The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-04-09
DR, TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE sY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

SUNDAYS DISCOURSE sr THE NOTED
DIVINE.
eubject: The Benefits OF AdversitV-we
Must All Go Though Some Kind OF
rhrashing Process For Our oun Good
-rriunph After Misfortune.
WASHINGTON, D. C.-From q process
f.n;har 10 the farmer DR.. Talmage draws
Lessons Of consolation and encouragement
for people in sorrcw and adversely. Inc
text is Isaiah xviii, n, q; for tne
| 6tches are not thrashcd with tnrashing
instrument, neither 10 cart wheel tnrheo
about upon the cummin, but the ntehes
.rs hesten out with a staff and the cum
min with q rod. Bread corn Ii orulsed Dc
cause be will not ever be thrashing It.
Nisfortunes of various kinds come upon
various people, and in all times the great
need of nincty.nine people out OF Z nun
dred ia solace. Look, then, to this neg
lected allegory of my text.
There are three kinds OF seed men
tioned-ftches, cummin and corn. W the
last we an know. But it may be well to
| state that the fitches and the cummin were
small seeds, like the caraway or the chick
|
| be th-ashed they were thrown ON the
3oor. and the workmen would come around
with staff or rod or fail and beat them IN
iii the seed would be separated, but when
| the corn was to be thrashed that was
thrown on the floor, and the men would
fasten horses or oxen to cart with IRON
dented wheels; that cart would be drawn
around the thrashing floor, and 80 the
work would be accomplished. Different
kinds Of thrnshing for different products.
"The ftches were not thrashed with q
thrashing instrument, neither - cart
wheel turned about upon the cummin, bus
The cummin with a rod. Bread corn is
bruised because he will not ever be thrash.
ing it."
The great thought that the text presses
unon our souls is that we all 60 through
some kind of thrashing process. The fact
that you may be devoting your life to hon.
orable and noble purposes will not win you
any escape. Wilberforce, the Christian
emancipation, was in his day derisiveiy
called "Doctor Cantwell." Thomas Bah.
incton Macaulcy, the advocate of all that
was good, long before he became the most
conspicuous historian of his day, was carr
catured in one OF the quarterly reviews a
"Babbletongue Macauiay." Norman Nc
Leod, the great friend Of the Scotch poor
was industriously maligned in all quarters
although on the day when he was carried
out to his burial workman stood and
eff 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 al
John Wesley, the father of Methodim
II 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. AL who will live godly in Christ
Jesus must suffer persecution. Besides
that, there are the sicknesses and the
bankruptcies and the irritations and the
disappointmcnts which are ever putting
cup OF aloes to your lips. Those wrinkle.
on your face are heiroslyphics which, Il
deciphercd, would make out a thrilling
bit is seen the next morning on the snow
and on the white hairs OF the aged are the
footprints showing where swift trouble
alighted.
Even amid the joys and hilarities OF life
trouble will sometimes break in. As when
the neople were assembled in the Charles
TOYS 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 aad ran for their lives, so oftentime.
while You are seated amid the joys and
festivities of this world you hear the can
nonade OF some great disaster. All the
fitches and the cummin and the corn must
come down on the thrashing floor and bt
pounded.
Ny subject, in the first place, teaches q,
that it is no compliment to US il we es
cape great trial. The ftches and the cum
min on one thrashing floor might look
oveT to the corn on another thrashing hool
and say: Look at that poor, miserable
bruised corn! We have only been q httlt
pounded. but that has been almost de
stroyed" Well, the corn, if it had lips
would answer and say: do you know ths
reacon you have not been as much pounded
as have? 1t is because you are not OF &C
much worth as am. If you we're, you
would be a. severely run over" Yet there
favorites simply because their barns art
full and their bank account is flush and
thee are no funerals in she house. It may
be because they are fitches and cummin
while down at the end of the lane the pool
widow may be the Lords corn.
You are but little pounded because yor
! are but little worth and she bruised anC
ground because she is the best part of the
harvest The heft Of the thrashine ma
chine is according to the value Of the
grain. If you have not been much thrashet
in life. perhaps there is not much tc
thrash! II you have not been much shaker
OF trouble, perhaps it is because there II
going to be q very small yield.
When there are plenty of blackberries
the zatherers 20 out with large baskets
but VIII N the drought has almost consumed
the fruit, then . quart measure will do q.
well.
II took the venomous snake on Pauls
hand, and the pounding of him with stone,
unit he was taken up for dead. and the
jemming against him of prison gates, and
the Ephesian vociferation, and the ankle,
skinned by the painful stocks, and the
laundering Of the Alexandrian corn ship
and the beheading stroke Of the Roman
sheriff to bring Paul to his proper develop
ment.
It 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 then,
best BY the care,essness of the thrashiHG
you may always conclude the value of the
grain.
Next, my text teaches US that God pro
portions our trials to what we can bear
the staff for the ftches, the rod for the
cummin. the iron wheel for the corn
Sometimes people in great trouble say
"Oh. can't bear it," But you did bear it.
God would not have sent it upon you il
H had not known that you could bear it
You tremh!cd and You swooned. but you
so. through. God will not take from your
eyes one tear too many nor from your
lungs one sigh too deep nor from your tenn