Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1901-07-27

Or. ral~.age Draws = Lesson from .
scraps~rsl Passage Generally
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. %
Overprudeece.

served by most readers, DIR. Talmage
in this discourse shows the impor-
lance of prompt action I'm anything
we have 60 do for ourselves or 9th
ers: text. Ecclesiastes liza: "He that
observeth the wind shall not SOW"
What do you find in this packed
sentence of Solomon's monologue2
find in il farmer at his front door
examining the weather. 1t is seed
time. His fields have been Plowed
and narrowed. The wheat Is in the
barn in sacks, ready 20 be taken
afield and scattered. Now is the time
20 SOW. But the wind is not favor
able Ii may blow up a storm before
night. and he may get wet If he starts
out for the sowing: or IL may be a
long storm. that viii wash out the
seed from the soil; OF there may have
been long drought. and she wind
may continue 90 blow dry weather.
The psrched fields may not take in
the grain. and the birds may pick IL
up, and the labor as well as the seed
may be wasted. So he gives up the
work for that day and goes into the
house and waits TO see what IL will
be on the morrow. On the morrow
the wind is stin In the wrong direc-
ton. and for whole week and for
month. Did you ever sec such long
spell OF bad weather. The lethargic
and overcauSious and dilatOry agri-
culturist allows the season 70 pass
without sowing. and no sowing, OF
course. no harvest. That is what
Solomon means when he says in his
text: He that observeth the wind
shall not SOW"
AS much in our time as IN Solomon
&c times there is abroad n fatal hesi-
fancy, a disposition 20 let little
things stop Us. a ruinous adjourn
ment. We all want 20 do some good
In the world. but how easily we arc
halted In our cndcavors- Perhaps we
are solicitors for some great charity.
There Is a good man who has large
means. and be Is accustomed 10 give
literally TO nsylums. 10 hospitals. 90
reform organizations. TO schools. 20
churches. % communities desolated
with food or devastated with fires.
But that good man. like many a good
man. Is mercuriel in HE temperament.
he is depressed by atmospheric
changers. He Is always victimized BY
the east wind. For this or that rea-
son YOU postpone the charitable So
kcitation. Meanwhile the suffering
that YOU wish 10 alleviate does its
awful work, and the opportunity for
relief u past II the wind had been
from the west or northwest. YOU
would have entered the philauthrO-
pist's countinF-roon and sought the
gift. but the wind was blowing from
the east or northeast. and you did
not make the attempt. and you thor
oughly illustrated my text: He that
Observeth the wind shall not SOW"
There comes a dark Sabbath morn
ing. The pastor looks out Of the
window and sees the clouds gather
and then discharge their burdens Of
rain Instead OF n fun church il will
be a handful OF people with vet feet
and the dripping umbrella al the
doorway or in the end OF the pew
The pastor has prepared one OF his
best sermons. IL has cost him great
research. and he has been much in
| prayer while preparing It, He puts
the sermon aside FOR q clear day and
talks piatitudes and goes home quite
| depressed. but at the same time feel
ing that he has done his duty lie
did not realize that in that small au-
dienee there were az least two persons
who ought 20 have had better treat.
nent. One OF those hearers was a
man in a crisis of struggle with evil
appetite. A carefully prepared dis.
course under the Divine blessing
would have been 20 him complete vic
tory The fires Of sin would have
been extinguished, and his keen and
brilliant mind would have been con
secrated 20 the Gospel ministry. and
he would have been a mighty evangeI
and tens Of thousands Of souls would
have, under the spell OF his Christian
eloqucncc. given up sin and started
new life. and throughout all tht
Heavens there would have heen con
graduation and hosanna. and after
many ages OF eternity had passed
there would be celebration among
the ransOmed OF what was accom-
plished one stormy Sunday in I
church on earth under a mighty Cos
pei sermon delivered 20 IS or 20 PEG
pie But the crisis speak Of was no
properly met. The man in struggI,
with evil habit heard that stormy da,
no word that moved him lie wen
out in the rain unlimited and un
helped back TO hiss evil way and dow
10 his overthrow. Had a. been a sun
shiny Sabbath he would have hear.
something worth hearing. But ia,
wind blew from stormy directio,
that Sabbath day. That Gospel hus
bandman noticed IL and acted upos
ito suggestion, and may discover SOM
cay his great mistake.
There was another person In tina
stormy Sunday audience that de
served something better from tha