The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-06-01
DIR. Talrnage's Sermon.
az REV. FRANK DE WITT TALMAoE, D. D.

AoSeoi y the Iuecnanlc bench, the Ia
Dorer's ditch or the farmers pillow, heads
straight up to the throne of grace. God
is spiritually judging you today by what
you are spiritually willing of your own
accord to do for him.
The Angel of the Twain Mile.
The twain mile has for guide the an
gel OF inspiring hope The man who lives
without ambition or without the hope of
making something better out of his life is
practically dead. He is like the branch of
a tree in midwinter All It's latent buds
are frozen. Then the sap of life is una
BILE to- flow, but when the spring comes
then the snowflakes melt away. Then the
air Is redolent with incense Then the
tree takes on new life. Later on, if the
tree Is an apple tree. Its branches are
laden with golden fruits.
The pathway of the twain mile is al
ways warme,. by the life developing sun
shine of hope. The young man says to
himself: Il am ready to work years and
years II necessary in an lnconsplcuous po-
sition. l am willing to work hard and do
moro than l am asked to do because l
know that at last my employer will re-
ward me with higher position" The
young college student says, 81 am ready
to bury myself IN my books and work
nard because / know that at last there
Will come q time when my industry will
be recompensed as well as recognized"
The young man Is led along the twain
milo of sacrifice the more willingly be-
cause as he walks hand In hand with
the sweet angel of inspiring hope he reads
the lives of the great men of the past.
lie finds that the position from which
some Of them started to elm. the noun
tain of fame and usefulness was often
more humble than that which he is fill
Ing. He sees poor. ignorant colored
boy standing before the billboard poster
trying to learn how to spell. Then he
sees the ignorant coorc6. boy grow into
the great orator, until Frederick Doug
lass name become known over the civil
1zed world. He secs young man as 9
Sunday school teacher gather his own
class of rough boys by going into one of
the poorest and most depraved sections of
Chicago. Then he hears of that young
man, ID. L. Moody. who. was the great
est evangelist of the last century, He
sees DIR. Bernardo called to his great
work by being led by the hant of a street
urchln to where fifteen little boys were
spending q winter night in a coal bin.
There the great human savior of the
London street arab saw fifteen hungry
urchins who were on their way. but for
his rescue, toward the gallows, the peni-
Tertiary or the poorhouse When the
young man thinks of these great men
he says: Read, Christian: read That
Bible is the p" mise God has given to
YOU God declares that if you will do
what he bids you to do you shall have
your reward for travelling the twain mile
for him."
Learning to Forgive.
The twain mile is the place where the
Christian traveller upon lifes journey
learns how to forgive an injustice as
well as to forget Forgiveness Is one of
the gospe! fine arts 1t Is the power
which comes into q Christians life which
practically says when l nave a work to
do and only short time in which to do
It, l cannot afford to be wasting my ener-
giles in Ioolishly attacking those people
who are attacking me. l cannot, as a
general, be spending most of my time in
pursuing a lew Aoraging parties when l
ought to be marching on toward the
great city of Gospel Success" Besides
that, the Christian traveller says to him
self: Perhaps l have not done my full
duty TOWARD my enemies. Perhaps l have
not been kind and loving enough Per-
hars I have not presented my Jesus in
clear, simple way. If l did. lien l might
change the foes Of Christ into his loving
disciples. 1 will forgive as well as for
get. After mine enemy has smtten me
on one cheek l will turn to him the other
also. After he has compelled me to go
with him one mile 1 will go with him
twain"
This is not an absurd Interpretation to
make of Christian feelings In reference to
his enemies when he is trying to travel
the twain mile of forgivness. Almost
without exception the truly great men
who have consecrated their lives to a
temporal cause have been able to drop
,..e bitter personalities out of their ex-
istence. They were able to forgive as well
as forget the personal injustices which
had been practiced against them. When
the north German States We're being
welded into the great confederacy of the
German empire by the master statesman
of the last century, Prince Bismarck said
to a friend during the darkest days of
the struggle: Il must not think of what
mine enemies might say or do. To at
tain this end l would brave all dangers
exile, indeed; the scaffold itself What
matter IL they hang me provided the
rope with which I am hanged binds this
new Germany firm to the Prussian
throne?"
During the last days of the Southern