Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1908-04-18
Calnage
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. ID. ID.


the preacher shows that the path OF
rcctltude utd duty Is the onIy road to
happiness M mutter how alluring 9th.
er Ways may seem 10 us III times The
text Is Psalm xcvil. II. Light is sown
for the righteous aud gladness for the
upright IN heart"
This Is an unfamiliar metaphor We
are not accustomed TO thinking OF light
as Of something that mny he sown, AS
the farmer sows grain In the spring.
Light comes from heaven to drive
AWAY the gloom OF the night. to revive
Industry. TO start again the wheels OF
business life. 10 scatter the vultures,
winged or human, that prey in the
darkness We are thankful 10 God for
the light that he sends TO US every
dawn But this conception that the
psaluist uiters. OF light sprnging rs
Il harvest from seed sown. is novel 10
us Il suggests the idea Of the dark
ness OF sorrow or OF trial. In which
Gods children must live at times.
contrasting 1t With the encouraging as
surance that light Is sown for them
which though it lies ,or time hidden
and buried. will yet terminate and
fruit 10 their gladncss
This conception came to me with
speciuI force rs considered the topic.
II had been raining for five or six
days Il seemed rs though the heav
ems Mere Il porous sponge being squeez-
ell Of oceans OF moisture. Then came
the glorious sunrise. II came In great
tidal waves OF light Il flooded the
earth. and II Hooded the skies. and ii
sank into every pore OF the flesh. Oh
II was glorious. God did not say
Here Is little sunlight for you aud
little sunlight for some one else" as
though he was afraid OF wasting IL. but
he seemed 10 food the earth with light
In lavish abundance He seemed 10
say. Here is light. oceans OF light;
light FOR the flowers OF the fields and
for the birds of the air and for mans
mental and physical existence. Take II
and bnthe In 1t and grow In II and
breathe IT, Here Is the sun ms stel
lar furnace burning with light" God
gives many blessings. but he gives no
blessing with richer abundance than
when he rolls out for man the blessing
OF the sunlight Then turned and
read the words OF the text. Light IL
sown for the righteous and gladness
for the upright IN heart"
Sunshine For All
God fultills the promise OF my text,
IN the first place. by the revelations he
gives To his children TO solve the lntri-
cate aud mysterious problems Of ma
ture. God seems 10 say 70 man. "ir
you love me aud VIII honor me,
VIII put the resources OF tue seas and
Of the valleys and of the hills and OF
the afr Mt your disposal" God gives
literally the blessings Of nature 10 the
race regardless or its moral conduct.
Summer aud winter. seed time and
harvest. sunshine and shower. are for
all As Christ said God causes his
rain 10 fall on the just and on the un-
Just" aud is kind 10 the unthankful
and the evil But he has special bless
ings for those who are described In
this passage ms the righteous and the
upright IN heart. He honors them with
more intimate knowledge OF his
ways a closer acquaintance With ma.
ture and a clearer view OF the re-
sources Of civilized life
We'll. | do not understand that"
some Que says to me. III that is true,
how can you account for the fact that
some ~ our greatest inventors did not
believe In God or n hereafter or any
supernatural power? The men who
have explored for III the wonders OF
nature have not always been believers
Ia revelation Then besides, some OF
thu most immoral aud depraved men
have been the most prosperous How
can your promise be according To factf'
what state are In perfect accord with
Gods revelation Did you ever read
the history OF Paul's journey 20 Rome?
Why We're all the passengers and the
crew OF the AleXaudrian corn ship saw
ed? Because the ship carried Paul. the
TO honor the presence Of his evangelist
The mere presence Of the good IL
source OF blessing for the indifferent
aud the bad That is Bible truth
taught again and again IN the past
centuries. Have you pondered well
over Abraham's prayer when he plead
ed for the salvation Of doomed Sodom
and Gomorrah? What did God mean
when he gave those answers to the
patriarch OF old? Why. God simply
meant this: abraham. II there are tif-
~ or twenty or even ten righteous per
sons IN the wicked cities u the plain
WIN save those two cities for the ten
righteous sake" You eau put but one
Interpretation upon that answer any
way you look at L. God sometimes
blesses those with whom his children
are compelled to live. rs he saved the
passengers OF the Alexandrian corn
ship FOR Panl's sake,
All Blessed Together.
Now. am not asserting that all peo-
pie who live IN Christian lands are