The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-05-12
REV, DIR. TALMAGE
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "BoaZ and Ruth"


dred OF Eiimelech. Ruth H., 3.
The time that Ruth and Naomi arrive at
Bethlehem is harvest time. II was the Gus
tom when sheaf fell from a load IN the
harvest field for the reapers to refuse to
guther it up. That was to be left for the
poor who might happen to come along that
way. II there were handfuls Of grain scat
tered across the field after the main harvest
had been reaped. instead Of raking 1t. as
farmers do now. it was. by tho custom OF
the land, left in its place SD that the poor,
coming that wav, might CLEAN It and get
their bread. But you say, "What is the
use OF all these harvest fields to Ruth and
Naomi? Naomi is too old and feeble to go
out and toll in the sun, and can YOU expect
that Ruth the young and the beautiful,
should tan her cheeks and blister her hands
in the harvest field1"
Boaz owns large farm. and he goes out
to see the reapers gather in the grain. Com
ing there, right behind the swarthy, sun
Drowned reapers. he beholds a beautiful
woman gleaning-a woman more 1t 20 bend
to harp or sit upon throne than 10 stoop
among the sheaves. All, that was ar event.
full day!
II was love at first sight. Boaz forms an
attachment for the womanly gleaner-an
attachment full Of undying interest to the
church of God in all ages, while Ruth, with
an ephah. or nearly bushel Of barley, goes
home to Naomi to tell her the successes and
adventures of the day. That Ruth, who left
her native land Of Moab in darkness, and
travelled through an undying Affection for
her mother-in-Iaw, Is in the harvest field OF
Boaz. is afianced TO one Of the best families
in Judah, and becomes In after time the an-
cestress OF Jesus Christ, the Lord OF glory.
Out Of so dark night did there ever dawn
so bright morning?
I learn in the first place from this subject
how trouble develops character. 1t was be-
reavement, poverty and exile that developed,
illustrated and announced to all ages the
sublimity OF Ruth's character. That is a very
unfortunate man who has no trouble. It was
sorrow that made John Bunyan tha better
dreamer. and DR.. Young the better poet. and
O'Connell the better orator. and Bishop Hall
the better preacher. and Havelock the better
soldier, and Kitro the better encyclopaedia,
and Ruth the better daughter-in-law.
I once asked an aged man In regard to his
pastor, who was very brilliant man, "Why
Is it that your pastor, so very brilliant, seems
to have 80 little heart and tenderness in his
sermons?" "Well," he replied, "the reason
is our pastor has never had any trouble.
When misfortune comes upoE him, his style
will be different" After awhile the Lord
took a child out OF that pastors house. and
though the preacher was just as brilliant as
he was before, oh, the warmth, the tender
ness OF his discourses! The fact is that
trouble is great educator. You see some
times musician sit down ut an instrument
and his execution Is cold and formal ana un-
feeling. The reason is that all his life he
has been prospered. But let misfortune or
bereavement come TO that man, and he sits
down at the instrument, and you discover
the pathos in the first sweep of the keys.
Misfortune and trials are great educators.
A young doctor comes into sckroom where
there is a dying child. Perhaps he Is very
rough in his prescription and very rough in
his manner and rough in the feeling OF the
pulse and rough in his answer 10 the mothers
anxious question. But years roll on, and
there has been one dead in his own house.
and now he comes into the sickroom, and
with fearful eyes he looks at the dying child.
and he says, "Oh, how this reminds me Of
my Charlie!" Trouble, the great educator.
Sorrow-I see its touch in the grandest
painting, hear its tremor in the sweetest
song, feel its power in the mightiest argu-
ment.
Grecian mythology said that the fountain
Of Hippocrene was struck out by the foot OF
the winged horse Pegasus. have often
noticed in life that the brightest and most
beautiful fountains OF Christian comfort and
spiritual life have been struck out by tie iron
sbod hoof of disaster and calamity. zee
Daniels courage best by The flash Of Nebu-
chadnezzar's furnace. / see Paul's prowess
best when find him on the laundering ship
under the glare of the lightning in the
breakers of Melita. God crowns his chill
dren amid the bowling Of wild beasts and
the chopping of blood splashed guillot:ne
and the cracking fires OF martyrdom. 1t
took the prosecutions of Marcus Aurelius to
develop Polycarp and Justin Martyr. 1t
took ali the hoslilities against the Scotch
Covenauters and the fury OF Lord Claver-
house to develop James Renwick and An
drew Melville and Hugh McKail, the glori-
Gus martyrs OF Scotch history. 1t took the
stormy sea and the December blast and the
desolate New England coast and the war
wnoop OF suvages to show forth the prowess
of the pilgrim fathers.
When amid the storms they sang
And the stars heard, and the sea,
And the sounding aises OF the dim wood
Rang TO the anthems of the free.
It took all our past national distresses, and
It takes all our present national sorrows 10
lift up our nation on that high career where
1t will march long after the foreign aristoc-
racies have Knocked and tyrannies that have
jeered. shall be swept down under the om-
npotent wrath OF God, who hates despotism
and who. by the strength of his own red
right arm, will make all men free. And so
it is individually and in the family, and in
the church and In the world that through
darkness and storm and trouble men,
women, churches, nations, are developed.
Again, see in my text the beauty of IN
faltering friendship. l suppose there were
plenty OF friends for Naomi while she was In
prosperity, but Of all her acquaintance how
many We're willing to trudge off with her to-
ward Judah, when she had to make that
lonely journey? One-the heroine OF my
text. One-absolutely one. I suppose when
Naomi's husband was living, and they had
plenty Of money, and all things went well.
they had grea, many callers, but suppose
that after her husband died, and her prop
erty went. and she got old and poor, she was
not troubled very much with callers. All the
birds that sung in the bower while the sun
shone have gone to their nests now the night
has fallen.
On, these beautiful sunflowers that spread
out their color in the morning hour! But
they are always asleep when the sun is
going down. Job had plenty Of friends
when he was the richest man in Uz, but
when his property went and the trials came
then there were none so much that pestered
as Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the
Shuhite. and Zophar the Naamathte.
Life often seems to be q mere game,
where the successful player pulls down all
the other men into his own zap. Let sus-
picions arise about mans character. and
he becomes like bank in a panic, and all
the imputatlons rush on him and break down
In day that character which in due time
would have had strength 10 defend itself
There are regulations that have been half IL
century in building which 20 down under
one push. as vast temple is consumed by
the touch Of sulphurous match. A hog
can up-oot Il century plant.
In this world, so full Of. henrtlessness and
hypocrisy, how thrilling it is to find some
frinnh ~ fnith f1ll in dnrS nf ndversitY as in