well go 10 man who
| has Just entered the Louvre ut Paris,
| and tell him TO hasten off to the pict-
ure galleries of Venice or Florence.
| Why he would say, what is the use
! of my going there? There are Rem
brandts and Rubens and Raphaels here
that / haven't looked al yet
mo man wG.Its to go out of this
world. OF out OF any house, until he
has better house. To cure this wish
TO stay here. God must somehow create
a disgust for our surroundings.
AFTER a man has had good deal
of trouble. he SAYS: Well. | am ready
to go. If there is house some
where whose roof doesn't leak, would
like to live there. If there is an atmus-
phere somewhere that does not distress
the lungs, | would like 10 breathe it.
If there is a society somewhere where
there is no tittie-tattle. ] would like TO
live there. If there is a home-circlc
somewhere where i can find my lost
friends. l would like 10 go there
Again, it is the ministry of tears to
capacitate us for tie office of sympathy.
The priests. underline o Id dispensation, were
sci apart by having water sprinkIed upon
their hands, feet and head, and by the
shrinking OF tears people are now set
apart to the office OF sympathy.
WHEN IN PROSPERITY.
when we are in prosperity we like to
have great many young people around
US, and we laugh when they laugh. and
we romp when they Tomp, and we sing
when they sing. but when we have trouble
we like plenty or old folks around. Why?
They know how 10 talk.
Take an aged mother, Seventy-five years
of age, and she is almost omnipotent in
comfort. Why? She has been through
it all.
MY friends. take this good cheer home
with you. These tears of bereavement that
course your check. and of persecution, and
OF trial. are not always to be there. The
motherly hand OF God win wipe them all
away.
What is the use, on the way TO such
! consunmation, what is the use OF fretting
about anything? Oh, what an cXhilara-
tiOn il ought to be in Christian work! See
the pinnaclcS against the sky? II is the
city of our cd, and we are approaching it.
II put this balssm on the wounds OF
your heart. Rejoice at the thought OF
what your departed friends have got rid
of. ana that you have . prospect OF so soon
making your own escape. Bear cheerfully
| the ministry of tears, and CXult at the
thought that soon il is to be ended.
There we shall march up the heavenly
street,
! And ground our arms at Jesus feet"