Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-03-29
BENEFITS OF ADVERSELY
Or. TaImage Says We Must All 60 Through
Some Kind OF Thrashing Process
for Our Own Good.
Triumph Always Comes After Misfortune
Great Need Is S0laee.

WASHINGTON, d. C.-From process
familiar to the farmer DIR. Talmage draws
lessons OF consolation and encouragement
for people in sorrow and adversely. The
text Is Isaiah xviii, y, IS: For the
fitches are not thrashed with a thrashins
instrument, neither Is a cart wheel turned
about upon the cummin, but the iitehes
are beaten out with a staff and the cum
min with rod Bread corn Is bruised be-
cause he viii not ever be thrashing It.
Misfortunes OF various kinds come upon
various people. and in all times the great
need of ninety-nine people out OF nun
dred Is solace. Look. then, 10 this neg
lected allegory OF my tex.
There are three kinds OF seed men
tioned-fitches, cummin and corn. Or the
last we all know. But it may be well 10
state that the fitches and the cummin were
small seeds, like the caraway OF the chick
pea. When these grains or herbs were TO
be thrashed they were thrown OF the
floor, and the workmen would come around
with staff or rod or fail and beat them UNI
til the seed would be separated. but whea
the corn was to be thrashed that was
thrown on the floor. and the men would
fasten horses or oxen to 4 cart with iron
denied wheels: that cart would be drawn
around the thrashing floor, and so the
iork would be accomplished. Different
.nds of thrashing for different products.
The iitches were not thraShed with
thrashing instrument, neither Is 4 cart
wheel turned about upon the cunmln. but
the fitches are beaten out with staff and
he cummin with rod. Bread corn -
uised because he will not ever be thrash
it."
he great thought that the text presses
our souls is that we all so through
kind of thrashing process. The fact
YOU may be deyoting your HE to hon
lie and noble purposes VIII not win you
escape. Wilberforce. the Christian
ancipator. was in his day derisiyely
lied Doctor Cantwell. Thomas Bah
ington Macauley, the advocate of all that
was good. long before he became the most
conspicuous historian of his day, was carl
catured IN one OF the quarterly reviews as
.Babbletongue Macaulay." Norman Nc
Ieod. the great friend OF the Scotch poor.
was industriously maligned in all quarters.
although on the dav when he was carried
out to his burial a workman stood and
looked at the funeral procession and said.
III he had done nothing for anybody more
than he has done for me, he would shine
as the stars forever and ever" All the
small wits OF London had their fling at
John Wesley, the father of Methodism
If such men could not escape the malign
ing of the world. neither can you expect
TO get rid of the sharp, keen stroke of the
tribulum. All who will live cody in Christ
Jesus must suffer persecution. Besides
that. there are the sicknesses and the
bankruptcies and the irritations and the
d:sappointments which are ever putting a
cup OF aloes TO your lips Those wrinkles
on your face are heiroglyphics which. if
deciphered, would make out thrilling
story OF trouble. The footstep of the rab-
bit is seen the next morning on the snow.
md on the white hairs OF the aged are the
,otprints showing where swift trouble
lighted.
Even amid the joys and hilarities of life
.roub,e will sometimes break in. As when
the people were assembled in the Charles
own theatre during the Revolutionary
War. and while they were witnessing q
farce and the audience was in great gratu
lation the guns of an advancing army were
heard and the audience broke up wild
panic and ran for their lives, so oftentimes
while you are seated amid the joys and
festivities OF this world YOU hear the can
nonade OF some great disaster. All the
ftches and the cummin aud the corn must
come down on the thrashing floor and be
pounded.
My subject. in the first place. teaches US
that Il Is no compliment to US If we es
cape great trial. The fitches and the cum
min on one thrashing floor might look
over TO the corn on another thrashing floor
and say: Look at that poor, miserable.
bruised corni We have oaly been 4 little
pounded. but that has been almost de-
stroyed." Well. the corn. if it had lips,
would answer and say: DO you know the
reason YOU have not been as much pounded
as ! have: IL is because YOU are not OF so
much worth as / am. Ii you were. You
would be as severely run over" Yet there
are men who suppose they are the Lords
favorites simply because their barns are
full and their bank account is flush and
there are no funerals IN the house. 1t may
be because they are fitches and cummin.
rhi.e- down at the end OF the lane the poor
widow may be the Lords corn.
You are but little pounded because You
are but little worth and she bruised and
ground because she is the best part of the
harvest. The heft of the thrashng ma
chine is according TO the value OF the
grain. Ii you have not been much thrashed
in life, perhaps there is not much to
thrash, Ii you have not been much shaken
of trouble, perhaps it is because there is
going to be a very small Weld.
When there are plenty of blackberries.
the gatherers 60 out with large baskets.
but VIII m the drought has almost consumed
, the frait, then quart measure will do as
well
= II took the venomous snake on Paul's
hand, and the pounding of him with stones
unit he was taken up for dead. and the
5amming against him OF prison gates. and
the Ephesian vociferation. and the ankles
skinned by the painful stocks. and the
laundering OF the Alexandrian corn ship,
sheriff to bring Paul 10 his proper develop
ment.
II was not because Robert Moffat and
Lady Rachel Russell and Frederick Ober
lin were worse than other people that they
had to suffer. 1t was because they were
better. and God wanted to make them
best. BY the carelessness of the thrashing
you may always conclude the value of the
grain.
Next. my text teaches us that God pro
portions our trials 20 what we can bear
the staff for the fitches the rod for the
cummin. the iron wheel for the cora.
Sometimes people in great trouble say,
'On. | can't bear it," But YOU did bear IT.
God would not have sent il upon you If
Ee-hs not knOwn that you could bear it,
You tremhled and you swooned. hu. yoa
got through. God VII rot take f-N.. your
eyes one tear too many nor f~Jm your
lungs one sigh too deeD nor fro your tenn
pies one throb too sharp. J y perpiexi-
ties OF yoar earthly business have not in
them one tangle too intricate. You some
times feel as ii our word were full OF
bladgeons flying haphazard. Oh no: thcv
are thrashng instruments that God just
suits 10 your case. There Is not dollar
of bad debts on your ledger or a disap-
pointment about goods that You expected
TO 90 up, but that have gone down, or a
swindle of your business partner or a trick
on the part OF those who are in the same
kind of merchandise that you are huf God