Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-05-09
TALMAGE
SERMON
=. - -~S y
By Rev.
FRANK De WITT TALMAcE.p.p.

ShcaSo, April 2I.-In this sermon
Or. Frank De Witt Talmage shows
that mutual helpfulness is q duty of
our common humanity and especially a
duty incumbent upon Christian people;
text. Galatians vi. 2. "Bear We one an
others burdens and so fulfill the law
OF Christ
Paul was the nobiest Christian mar
tyr who ever lived. He could well
quote himself as an example for all
his contemporaries. From the very
moment when his blinded eyes were
opened by the good Ananias on the
Damascus street called straight he
never ceased to sacrifice himself for
his fellow men. But SO important is
the lesson Of vicarious burden bearing
Paul would not have his friends look to
any human guide. He seems TO come
TO the members of the Galatian church
in the same way that a stan officer OF
the commander of a great army deliv-
ers his orders 20 q captain, a major,
colonel or brigadier general. and they
are orders OF beneficent import. as were
those that the representatives of Gen.
eral Grant delivered when they rode
through the Federal lines telling Sheri-
dan and Meade and Humphreys and
Ord and Warren and Wright and Hart
ranft to cease firing because the two
national leaders, Grant and Lee, We're
meeting under flag of truce at Apo
mattox.
A Law For the Common Good.
Paul seems to say, "The duty OF bear
ing one another's burdens is not my
own command. nor is il given to Us by
the command of Peter or John or Apol-
los, but by the command Of the great
Divine Chieftain himself" Read the
words as they were written TO the rug
ged mountaineers who constituted the
Galatian church. Hear We the command
as it is spoken for US to hear, Bear We
one another's burdens and so fulfill the
law of Christ" The law Of Christ is
the law with which every Christian
should be in harmony. 1t is the law
which ought to inspire US all. Like all
Christ's laws, it is reasonable and is
devised for the common good.
I John b. Cough was able to picture
the misery of the inebriate in the black
est and the reddest colors because he
himself had writhed in the lowest
depths OF n living inferno. He had
drunk the cup of horrors 20 the bitter
dregs- He signed the pledge aud broke
It again and again. One day. weak and
helpless with delirium, he stood in the
foundry working upon piece OF iron.
Suddenly that bar of iron began to
twist and move in his hand like n
writing serpent. In horror the delir-
fous man dropped 1t. and as it lay
there he seemed to sec 1t writing and
twisting upon the floor OF the foundry.
John Il. Coughs crazed brain knew it
was only bar of iron, and yet there
he saw it q living, hideous, kissing
snake. His courage broke down. He
thought it was useless 20 struggle Ion
ger. Just then n Christian gentleman
who had the spirit or n true burden
bearer came in and said: "Hello,
Cough i saw you up ut the temper
nnce meeting last week. saw you
eign the pledge. We have missed you
Tor four days. / thought would come
around and find out how you are get
ting along. God bless you. Keep up the
struggle. Christ will help you through"
Those few words saved John d.
Cough for time and eternity. He never
touched drop or fatal intoxicant after
that. Those words were the helping
hand TINT drc>s usiI VIZ 1870
pushed him over the up grade. Those
few words made John Il. Cough a free
man-free for time, free for eternity.
+ Encourage the Hopeless.
To bear one anothers burdens will
often inspire hopeless, helpless, pur-
poseless sinner TO put forth his own
energies until after awhile he gathers
strength enough 10 help himself.
Have you ever seen a team OF horses
hitched to heavy laden wagon that
is stuck in the ruts? The horses
struggle and pull until they become
absolutely helpless and can pull no
more. Then have you ever seen a cou-
pie OF men come with some long, stout
bars? They place those bars under
meath the hind axle and begin TO heave.
The wagon moves. Then after the ruts
have been passed have you ever seen
the team OF horses, which were help
less when the wheels were stuck in the
ruts. easily pull the wagon along the
broad highway? Have you ever seen a
great engine. fastened to the end of n
long train, putting and blowing, with
Its wheels whirling around and around
and yet not moving one inch ahead?
That train is stalled upon an up grade.
Then have you ever seen another en-
CINE, being fastened to that first en-
CINE, by the addition OF its power draw
the train up2 Then after the up grade
has been passed have you seen that
second engine uncoupled, because the
first engine was then able to do all the
work?
The great trouble of this world is
some men are too heavily burdened.
They have too big a pack upon their
backs. To use the figure of the wagon
or the engine. they are stalled upon
the up grade. They are stuck in the
mud. When they first came to q stand
still. they pulled and tugged and strug.
gied, and the more they pulled the
more exhausted they became. The re-
suit was instead OF getting ahead they
became discouraged. They just gave
up all hope and lay down to die. If
you would go to that wearied and
stumbling man and help him carry the
load up the crossing, help him out of
the ruts you would not only do good
TO the extent to which you relieved
him or his superintendent weight, but
you would stimulate him to exert his
own energies until after awhile he.
though weakly, would be strengthened
and encouraged to take care of him.
self.
Advantages of Combination.
This is an age for the specialization
or talents. Instead of one man making
shoe. as in olden times single cob
bier did, 1T now takes fifty men to
make the same shoe. Instead of one
woman spinning her own thread and
weaving her own cotton and sewing
her own garments each woman con-
centrates her power of mind upon one