Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-10-27

Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt TalmaGe. ID.


Los Angeles, Cal. Oct H.-ln TINS
sermon. using the familiar type OF the
seed sowcr. the preacher shows that no
worthy effort ut winning Len ana Wo'
men from sin is ever wasted, but Is re-
warded by spiritual harvest. Inc
text Is Ecclesiastes XII, l, Cast thy
bread upon the waters. for thou shalt
find it after many days
This text has been impressed on my
mind ever since | journeyed around
the world and came home by the land
Of the pharaohs. When l wandereu
amid the ancient ruins and stood uhuer
the shadows of Its obelisks and pyra-
mids and reflected that all these tem-
ples and palaces and monuments ana
tombs were the relics of the ancient
race which was attracted by the 1er-
tllity of the land lying along the DahKs
of the river Nile, these words nave had
for me complete fascination, for In
the light of Egyptian lore l thought
King Solomon was alludlng to the GUS
tom with which the descendants or the
ancient subjects of the Rameses are
wont TO SOW their seed. That custom ls
very interesting to a traveller from this
hemisphere. Egypt is a vast DESERT
From one end Of the year to the other
! no rain falls on that parched soil. How,
then. Is the land cultivatedf BY the rlv-
er Nile, which. when the spring fresh
cts flow into 1t, rises above its banks
and over6ows the low lying lands on
each side. Then, as the river Nile
dries ND again, most Of the overflowlng
water Is drawn back into the original
channel and leaves the adjacent re-
gions under layer of thick mud, with
here and there small shallow lakes ana
pools. Then the Egyptian farmer goes
forth and scatters his seeds upon this
wafer. The seeds sink into the mud.
They take root. Then, when the har-
vest time comes, the lands alongside OF
the Nile are covered with luxuriant
crops.
In light Of this strange custom OF
, Egyptian agriculture | used to say
"Ah, know what King Solomon meant
when he said, Cast thy bread upon the
waters, for thou shalt find 1t aftei
many days He Is practically saying
Pick out your richest grounds. Go uI
to the rich mud covered fields by the
Nile. Drop here seed and there
seed of God given teaching. You VII
never find that those seeds Will die
Your harvests will soon yield their thlr
ty. their sixty, their hundredfold. Th'
ground Is so rich that it is certain 4
hylpq forth harvest" Thus woul'
always. picture the Christian In obey
, Ing this Injunction as casting his see
upon rich soil and then In a rev
months driving up to the gospel gran
aries with his wagons laden with IN
heavy golden sheaves which he ha
harvested for his Master.
Not n True Vision.
That IS a very beautiful vision whic
|, l had about the message OF my tex
There was only one trouble about l
The vision was not true. When l D'
ean TO look up what the Bible scholar
n said about this theme | found the
made no allusion to the river Nile an
Its vast muddy banks, with their mu
filed with ne sewers seeds. Accor'
Ing to Thomas Scott, this text allud'
TO the Palestine farmer and not to II
EgvptIan. Ii pictures Palestine farI
er scattering the seed over his 1eJ(
and coming to swampy region. 1t
the poorest part of his farm. He III
never cultivated 1t before, becaus
when he came to 1t, he always sal
;'What IS the use of my planting ther
I will never get any return for my
n Dor. My seed will only rot and nev
bring me back any sheaves." But Sol
mon SAYS: 20 farmer, go to the mo
unpromsing parts Of the farm. SCI
ter your good seeds amid the swami
soils, where you and all good peoI
are skeptical about getting any retuI
Your gospel seeds will never be usele'
" thrown away. The harvests W
come. Believe me, the harvests W
come" Let me read TO you his We
words, "Cast thy bread upon the "
ters. for thou shalt find it af'er Ina
i DAYS" Could we have more pracu'
''' advice for Christian workf
Instead of seeking the richest hel'
God is here telling us to SOW IN
most undesirable ones. Now, as
begin to run over some OF the III
unpromlsing regions for gospel sc
uu planting. my mind In the first pls
h naturally turns toward the child "
- Is horn of dssolute or degraded
ents. "Oh," you say as you look
him. there Is no use wasting a
thing upon that boy! He was born
8 n bad mother. His father was divor'
ID from her on account Of her dagr
" sins. She is never at home. You mi
OF as well try to change q leopards sp
as TO overcome the parental taint
his blood" Or you say: "Nhat Is
les' user That boys father Is a drunk
and an lnfidel. He daily SCOTS at
Bible. Any good seed we might
ave in that childs heart would be roo
out In q night by the ridicule OF
parent" Yes, Sunday school teacI
| know how discouraged you are q
that boy. But do not despair 60
sowing your gospel seed In that chl
heart whenever you nave an op
tunity. Christ will look after the
suit. The gospel harvests In that
will surely come. Do you not re
the divine promise given to US In
cleslastes. "Cast thy bread upon
watersY That means "Cast thy
in the unpromising fields Tor
shalt find 1t after many days"
And why should we not cast the
pei seed upon the child hearth Il
you a right to say that any child
not be led to Christ until you