The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-12-21
4 HELPFUL SERMON
Dr.. Talnage Talks on the Com.
pensations Of Sickness.
A DISCOURSE TO lNVALIDS
The Case Of Noah and the Ark
Disasters Are Gods Designs
for Our Setternent.

This discourse of DR.. Talmase, which
is helpful to all who find life struggle,
is especially addressed to a class OF per
sons probably never before addressed IN
a sermon. The text is Genesis WI, IL,
''The Lord shut him in.
Cosmogony has no more interesting
chapter than the one which speaks OF
that catastrophe of the ages, the sub
nersion Of our world in time OF Noah,
the first ship carpenter. Many OF the
nations who never saw Bible have
food story-Egyptian food story, Gre
clan food story, of which Ducallon was
the Noah; Hawaiian food story, New
Zealand food story, Chinese food story,
American Indian food story-all OF
which accounts agree in the immersion
of the con tinents under universal rams
and that there was ship floating "itn
a select few of the human family ana
with specimens Of geological and orni-
biological and reptillan worlds: al
though I could have wished that these
last had been shut out of the ark ana
drowned. !,
AN of these food stories represent the
shin thus afoat as finally stranded on a
mountain top. Hugh Miller IN ms
Testimony Of the Rocks thinks that
all these food stories were inhrm tradl-
TONS of the Biblical account, and be-
lieye him. The worst thing about that
.sa.t 49, f-asbet was that it struck Noah $
Great Eastern from above and beneath;
The seas broke the chain Of shells and
orystal and rolled over the land, and
the heavens opened their clouds tor fall,
ing columns Of water which roared and
thundered on the roof OF the great snip
for a month and ten days. There was
one door to the ship, but there were
three parts to that door, one part 50l
each Of the three stories. The Bible
account says nothing about parts OF
the door belonging to two Of the stores
and | do not know on which floor Moan
and his family voyaged, but my next
tells US that the part Of the door OF ina!
particular floor on which Noah stalo
was closed after he had entered. Ihe
Lord shut him In" So there are many
naonle now in the world who are as
thoroughly shut in, some by sickness
some by old age, some by special gu.
ties that will not allow them to 60 1ortf
some surrounded by deluges OF mistor
tune and trouble, and for them otter
rseeive messages, and this sermon
which I hope may do good to others; II
more especially intended for them. 10
day I address the shut in. The Lore
shut him in. =, az.
Notice first Of all who closed the
door 50 that they could not sc, out
Noah did not do it, nor his son oaem
por did Ham, nor did Japhets, nor ole
either of the four married women who
were on shipboard, nor did desperadoe:'
Whe had scoFed at the idea of peri
which Noah had been preaching clos'
that door. They had turned their back!
on the ark and had il disgust gone
away. Twill tell you how it was done
A hand was stretched down from heaee'
to close that door. It was a dly1n'
hand as well as kind hand. "Ih'
Lord shut him In. :, :.
And the same kind and sympathetl
being has shut you in, my reader or n:
hearer. You though 1t was an accl
dent. ascribable to the carelessness 0
misdoings Of Others, or mere "hsrpel
So" No, no! God had gracious desigl
for YOUR betterment, for the cuitlvau!ol
efyour patience, for the strenghtnenlni
Of vour faith, for the advantage yo'
might gain by seclusion, for your eteT
nal salvation. He put you IN school
room. where you could learn IN 81:
months or year more than you eoui'
have learned anywhere else IN . ilfe
time. He turned the lattice or puile'
down sbe blinds Of the sickroon, or pu
your swollen foot on an ottoman, Q
held you amid the pillows Of a coucI
which you could Lot leave, fer som
reason that you may not now under
stand, but which he has promised q
will explain to you satisfactorily, II no
ia this world, thenin the world to come
fer he has said, "What do thou know
est not now, but thou shalt know here
AFTER :,
The world has no statistics as to tn
number of invalids. The physician
know something about it, and tn
apothecaries and the pastors, out Wh
can tell US the number OF bind eyes
and deaf ears, and diseased lungs, an
cengested l7ers, and tangled nerves
ard neuralgic temples, and rheumatl
feet, or how many took no food TIM
morning because they had no appetlt
to eat or digestive organs to assamllate
or have lungs so delicate they canno
so forth when the wind is in the east
orthere is a fog rising from the river, Q
there is a dampness On the ground 0
pavement because Of the frost comm
cut? It would be easy to count tn
people who every day 60 through
Street, or the number Of passengers car
ried by railroad company IN year
or the number Of those who cross tn
ocean in ships. But who can give u
the statistics Of the great multudlnou
who are shut in? I call the attentlo!
Of al such to their superior opportuni
ties of doing good
Those Of us who are well, and ca
see clearly, and hear distinctly, an'
partake Of food Of all sorts, and ques
tions Of digestion never occur to US
and We can wade the snowbanks, ant
take an equinox in our faces, ant
endure the thermometer at zero, AM
every breath of air is tonic and
stimulus, and sound sleep meets u
within five minutes after our heat
touches the pillow, do not make $.
much Of an impression when we tall
about the consultations Of religion. TIL
world says right away: Il guess tha
that man mistakes buoyancy Of natura
spirits for religion. What does he know
oSo,& 80 Eo hoe Dorar hapn tried