Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1897-04-30
SERMON
THEME Bi TiiE
WARRINGTON PREACHER.


tom when a sheaf fell iron q load IN tue
harvest field for the reapers TO refuse 10
gather it up. That was to BE- lett Tor the
poor who might happen to come along that
way. II there were hanhuls OF gram scat
tered across the field after the main harvest
had been reaped. instead Of Taking II. as
farmers do now. il was. by the custom OF
the land. left in its place 50 ihat the poor,
coming that way. might GLEN u ana get
their bread. But YOU say, "Nhat Is the
use Of all these harvest fields To Ruth and
Naomi? Naomi is too old and feeble 10 20
ont 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 Heidi
Boaz owns large farm. and he goes out
10 see the reapers gather in the grain. Com
in. there. right behind th' swarthy, sun
Drowned reapers. he beholdS beautiful
woman sleaning-a woman more nc TO bend
to harp or sit upon a throne than TO stoop
among the sheavFs. All, that was an event
full day!
1t was love at first sight Boaz forms an
attachment for the womanly gleaner-an
attachment full of undyinc 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 dav. That Ruth. who left
her native land of Moab in darkness, and
Travelled through an undyins affection for
her mother-in-law. is in the harvest field OF
Boaz, is affianced TO one Of the best families
in Judah aud 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?
learn in the lrst place from this subject
how trouble develops character. 1t was be-
reavement poverty and exile that developed,
~ al bp
subIimity of Ruth's character. That is a very
unfortunate man who has no trouble. 1t was
sorrow that made John Bunyap the 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 Kitto the better encyclopedias,
and Ruth the better daughter-in-law.
Ionce asked an aged man in regard to his
pastor. who was very brilliant man, "Why
is it that vOdr pastor so very brilliant seems
TO have 50 little heart and tenderness in his
sermons "Well, he replied, "the reason
is our pastor has never had any trouble
When misfortune comes upoC him. his style
will be different After awhile the Lord
took Il 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 Il great educator. You see some
/ times musician sit down at an instrument
and his execution is cold and formal ana I'M
| 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 aud trials are great educators
/ A young doctor comes into a sickroom where
there is atdyinc child. Perhaps be 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 to the mother s
| anxious question. But years roll on and
there has been one dead in his own house.
and now he comes into the sicToom, and
with fearful eyes he looks at the dying child.
and he says. "Oh, how this reminds me oil
my Charlie" Trouble, the great educator.
Sorrow 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 fooi oil
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 the iron
sbod hoof Of disaster and calamity. | see
Daniels courage best by the flash Of Nebn-
chadnezzar's furnace see Paul's proves
under the glare of the lightning in the
breakers of Mellta. God crowns his chill
dren amid the bowling of wild beasts and
the chopping of blood splashed guillOtinC
/ and the cracking fires of martyrdOm L
took the prosecutions of Marcus Aurelius 1,
develop Polycarp and Justin Martyr. /
took all the hostiities against the Scotch
Covenanters 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 tn,
stormy sea and the December blast and thu
desolate New England coast and the wa
wnoop Of suvages to show forth the proves
Of the pilgrim fathers.
When amid the storms they sang.
And the stars heard, and the sea,
And the sounding aisles of the dim wood
Rang to the anthems Of the free.
It took all our past national dstresses an,
it takes all our present national sorrows Il
lift up our nation on that high career wher
it will march long after the foreign aristoc
racies have Knocked and tyrannies that hav
ieeled. shall be swept down under the ON
nipotent wrath of God, who hates despotisn
and who, by the strength of his own re-
ngnt arm. Will make all men free. And 81
it is individually, and in the family. and il
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
falterng friendship. | suppose there Wer
plenty of friends for Naomi while she was il
prosperity but of all her acquaintance how
many were willing to trudge of with her to
ward Judah when she had to make tina
lonely journey? One-the heroine of IN
text. One-absolutely one. l suppose Whel
NaOmi's husband was living. and they hat
plentXof money, and all things went well
they had great many callers, but l suppos
Z. that after her husband died, and her prop
erty went. and she got old and poor, she wa
not troubled very much with callers. All tn
birds that sang in the bower while the SUI
shone have gone to their nests now the nigh
has fallen.
Oh, these beautiful sunflowers that sprea,
out their color in the morning hour! Blu
they are always asleep when the sun i!
going down job had plenty OF friend
when he was the richest man in Uz. bu
when his property, went and the trials cam
then there were none so much that pestere,
as Eiphaz the Temanite, and Bidad tn
Shuttle, and Zophar the Naamathite
Life often seems to be mere game
where the successful player pulls down al
the other men into his own lap. Let sus
picions arise about a mans character, an
he becomes like II bank in a panic, and al
the imputatlons rush on him and break dow
in day that character which in due tim
would have had strength to defend itsel
There are regulations that have been half
century in building which go down unde
one push. as vast temple is consumed b
the touch of Il sulphurous match. no
can uproot century plant.
In this world, 50 fun of heart lessness an
hypocrisy, how thrilling it is to find som