The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1897-04-16
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Noted Washington Divine's
Sunday Subject,

| EAr. e1nor, therefore, thar, nrst oi
| all, applications. prayers, intercessions and
giving OF thanks be made for all men, for
kings and for all that are in authority."-I
Timothy, H., 1.
| That which London is to England, Paris to
France, Berlin to Germany. Rome to Italy.
vienna to Austria, st. Petersburg to Russia,
Washington is to tho United States republic.
The people who live here see more of the
chief men OF the Nation than any who live
anywhere else between Atlantic and Pacific
oceans. II Senator or Member Of the
House OF Representatives or Supreme Court
| Justice or Secretary OF the Cabinet or repre-
sentative OF Foreign Nation enters a public
assembly In any other city, his coming and
going are remarked upon, and unusual de-
| ference is paid to him. In this capital there
are so many political chieftains in our
churches, our streets, our halls, that their
coming and going make no excitement.
Inc Swiss seldom look up to the Matter
horn or Jungfrau or Mont Blanc, because
those people are used 10 the Alps. So we at
this capital are so accustomed to walk among
mountains OF official and political eminence
tnat they are not to US great novelty.
Morning, noon and night we meet the giants.
Dut there Is no place on earth whore the
importance OF the Pauline Injunction to
pray Tor those in eminent place ought to
be better appreciated. At this time. when
our publ: men have before them the rescue
acits, and the Cuban question, and the arbi-
tratton question, and In many departme ents
men are taking important positions which
are to them new and untr1ed, would like to
quote quote my text with a wnoie tonnage Of em-
phasis-words written by the Scared mis-
sionary to the young theologian Timothy.
II exhort, therefore, that, first OF all, sup
piicat1ons, prayers. intercessions and giving
@, CT thanks be made for all men, for kings and
III have the time and do not forget some
OF them before get through, I will give you
Iour or nve reasons why the people Of tho
united States ought to make earnest and
| continuous prayer for those in eminent place.
First, because that will put us in proper
attitude toward the successful men Of the
Nation. After you have prayed for q man
you will do him Justice. There is bad
streak in human nature that demands US to
assatl those that are moro successful than
ourselves. 1t shows itself in boyhood, when
the lads, all running to get their ride on the
pack OF a carriage, and one gets on, those
falling to get on shout on the driver, "Cut
behind!" Unsuccessful men seldom like
those who in any department are successful.
The ory is, "He is political accident" or,
he bought his way up" or, "It just hap
pened 80, and there is an impatient waiting
for him to come down moro rapidly than he
went up.
The best cure for such cynicism Is prayer.
After we have risen from our knees we will
be wishing the official good instead OF evil.
We will be hoping for him benediction rather
than malediction. II he makes a mistake,
we will call 1t a mistake instead Of malfea-
sance In office. And, oh, how much hap
pier we will be, for wishing one evil is dia-
bolic, but wishing one good is saint
ly, is angelic, is godlike! When the
Lord drops man into depths beyond which
there is no lower depth, he allows him to be
put on an investigating committee with the
one hopo OF finding something wrong. In
general assemblies Of the Presbyterian
church, in conventions Of the Episcopal
church, in House OF Representatives and
Senate of the United States, there are men
always glad to be appointed on the commit
tee OF malodors, while there are those who
are glad to be put on the committee of
eulogiums. After you have prayed, in the
words OF my text, for all that are in author
ltJ, you will say, Brethren, gentlemen, Mr..
chairman, excuse me from serving on the
committee of malodors, for last night, lust
before prayed for those in eminent posi-
tions, l. read that chapter in Corinthians
about charity which 'hopeth all things and
thinketh no evil" Tho committee OF NAL
odors Is an important committee, but 1 here
work who have, not In spirit Of convention
atty, but In spirit OF earnest importantly,
prayed for those in high position. 1 cannot
help 1t, but do like st. Bernard better
than n bloodhound, and 1 would rather be a
humming bird among honeysuckles than a
crow swooping upon field carcasses
Another reason why We should pray for
those in eminent place is because they have
sucn multiplied perplexities. This city at
this time holds hundreds OF men who are
expectant OF preferment, and United States
nail bags as mover before are full of ap-
plications. Let me cay have no sympathy
with either the uttered or printed sneer at
what arc called "of1lce seekers" II had
not already received appointment as minis
ter plenipotentiarY from the high court OF
heaven-as every minister Of the gospel has
and had at my back a family for whom l
wished to achieve livelihood, there is no
employer whose service l would sooner seek
than city, State or United States Govern
ment. Those Governments are the prom ptest
In their payments, paying just as we'll In
hard times as In good times and during sum-
mer vacation as during winter work. Be-
sides that, many OF us have been paying
and wn,so'~pnd state and Nation for years.
Of Government tho S"hted for the protection
to us for the honest suppur, isdahted
rendered 1t. So wish success to all earnest
and competent men who appeal to city or
State or Nation for place to work.
But how many men In high place In
city and State and Nation are at their
wits end to know what to do, when for
some places there are ten applicants and for
others hundred. Perplexities arise from
the fact that citizens sign petitions without
reference to the qualifications OF the appli-
cant for the places applied for. You sign
the application because the applicant Is your
friend. People sometimes want that for
which they have no qualification, rs we hear
people sing 81 want to be an angel" when
they offer tho poorest material possible for
angelhood. Doors waiting to be sent to
foreign palaces as ambassadors. and men
without any business qualification wanting
TO be consus to foreign ports, and illiterates,
| capable in ore letter OF wrecking all the laws
| of photography and syntax, desiring to be
| put into positions whore most OF the work Is
| done by correspondence. II divine help Is
| needed in any. place In the world, 1t is In
| those places where patronage is distributed.
| In years gone by awful mistakes havo been
made. Only God, who made the world out
| Of chaos. could out Of tho crowded pigeon
suits. For this reason pray Almighty God
| for all those In authority.
! Again, prayer to God for those in authority
Is our only way OF being OF any practical
| service to them. Our personal advice would
| be to them, for the most part, an impertln-
| ence They have oil the facts rs we cannot