The times., 1897-09-20
MAN BORN TO SUFFERING
DR.. Talmage on Gods Process
of Threshing Humanity.
TRIALS FRAUGHT WITH HONOR
Christian SORROWS Bound to Be
Blessed With "a Safe Terminus
Lessons Drawn From the Sacri-
fices OF Thase Who Suffered on
Earth for the Redeemer's Sake.

DR.. Talmage yesterday preached his
second sermon at the First Presb yterian
Church after his return from his summer
vacation. The subject chosen was The
Threshiug Floor" based on the text
Isaiah. xxviii27, 2e: For the fitches
are not threshed with a threshing instru-
ment, neither 4 s a cart wheel turned upon
the cumnin; but the fitches are beaten
with staff, and the cummn with rod
Bread corn s bruised; because he VII not
ever be threshing it,
The preacher said:
The great thought that the text presses
upon our souls is, that we all go through
some kind OF threshing process. The
fact that you may be deHoting your life
tG honorable and noble purposes viii not
win you any escape. wiIberforce. the
| Christian emancipation, was i'll his day
derisively called Doctor Cantwel."
Thomas Babington Maeaulay, the advocate
OF all that was good long before he
became the most conspicuous historian
OF his day, was carieatured iu one Of the
quarterly reviews as 'Babletongue Ma
caulay" Norman Mcleod the great
4TtGEO Oi tic oLOlSn pun htNS lH1uo III
ously maligned in all quarters although
when he was carried out TO his burial
a workman stood and looked at the
funeral procession, and said If he had
done nothing for anybody more than he
has done for me, he would shine as the
stars forever and ever" All the small
wits of Lonaon had their fling at John
Wesley, the father Of Methodism-
If such men as 1 have mentioned could
not escape tie maligning of the worlds
neither can you expect to gee rid of the
sharp. keen stroke OF the tribuluu. An
ho viii live godly In Christ Jesus Iuust
suffer persecution. Besides that. there
| are the sicknesses, and the bankruptcies,
and the irritations, and the disapDoint-
rnents which are ever putts4g a cup Of
aloes TO your lips.
Ny subject, in the first place, teaches
US that it is no compliment 10 Us If we
escape great trial. The fitches and the
cummn on one threshing floor might look
| over to the corn on another threshing
| floor, aud say: Look at that pour, rniser-
able, bruised corn. We have only been
a little pnun ded. but that has beeu awtulIy
run over Well, the corn, IL it had lips,
would answer and say: Do you know
the reason YOU have not been as much
pounded as / have? II is because yo3
are not OF 50 much worth "a I am; II
| you were. you would be as severely run
over" Yet there are men who suppose
| they are the Lords favorites. simply be
cause their barns are full. and their bank
account is flush. and there are no funerals
| in tie house. Il may be because they
arc fitc.es and cummin: while down at
| the END OF the lane. the poor widow
| may be the Lords corn.
You are hut little pounded because you
! are but little worth. and she bruised and
| ground because she is the best rart OF the
! harvest Tie heft OF the tllreshing machine
1 is according to the value Of the grain. If
| you have not been much threshed in lie
perhaps there is not much to thregh.
My text teaches US that God proportions
| our trials to what We can bear The staff
for the fitehes. The rod for the catnmin.
The iron wheel for the corn Sometimes
| people in great trouble say on ] can't
bearft." But you did bear it. God would not
hare sent il upon you If He had not known
| that you could bear 1t. You tre1l.bIed and
ynu swc1ned, but you got through. God
| VIII not take from your eye one tear too
many, nor from your lungs one sigh too
deep, nor from yoar temples one throb to3
| sharp. Tie perpIe kites of your earthly
! business have not IL them one tangle tOn
/ intricate. You sometimes feel as IL our
world were full OF bladgeons flying hap
hazard. Oh, no: they are threshing instru
nents that God Just suits to your case.
| There is not dollar of ba d de bt on your
ledger, or disappointmen about goods
| that you expected to go up but that ha ve
| gone down, or a swindie of your business
| partner, or a trick On the part Of those
| who are IN the same kind Of business that
| YOU are, hut God intended to overruie for
your Immortal help.
God snites US with staff; but we
| hold on. And he strikes US with a rod;
| but we hold on And He sends over Us
the iron wheel OF misfortune; but We hold
| OF. There are men who keep their grip
on this world until the last moment, who
! suggest to rne the condition and conduct
| or the poor Indian In the boat In the
Niagara rapids, coming on toward the Falls
| Seeing that he could not escape, moment
| or two before he got TO the verge of the
| plunge be lifted wine bottle and drank
it off and then tossed the bottle into
the air. So there are men who clutch
i
rapids OF temptation and sin and they
hold on In the very last moment of life,
drinking TO their eternal damnatian as they
20 over and SO down. Oh, let go. let co
4 The best fortunes are In heaven. There
are no ahscnndirg cashiers from that bank.
no failing in Promises TO pay. Set your
affeetions On things above, not on things
ON the earth. Let go, Depend upon IT
that God viii keep upon you the staff.
OF the raG, or the iron wheel until YOU
4 do let GO
| Another thing my text teaches US is
that Christian sorrow is going to have a
| sure 1crmihus. Ny text says: "He VIII
not be ever threshing it, Blessed be Col
for thatI Pound away, o fail, Turn on
o wheel Your work VIII soon be done
He VIII not he ever thre eshing it," Now
the Christian has almost as much use IL
the organ for the stop tremulo as he has
| for the trumpet; but after a while he will
| put the last dirEe into tlfe portfolio for
ever SO much Of US al is wheat will be
separated from so much as is chaff,
| and there Will be no more need of pound
| ing He will not ever be thre sh,ng II. :"
History has no more sratulatory scene
than the breaking in of the British army
| upon Luc know, India. A few W eek before
massacre had occurred at Cawnpore, and
2o6 women and children had been pct
| In a ROOM Then five professional butch
| ers Went in and slew them. Then the
/ bodies Of the slain were taken out and
thrown into well. Asthe English army
came into cawnpore they went into the