Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-10-12
MISSION OF HORNETS
SERMON BY REV. r. DE WITT TAI
MAGE ON SMALL ANNOYANCES.
n'he Minor Troubles of Life which
Test Christian Fortitude and Pa
tience-The Lesson of Trivial Irri-
tations.
Copyright, Louis Klopsch, 1899. ]

Copyright Louis Klopsch, 1921
WASHINGTON, Oct. S.-Ths sermon by
Dr. Talmage deals with subject which
appeals to all classes and conditions of
men. His text is Deuteronomy vii, 90,
"1he Lord thy God will send the hornet
1t seems as IL the insectile world were
determined to cxtirpatc the human race.
1t bombards the grainfclds and the or
chards and 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 buzz
zed out of Noah's ark as the door was
opened.
In my text the hornet flies out on its
mission. 1t is n species of wasp, swift in
its motion and violent in its sting. Its
touch is torture to man or beast. We
have all seen the cattle run believing un-
der the cut of its lancet. In boyhood we
used to stand cautiously looking at the
gobular nest hung from the tree branch,
and while we were looking at the wonder
full covering we were struck with some
thing that sent us shrieking away. The
hornet goes in swarms. 1t has captains
over hundreds, and 20 of them alightins
on one man will produce certain death.
The Persans 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 burning and nox-
ious insect stung out the Hittites and
the Canaanites from their country. What
cleaning sword and chariot of war could
not accomplish was done by the puncture
of an insect. 1.-THE Lord sent the hornet"
My friends when we are assaulted by
great behemoths Of trouble we become
chivaric, and We assault them. We get
on the high mettled steed of our courage
and we make a cavalry charge Mt them,
and if God be with us we come out
stronger and better than when we went
in But alas for these insectile annoy
nnces OF life, these foes too small to
shoot, these things without any avoirdu
pois weight the gnats and the midgcs
and the hies and the wasps and the hor-
nets! In other words, it is the small
singing annoynnces of our life which
drive us out and use us up. In the best
conditioned life for some grand and glor
GUS purpose God has sent the hornet.
l remark, in the first place, that these
small singing annoyances may come in
People who are Frustrated under typhoid
fevers or with broken boues get plenty of
sympathy, but who pities anybody that is
nervous? The doctors say and the fam
lily say and everybody says, "Oh, she's
only little nervous that's all!' The
sound of heavy foot, the harsh clearing
of a throat, a discord in music, n want of
harmony between the shawl and the
glove on the same person, curt answer,
n passing slight, the wind from the east,
any one of ten thousand annoyanccS.
opens the door for the hornet. The fact
Is That the vast majority of the people i'll
this country are overworked and their
nerves are the first to give out. A great
multitude are under the strain of Ley
den, who, when he was told by his ply
stefan 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 per-
sons Of whom ! speak have a bleeding
sensitiveness. The flies love to light on
anything raw, and these people are like
the Canaanites spoken of in the text or
in the context-they have n very thin
covering and are vulnerable at all points.
"And the Lord sent the hornet"
The Retailers of Gossip.
Again, the small insect annoyances may
come to US in the shape of friends and
acquaintance who are always saying dis
agreeable things. There are some people
you cannot be with for half an hour but
you feel cheered and comforted. Then
there are other people you cannot he
with for five minutes before you feel mis-
cradle. They do not mean to disturb you,
but they sting you to the bone. They
pathpr all rho which thp pOSSinS
spin and retail 1t. They gather up all
the adverse criticisms about your per-
son. about your business, about your
homo, about your church, and they
make your ear the funnel into which they
pour it. They laugh heartily when they
tell you, US though it We're a good joke,
and you laugh, too-outside.
These people are brought TO our atten-
ton 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 and poor. What did
her friends do when she came to the city?
They all went out and instead of giving
her common sense consolation, what did
they do? Read the book of Ruth and
find out. They threw up their hands and
said, as this Naomi?' as much as TO
say, How awful bad you do look"'
When ] entered the ministry, | looked
very pale for years, and every year, for
-four or five years, many times a year l
was asked if l had not consumption, and
passing through the room, ! would some
times hear people sigh and say. "A-ah
not long for this world" res, lived in
those times that never in any conyersa-
ton would say anything depressA.g, and
by the help of God ! have kept Sle reso
luton. These people of whom ! speak
reap and bind in the great harvest field
VI discoura cement, Some day you greet
them with hilarious Good morning
md they come buzzing at you with some
depressing information. THE Lord sent
the hornet"
1t is astonishing how some people pre-
fer to write and to say disagreenblt
things. That was the case when Henry
NJ. Stanley returned after his magnificent
exploit Of finding David Livingstone
When Mr.. Stanley stood before the sa
wants Of Europe and many of the small
critics of the day, under pretense of get
ting geographical information, put to hin
most insolent questions, he folded hii
| arms and refused to answer. At the very
time when you would suppose all decen
men would have applauded the heroisn
of the man there were those to hiss "Th'
Lord sent the hornet" And when after