Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-10-11
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,,
Pastor of Jefferson Park Presby-
terian Church, Chicago

portunItles as they come within our
rench The text is Galatians VI. 10
"As we have therefore opportunity. let
us do good unto all men,"
"Do circumstances make the man or
man the circumstances" Is the theme
OF never ending discussion. Some
people are intense In their advocacy OF
the first half OF this question. They
believe that no great temporal achieve
ment Is possible unless that success Is
the outgrowth Of fortultous comblna-
lion OF favorable circumstances. At
the present time they point. by way Of
Illustration. to the career OF the presl.
dent OF the United States and assert
that the present incumbent would not
have reached his exalted position had
not the unseen fates singled him out
as one Of their most favored children.
Ii WINS Il tidal wave Of municipal re-
form. over which he had practically no
control that bore him. a comparatively
unknown young man. into police
lcOmmlsslonpr's chair of New York city;
II was the result Of the Spanish Amer
/ lean war. which be did nothing to
bring about. that made him governor
OF New York state: 1t was a conspiracy
Of the politicians to politically mummi
| fy and embalm his presidential aspira-
tlons that shelvcd him. much against
his Will. IN the vice presidential chair.
! "a nd iYafo of
that opened for him almost immediate
ly the front door OF the White House.
Thus the believers In the doctrine
that circumstances make men" de-
clare that in four short years star
! tiing series OF events. unexampled in
the history Of our nation. changed
! young assistant secretary OF the navy
department into the executive head Of
the mightiPst nation In the world. On
the other hand. those who hold the op-
posite view and answer in the negative
the question. DO circumstances make
the nlanT which has been debated in
every college literary society OF the
land. contend that the president owes
his Elevation to his virile force. unlm-
peachable character. intense convic-
tions and never yielding grit. They
declare that 10 power on earth could
ever have kept him an underling.
They affirm tlIat these characteristic
qnallties would iinve forced him to the
front no matter In what cline he might
have lived or to what flag he might
have owed his allegiance, These two In
tcrpretatIons OF such well known ca
reer to greater or less extent may be
applied to the worldly success Of al
most every man who has attained emf
nence In public affairs
But though high temporal achieve
ment can be- reached only by a few, my
text distinctly implies that great spir
itual usefulness and great opportuni-
ties TO serve mankind are attainabe
by every true Christian. Therefore In
this sermon would analyze and dis.
cuss and emphasize the one Pauline
word. "opportunityw With letters Of
fire would burn that one word deeply
into every Christian heart. ! would
have all know that all the great op'
portunities for doing good to our fel-
low men come to the true Christian
I'm the same manner In which the OPP
pOrtunity for great temporal fame
came to Roosevelt. Mckinley,
Lincoln. a Grant. a Lee an Ericsson.
a Morse. Watt. n Harvey. a James
Y. Simpson. Washington. Fred
erlck the Great or n Charlemagne
How Opportunities Come.
Great opportunities are willing to
knock at the door Of only the hopored
few who hnve previously made great
preparations to greet and to embrace
them. They are not friendless and
helpless waits OF the street They are
not social outcnsts who have to beg a
place whereOn to lay their heads They
are not fugitives from Justice who are
fleeing the cOnyict's cell or the hang
mans moose They are august mes
sengers. who are particular under what
roof they lodge and at what table they
sit down and eAt Thus we find. by
tracing history. that though all men
who have prepared themselves for sue
cess In n certain line OF work do not
necessarily get the opportunity TO
achieve that success. yet In no case DO
we find the swift footed travellers call
ed great opportunities" dwelling In
the home OF one who has not the men
tai and moral capacity to welcome and
entertain them
Almost every grent man or history
has declared that the result OF his lIfe's
work was not due TO mere haplhZard
chance, but to years OF work. years OF
nreparatlon and often years or neon
spicuous toll Read the autobiography
OF James Marion Sims. the surgeon
whose discoveries have alleviated the
sufferings OF multitudes OF the human
race. he worked for years and years
In his peculiar department OF surgery
before the opportunity OF fame ana
success came. He worked IN obscurity
and in poverty. He worked until his
own health broke down and he feared
be must die. Read the testimony or
Thomas A. Edison Did the opportu-
nifty come and knock at his laborato
~ by mere haphnzard chancef NO.
Thomas A. Edison distinctly and en-
phatically declares that he never made |
any great Invention without the hard
est Kind OF mental toll.
One OF the greatest chess players OF
the world gave me the same testimony |
In reference to his past life. He said;
81 came to the conclusion that no man
could make a great success at any
thing. even in a game, unless he gave
himself up to rigid course OF prepara-
ton. So for three long years l used
to sleep and eat and exercise during
the day. Then alone In the quietude
of the long hours OF the night, when
the whole world was asleep, l was
solving the different problems OF the
chessboard. At last by this work | so |