Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1908-04-10
CalmaQe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmage, D. D.

text Is Psalm xcvii II. Light is SOW
for the righteous and gladness for Il
upright in heart"
This Is an unfamiliar metaphor. "
are not accustomed to thinking Of ligt
as Of something that may be sown, a
the farmer sOws grain In the sprinl
Light comes from heaven to driV
away the gloom of the night, to reviv
industry, to start again the wheels 0
business life, to scatter the vultures
winged or human, that prey In tn
darkness. We are thankful to God 10
the light that he sends to us ever,
dawn. But this conception that tn
psslmlst utters, OF light springing a
a harvest from seed sOwn, is novel Il
Us. II 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
surancs that light is sOwn for them
which, though it lies for time hidden
and buried, will yet terminate and
fruit to their gladness.
This conception came to me with
special force as l considered the topic.
II had been raining for five or six
days. Il seemed as though the heav-
ems were a porous sponge being squeez-
ed OF oceans OF moisture. Then came
the glorious sunrise II came In great
tidal waves OF light. 1t flooded the
earth. and 1t flooded the skies, and it
sank into every pore Of the flesh. Oh,
It was glorious! God did not say,
"Here is a little sunlight for you and a
little sunlight for some one else" as
though he was afraid Of wasting It, but
be seemed to food the earth with light
IN lavish abundance. He seemed to
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 It |
and battle in it and grow in it and
breathe it. Here is the sun as a 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 is
sown for the righteous and gadness
for the upright in heart"
Sunshine For All.
God fulflls the promise Of my text,
in the first place. by the revelations he
gives to his children to solve the intri-
cate and mysterious problems Of ma
ture. God seems to say to man, "If
you love me and will honor me. 1
will put the resources of the seas and
of the valleys and of the hills and of
the air at your disposal" God gives
the blessings Of nature to the
race regardless of its moral conduct.
Summer and winter seed time and
harvest. sunshine and shower. are for
al. As Christ said. God causes his
rain to fall on the just and on the I'M
Just" and is kind to the unthankful
and the evil. But he has special bless
ngs for those who are described in {
his passage as the righteous and the )
Upright in heart. He honors them with e
a more intimate knowledge of his 0
ways. a closer acquaintance with ma :
ure and a clearer view of the re-
sources of civilized life.
well. | do not understand that"
ome one says to me. IF that is true. u
low can you account for the fact that G
ONE Of our greatest inventors did not c
elieve in God or hereafter or any u
supernatural power? The men who g
ave explored for us the wonders Of fl
allure have not always been believers Il
D revelation. Then, besides, some Of 81
be most immoral and depraved men al
ave been the most prosperous. How I'll
an your promise be according to fact?" al
Why, my brother. what you state and r
hat state are in perfect accord with be
eds revelation. Did you ever read ed
ie history Of Paurs journey to Rome? tn
Thy were all the passengers and the vi
ew Of the AleXandrian corn ship saw dc
!? Because the ship carried Paul, the pc
.rvant OF Christ God saved the crew
honor the presence Of his evangelist. Of
he mere presence Of the good is a ct
URGE Of blessing for the Indifferent ed
I'd the bad That is a Bible truth da
ught again and again in the past wi
INJURIES. Have you pOndered well Al
'er Abraham's prayer when he plead Wa
for the salvation Of doomed SodOm pr
ID GOmOrrah? What did God mean Di
hen he gave those answers to the in
triarch Of old? Why, God simply ha
cant this: Abraham, II there are If po
or twenty or even ten righteous per- the
ms in the wicked cities Of the plain drt
will save those two cities for the ten res
yhteous' sake" You can put but one pei
depreciation upon that answer any de-
~ you look at it. God sometimes tyr
ssses those with whom his children '
e compelled to live, as he saved the led
ssengers OF the Alexandrian corn gre
lp for Pauls sake. tur
All Blessed Together. Dul
Vow, l am not asserting that all peo- ems
who live in Christian lands are an'
ristians. but / am asserting that the
d blesses all people in Christian ga
ds on account Of the Christian pso- we
who have by their presence in aDl
Sc lands led to their bearing the cIu
ristian name. If this fact Is not 80
e, how can you account for the fact ~ ~
/ all the great scientific discoveries w