The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-10-18
MISSION OF HORNETS
Sermons by Rev. Dr.. Talmage on
Small Annoyances.
MINOR .7RoUBLES OF LIFE.
They Test Christian Fortitude
and Patience. The Lesson
Of Trivial lrritations.

This.sermon by Dr. Talmage deals
with subject which appeals to all
clssses and conditions Of men. His
text is Deuteronomy vii, 20, The Lord
thy God will send the hornet.
It seems as if the insectlle world
were determined to extirpate the NJ
man race. 1t bombards the gralDhe!ds
and the orchards aud the vineyards.
The Colorado beetle, the Nebraska
grasshopper, the New Jersey locust, the
universal potato beetle, seem to carry
on the work which was begun ages ago
when the insects buzzed out OF Noah S
ark as the door was opened.
In my text the hornet flies out On its
mission. It is a species of wasp, swift
in it's -Soulon and violent in its sting.
Its touch is torture to man or beast.
We baye all seen the cattle run below
ing under the cut Of its lancet. IN ooy-
hood we used to stand cautiously iooS-
ing at the globular nest hung from the
tree branch, and while We were looking
at the wonderful covering We were
struck with something that sent US
shriekiDg away. The hornet goes N
swarms. It has captains over hundreds,
and 20 Of them alightiDg on one man
will produce certain death.
The Persians attempted to conquer
Christian city, but the elephants and
the beasts on which the Persians rode
were assaulted by the hornet, so that
the whole army was broken up, and the
besieged city was rescued. This burD-
ing and noxious insect stupg out the
Hittites and the Canaa2ites from their
country. What cleaning sword and
chariot of war could not accomplish
was done by the puncture Of an insect.
ssThe Lord sent the hornet. l."
Ny friends, when we are assaulted
BY great behemoths of trouble we be-
come chivalric, and we assault them:
We get on the high melted steed OF
our courage, and we make cavalry
charge at them, and if God be with US
We come out stronger and better than
when We went in. But alas for these
insectile annoysnces of life, these foes
too small to shoot, these things without
any avoirdupois weight, the gnats and
the midges and the flies and the WaspS
and the hornets! In other words, If IS
the small stinging annoyances'of our
life which drive US out and use US up.
In the best conditioned life for some
grand and glorious purpose God has sent
the hornet.
Il remark, il, the first place, that these
small stinging annoyances may come IN
the shape Of a nervous organization:
People vho are prostrated undertyphoid
fe7ers'or with broken bones get plenty
Of sysmpathy, bat who pities anybody
that is nervous? The doctors say and
the family say and everybody says,
"Oh, she's only little nervous; that's
ALP The sound Of heavy foot, the
harsh clearing Of throat, discord in
music, want Of harmony between the
shawl and the glove on the same person
curt answer, passing slight, the wind
the from the east, any one OF ten
thousand annoyences, opens the door
for the hornet. The fact is that the
vast majority Of the people in this coun-
try are o7erworked, and tneir nerves
are the first to give out. 4 great mul-
titude are under the strain Of Leyden,
who, when he was t,ld by his physician
that if he did not stop working while
he was in such poor physical health he
would die, responded, doctor, whether
live or die, the wheel must keep going
round" These sensitive persons Of
whom speak have a bleeding sensitive
ness. The flies love to light on any
thing raw, and these people are like
the Canaanites spoken Of in the text or
in the context-they have very thin
covering and are vulnerable at all
points. And the Lord sent the hor-
net.
Again, the small insect annoysnces
may come to US in the shape Of friends
and acquaintances who are ALWAYS say
ing disagreeable things. There are
some people you cannot be with for half
an hour but you feel cheered and com
eforted. Then there are other people
you cannot be with for FIVE minutes
before you feel miserable. lb,y do
not mean to disturb you,but they sting
you to the bone. They gather up all
tie yarn which the gossips spin and re-
tall They gather up all the adverse
criticisms about your person, about
your business, about your home, about
your church, and they make your ear
the funnel into which they pour it.
They laugh heartily when they tell you.
as though it were good joke, and you
laugh, too--outside.
These people are brought to our at,
tention in the Bible, in the book Of
Ruth. Naomi went forth beautiful!
and with the finest worldly prospects
into another land, but after awhile she
came back widowed and sick aud poor,
What did her friends do when she came
to the city? They all went out, and in,
stead Of giving her common sense con,
solatlos, what did they do? Read the
book of Ruth and find out. They threw
up their hands and said, rs this
Naomi?" as much as to say. How
awful bad you do look.,' When l en-
tered the ministry, I looked very pale
for years, and every year, for four OF
6ve years, many times year | was
asked if | had not consumption, and,
passing through the room, I would
sometimes hear people sigh and say,
"A-ah, not long for this world" re-
solved in those times that l never in
any conversation would say anything
depressing, and by the help Of God ]
have kept the resolution. These peo,
pie Of whom I speak reap and bind in
the great harvest field Of discourage
ment. Some day you greet them with
q hilarious "Good morning" and they
come buzzing at you with some depress,
Jag information. THE LORD sent the