Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-05-29
TALMAGE
SERMON
=.
BY Rev.
(, By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMACE. DID,.
Pastor of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

chicago, May Z5.-ln TINS sermon the
REV. Frank DE Witt Talmnge presents
in picturesque and forcible way the
duty Of Christian fellowship. The text
is Matthew v, Al, "Whosoever shall
compel thee to 60 a mile, 60 with him
twain"
listening to John Wesley preaching.
The founder of Methodism had three
different headings for his sermon:
First, Get all you can without hurting
your soul, your body or your neigh
hors." "That is sensible" thought the
lawyer; "unless a man is continually
reaching out for something he will new
er have anything. Industry is the foun-
dation Of all success" Second heading,
"Save all you can, cutting off any need
less expense" Right again." muttered
the listener. "Tt is not so much what
a man earns that makes him wealthy
as what he saves" Third heading,
"Give all you can" "There," exclaim.
ed the hard headed lawyer, "thc minis
ter has foolishly gone and spoiled ev-
erything he has said. He ought to have
had for his third beading. Give as lit
tie as you can You cannot save I'M
less you keep what you have earned"
So some Of Christ's auditors felt that
he was preaching the most foolish Of
doctrines when he used the illustration
of the twain mile. They were ready to
obey the Mosaic law of Justice They
would assent to an eye for an eye,
tooth for tooth, a hand for hand.
They would travel the first mile will
ingly and pay every penny that they
legitimately owed, but they were not
ready to turn the left cheek to a foe
after that enemy had deliberately
struck them a singing blow upon the
right cheek. They protested against a
communistic gospel, which allowed n
thief to run away with their whole
wardrobe, with their cloak as well as
their coat. They would not enslave
themselves to any merciless taskmas-
ter. For every days labor they must
have full days pay. Yet Christ's
statement is strilingly true. 1t is right
as the spiritual. The willingness to
travel the twain mile is the forerunner
of all true success. The unwillingness
to travel the twain mile is the cause Of
almost certain failure.
The twain mile is the place Of test
ing. 1t is where the powers that be
choose the men who are to be honOred
in hfe's service. There the human race
is sifted. There the faithful are sep
arated from the irresponsible, the ener-
getic from the slothful, the true man
from the false, the self sacrificing from
the selfish, the one purpose man from
the indolent, lazy, shiftless individual
who lives without a definite aim. The
twain mile is the thrashing floor of hui
man life, where the wheat is separated
from the chaff, the rich grain from the
useless tares.
The Crowded First Mile.
Most of the human race are huddled
together and jostling each other dur
ing the first mile, where they only do
what they have to do. But in the sec.
ond or the twain mile of LIES journey,
where q man does more than he Is ask
ed to do, he always has plenty of ell
bow room. AS the great statesman
once said, "There is plenty of room at
the top Of the ladder Of success, al.
though thousands of hands may be
reaching for the lowest rung."
Every merchant knows of the sep
arating or testing influence of the
twain mile. When q position in the
store became vacant, whom, in all prob
oh tu tn
cancy-the clerk who has been in the
store for ten or fifteen years, the young
man who has never been willing to do
any more than he was compelled to do
Did you select the employee who was
generally ten minutes late in the morn.
ing, the clerk who has his hat in his
hand ready to run for home as soon as
the hour hand points to the numeral
6? Did you promote one who seemed
to be Indifferent to his work and had to
be watched day by day to be kept busy
as a mother has to watch little child
No. The young man who received the
promotion was the poor country boy
who entered your store with no recon-
mendation except the willingness tc
travel the twain mile, the willingness tc
do more than he was told or paid to do
For years the twain mile young mar
was the first employee at work in the
morning. For years he was the last
person to leave the store at night
When the work piled UP upon his desk
unbidden by the head Of his depart
ment he always stayed many hours
overtime until the work was done. HI
was the young man who threw himself
into his allotted tasks with such in
tensity that he made his employers in
terests his interests.
Who is the leading member today Of
the New York bar-the lawyer whit
when he graduated and could not fine
clients spent most his time In thu
neighboring billiard hall? The younl
man who became an expert in care
playing or in judging the races? No
He was the young lawyer who studied
night and day and kept on studying
He was the young man who put hi
whole heart and soul into the smalles
cases which came to him. He did no
fritter away his energies, waiting 70
the big cases to command his services
lie Is the twain mile lawyer. lie doe
more than he Is compelled to do.
How Daniel Webster Worked.
A noted case was to be decided IL