The Monmouth inquirer., 1906-09-27
Caln1age
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank Ne Witt Talmase. D. d.

sermon the preacher finds lesson
amid the mountain peaks and valleys,
the breeding places of storm and tenn
pest The text is Psalm lxKxi, 7, IL an
swered thee in the secret place of thun-
der"
wonder where the sweet singer of
Israel caught his inspiration formy text?
Was he herding his sheep one day in the
valley or the lowlands. where the shep
herds, thousand years later, watched
their fiocks by night and heard the
angel of the nativity say Fear not,
for behold bring you tidings Of great
joy, which shall be to all people. for
unto you Is born this day In the city of
David Saviour which Is Christ the
IordY' While he was sitting upon
rock in the fields did he not look up and
see the storm clouds gathering over the
surrounding hills? Then away off in
tho dir ance did he hear the muttering
OF The = nder3 And while the valleys
remained dry did he see the rain fall
ing In torrents upon the mountain
heights? Then did he see a beautiful
rainbow in a great arch lift Itself above
those mountain topsi And then did he
renem',o tle words which God spake
unto fsoan thousand years before the
psalmlst was born. Il do set my bow
la the clouds, and 1t shall be for token
OF covenant between me and the
earth, and l VIII remember my cove
nant which Is between me and you and
every living creature of all flesh. and
the waters shall no more become
food to destroy all fiesh?" Then when
David saw the rainbow and witnessed
the storm clouds disappear did he feel
that God was his protector and never
failing friend? Was he filed with the
divine peace which passeth all under
: standing?
OR 1t may be different scenes that
suggested to the sweet singer Of Israel
the image OF my text. Perhaps 1t was
on dav when one Of his sheep went
astray. He counted the flock over and
over again, and he found that one was
surely lost So he started up the noun
tain side to hunt 1t. Higher and higher
he went. He plunged through this
thicket and that Then at last he found
1t. But In the meantime the night set
tied IN. Then the stars OF the heavens
were shut out by the black clouds.
Then the thunder began to growl Then,
with his bIeating sheep following close
at his heels, he saw the iightninRs S4sn
and shatter huge tree Just short dis
lance OF. Then he said: "Ah. that must
have been the way Gods voice sounded
to Noses when he spoke to him among
the cayerns and the deep ravines OF old
Sinai. This Is truly one Of the secret
places OF thunder" l personally be-
lieve that the psalmist did not catch
tho meaning of my text when he was
tending his sheep down In the valleys.
but when he was hunting for lost
lamb In one of the secret places of
thunder, upon one of the highest peaks
Of the Judean mountains overlooking
the little village of Bethlehem. where
he was born and where his family at
that time dwelt.
seoxet Place Of Thunder.
We do not know what were the
scenes that caused these words to
spring from the lips of the ancient
poet, but since his time tho child OF
God has often been reminded OF them
In times OF trouble and crisis. 1t is
we'll to know that there are secret
places In which Gods voice may be
heard by the discouraged soul There
are times when the heart Of the faith
fui IL depressed by the noises wran-
Cling around him; when his ears are
filed with the loud babble of the
worlds disputings, with the fierce cries
OF contention, with the silly utterances
of s0cietys friv0lity, with the vain and
foolish sophistry Of learned phiioso-
piers proclaiming that there is no God.
Then happy Is he If he can retire into
his closet or some other secret place
and hear the voice OF God answering
his perturbed spirit In thunder tones.
The words suggest that Gods secret
places of thunder are far away from
the ordinary haunts of man They are
5. AZ that for little while at
least we can get away from the selfish
nesses and meannesses and sordidness
higher plane. We can be, as | was
some tiuse ago, when climbed the
San Bernardino mountains to camp in
the noteo lie Bear valley of south
err, California. After we bad gone up
1000. 1000, 5000, 1000. 5000 feet sud-
denly we came to the summit. There
we were able to stand upon the rocks
and with sweep Of eye take In the hot
plains dotted with cities and villages
and ranches There we could see
where men and women We're toiling
and struggling in the work Of everyday
life, but we were above them all and
above their turmoil. We were In the
nesh, yet we were so far up that when
the mists began TO gather they shut out
the whole world beneath us. These
mists lookod like great sea. with here