The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1903-01-09
MOTHER LOVE DIVINE
Symbol Of Gods Affection For
the Human Race.
Frank DE witt TaImage, ID. d., Takes
Maternal Affection as the Sub
ject of His sermOn-An
All FOrgiVing Love.

/ ANVN9 lhhtf AaN-s ~ LOUIS klOpscn, n. IL
CHICAGO, Oct. 19.-The tender affec-
tion Of mother for her child is used
by Rev. Frank De Witt Talmage as a
symbol of the divine love for the hui
man race in this sermon on the text
Isaiah Xvi, 13, "As one whom his
mother comforteth, so will l comfort
YOU"
The words Of my text have for many
of us a very tender and reyerent appli-
cation. The greatest lessons Of a sac
rihcing and forgiying love have been
learned by most Of us from the now ST.
lent lips of our Christian mothers.
Though your mother may have been
dead for ten or twenty years, yet you
remember as though it were yesterday
how tenderly she cared for you when
you were little child. You remember
how she nursed you through that long
iit Of sickness when you were about
fifteen, and every time she left the
room you would call: Mother. motherl
Where is mOtherW You well remem-
Der how she placed her hand upon
your shoulder and looked long and
earnestly into your eyes the day you
left for the great city or college, as
though she were trying TO make up her
mind whether she could trust you
away from home. You also remember
how when a man grown. you had that
great trouble in life, and your chief
desire was to get back TO the old home
stead and tell mother. And, alas, you
well remember the dark day when you
carried her out to gently let her body
down into the open grave, when you
laid her away 10 sleep among the
spring flowers or when you covered
/ her up under the soft quilt Of spotless
snow, the purest, gentlest, noblest,
most forgiving and helpful Of human
companions was forever taken from
your side Remembering all this love
and devotion. we realize the force of
the metaphor which Isaiah, the prOph
ct, uses when, seeking 10 show how
tenderly God loves and cares for his
children, he takes the gentle maternal
Influence which has done so much TO
develop our physical and mental and
spiritual life and says, "As one whom
his mother comforteth, so will l COM
fort you"
The Divine Being shows the love Of
a mother in wanting to be the com
forter Of all the young folks who are
preparing for the great struggle Of
life. The mother wants to be the in
spring friend Of her boys and girls
during the long years Of immaturity,
when the world at large is sneering at
them and laughing at their ambitions,
as though they were the mere out
growths Of a foolish and visionary
BRAIN She wants TO be the friend Of
the young men and the young women
during those school days when they
have no earning capacity and when
they are entirely dependent upon
others for financial support. The strug-
gle Of life even under the best cOndi- /
tions Is a hard one, but that strug-
gle does not commence, as some F.
people suppose, when the young man |
stands with a diploma in hand on the .
graduating day from school or college. F.
1t commences away back I'm the early .
teens" 1t commences with the young .
girls failure who is trying for the
prize in the schOOlrOOm. 1t commences
with the disappointments Of the play .
ground. 1t commences with those lit .
tie youthful sorrows and trials which .
the boy and the girl can tell to no one .
but mother. Yes, the mothers comfort .
which is given TO the young folks is
an all important comfort. 1t is such
necessary comfort that many Of US,
when we were young. often could not go
TO sleep because of our weeping until
we heard her foot moving across our
bedroom floor and felt her gentle hand
upon our cheek and heard her soft
voice saying: "Never mind, my boy!
1t will come out all right / will speak
to your papa about the matter, and l
know he will let us do what you want"
God pity the man who never had the
gentle influence Of a comforting mother
during the days Of childhood or Of
Young manhood God pity the boy
who never knew the holy joy Of having
his tears wiped away by a mothers
hand after he had been hurt upon the
background!
God. as the divine mother, today
wants to be the companion ana the
friend and savior OF all
the boys and the girls and the young
buked his disciples who tried to crowd
awav the young people from bis side,
and said. "Suffer the little children to
come unto me, and forbid them not,
for Of such is the kingdom Of heaven /
so today he bids the children come TO
him. and Chamber up into his lap, and
nestle as little lambs against the warm,
loving heart Of the Good Shepherd.
Christ today longs to be the divine
friend Of the boy swinging the bat
and Of the girl dressing the doll, as
well as the divine friend Of the young
men and women in the school
and college. DO you realize. Oh
mother. that God loves your children
with a love more intense than that
which fills your heart? If sou have not
made your children understand this, If
you have never sought to impart TO
them the sweet fellowship and holy
Joy which can bind their hearts 10
him, you have been derelict in your
duty. you have not really consecrated /
them to Christs service. Teach them
how tenderly God loves them, and they
will learn to love, honor and trust him
as they love. honor and trust you.
The Divine Being is like a mother,
too, in wanting TO be the forgiving
comforter Of all who have gone astray.
When a man does wrong and peraSs
In doing wrong. nearly all the world