The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1900-01-05
A FORGIYlNG SPIRIT.
Dr.. Talmage Piacates the Worlds
Revenges.
lie Recommends Siore OF the sacoba-
rine and Less of the sour In lsu-
man Observation-Disclosures
ness besore Sundown.
Copyright. 1893. by Louis Klopschl
flf........-..


the worlds reyenges and recommend
more OF the sacchariue and less OF th,
sour in human dispositions; text. Ephe
SLAMS, 4:2o: Let not the sun 20 dow
upon your wrath"
What pillow, embroidered of all col
ors, hath the dying day. The cradle OF
clouds from which the sun rises S beau
tiful enough, but il is surpassed by the
many colored mausoleum in wLish al
evening il is buried.
Sunset among the mountains, IT M.
most takes ones breath away 10 recas
the scene. The long shadows stretching
over the plain make the glory of the ce-
parting light on the tipiop crags and
struck aSiant through the foliage the
more conspicuous. Saffron and gold,
purple and crimson commiugled. All
the castles Of cloud in conhagration.
Burning Moscows on the Sky. Haugiug
gardens Of roses at their deepest blush.
Banners OF vspor. red as if from ear
mage, in the battle Of the elements.
The hunter among the Adirondecks and
the Swiss viilager among the Alps know
what is sunset among the mountains.
After a storm at sea the rolling gram
deur into which the sun goes down
10 battle at nightfall is something TO
make weird snd splendid dreams out
Of for lifetime. Alexander Smith in
bis poem compares the sunset To The
barren beach Of hell" but this wonder
ful spectacle OF nature makes me think
OF the FURNISHED wall Of Heaven. Paul
in his prison, writing my text. remcm-
bers some Of the gorgeous sunsets
among the mountains OF Asia Minor
and how he bad often seen the towers
Of Damascus blaze at the close Of the
oriental days, and he flashes ont that
memory in the text when he says: Let
not the sun go down upon your wrath"
Sublime. all suggestive duty for peo-
pie then snd people now, Forgiveness
before sundown! He who never feels
the throb of indignation is imbecie.
He who can walk among the injustices
OF the world inflicted upon himself and
others without flush Of cheek, or fash
of eye, or agitation OF nature. is either
In sympathy with wrong or semi-idiotic.
When Ananiss. the high priest, ordered
the constables of the courtroom TO
smite Paul on the mouth. Paul fired up
and said. God shall smite thee. thou
whited wall" In the sentence before
my text Paul commands the Ephesians:
"Be We angry and sin not Ii all de-
pends on what You are mad AT and how
long the feeling lasts whether anger
is right or wrong. Life is full Of OK
asperations. Saul after David. Succoth
after Gideon. Korahe eafter Moses. the
Pasquins after Augustus. the Phari-
sees after Christ, and everyone has had
his pursuers, and we are swirdled or
belied or misrepresented or prosecuted
or in some way wronged, and the dam
ger is that bealthful indignation shall
become baleful spite and that our feel
ings settle down into prolonged out
pouring Of temper displeasing to God
and ruiuous to ourselves. ard hence
the important injunction of the text:
Let not the sun go down upon your
wrath"
Why that limitation TO ones anger?
Why that period of flaming yapor set
TO punctuate a flaming disposition? .
What has the sunset 10 do with ones .
resentful emotions? Was il a haphaz- T
ard sentiment written by Paul without
special significance? No, no; l think .
Of five reasons why we should not let
the sun set before our temper.
First, because 70 hours is long enough
to be cross about any wrong inflicted
upon us. Nothing is so exhausting to
physical health or mental faculty as
indulgence of i'll humor. 1t
.acks the nervous system. 1t hurts the
digestion. Ii heats the blood in brain
md heart until the whole body is first
'yerheated and then depressed. Besides
hat. il sours the disposition. turns one
side from his legitimate work, eXpends
nergies that ought TO be better en-
,ioyed and does us more harm than it
oes our antagonist. Paul gives us
Rood. wide allowance of time for le-
Ultimate denunciation, from six o'clock
o six o'clock. but says: "Stop there!"
Watch the descending orb Of day, and
,hcu it reaches the horizon take reef
n your disposition. Unloose Your col
ar ard cool off. Change the subject TO
'omethng delightfully."- pleasant. Tn
Oh your tight fist and shake hands
With some one. Bank up the fires at the
urfew bell. Drive the growing dog
T enmity back 10 its kennel. The
ours of this morning viii pass by. and
he afternoon Will arrive, and the sun
-ill begin to set. and, beg you. on its
razing hearth throw all your fcuds, in
ectives and satires.
Other things being equal, the man
rho preserves good temper will come
ut ahead. An old writer says that the
celebrated John Henderson. Of Bristol,
.ng'aud. was al a dining party where
0itical excitement ran high and The
ebate got angry. and while Henderson
ms speaking his opponent. unable to
nswer his argument. dashed a glass Of
.ine in his face. when the speaker de-
berately wiped the liquid from his
lce and said: "1his. sir. is a digres-
on Now. If you please, for the main
rgument.' While worldly philosophy
luld help but very few Of such equi-
ose Of spirit. the grace Of God could
elp any mun 10 such a triumph. "lm-
Ossible." YOU say. II would have
ther left the table in anger or have
nocked the man down" But ] have .