Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1902-05-24
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMACE. DID,,
Pastor CT Jefferson Park Prosby-
terian Church, Chicago

It
Young people against the tempters VINO
would lead them to ruin; text. Proverbs
tO "Mv son. II sinners entlce thee.
consent thou not"
No cathedral, 1t matters not now
lofty the spires or how wonderful the
statunry or how may and bewildering
the architecture, awes the tourist INTO
reverence unless time has hallowed It.
Then the centuries have covered up
the crumbllng walls with moss ana
creoning ivy: then Westminster abbey
with its dark. damp. dripping vaults
has become the sepucher OF dead kings
and queens. In the same way no man
has q right to give advice or tell US
what to do unless gray hairs begin 10
fringe the forehead or he can speak
out of his own bitter experience. IL Is
absurd for the ruddy faced lad 10 write
an essay upon sorrow, when the only
sorrow he ever felt WAS the fright from
the dentist pulling his first baby teeth'
and what audience does not smile wneh
listening to the schoolboy's bombastic
Graduation oration upon How to Win
Success?" No reformer can have great
influence In attacking clubroom when
he himself is so unsociable that the
hearers dislike the refOrmer worse than
they despise his teachings.
Every speech. every sermon. every
argument, every essay. must be backed
up by the personality of the Individual
II Is said that when John J. Crittenden
arose to address Il jury and ran MS
fingers through his long gray hair his
case was already half won. All hen'
tuckians knew John ]. Crittenden
would not defend client unless he
himself believed in that mans inno-
cence. You must respect the speaker
before you can respect his speech.
King Solomon wrote with authority.
He had drunk from the chalices OF
Measure. He had quaffed to the bitter
dregs every cup Of woe. He had seen
the ups as well rs the downs or Ire'
He was no fanatic or adventurer. he
was the king who sat upon the richest
throne Of the then known world. Ills
pillared halls were lined with statuary-
The fountains which played IN lis
Gardens molstened the thrOats OF birds
whose ancestors once cleansed tneiil
plumage or sang their young 10 sleep IN
foreign lands His cellars were hileu
with wine Of choicest vintage.
The throneroom aud Judgment nan
were circled by r95ns above rooms'
Near by were his Rlre/ which tf9
king gathered Il 'hcl Tncnyes ana
concubines As thsA ,dge Circdfr. a
Brigham Young H'nE $'-'1e .'hS,',e
most married iLan that ttcr lived.
Not only was he great and Increased
more than all that were before him ID
Jerusalem. but his wisdom remained
with him. When two women claimed
little child, Solomon ordered bis eX,
ecutioner to cut the baby In twain ana
give half to each. The real mother tell
on her knees and begged him to save
the child and If necessary to give IL 70
her enemy. Then said Solomon: "She
"a the true mother. Give her the child.
AS gardener. he knew all about now
ers: as an equestrian. all about horses
as an architect. all about buildings. he
made the ant our teacher. AS mer
chant. he fingered in the busy martS
TO tell US how to trade. Today. anne
wealth and power. within SOUND ol
clinking tankards Of gold and rumblint
chariot wheels. the old sage writes Ill
eternal protest against sin. My son.
sinners entice thee. consent thou not
The Importance of starting Right
Young men dislike to be patronized
Although willing to nccost each othe
In terms OF familiarity. we dislike oiu
er people to pat Us condescehdilei'
unon the back. SO today. as yOunl
man. thought you young people woul'
let me try to interpret these words o
the Bible. would especially interpre
them now. because many OF you WI
have come from far away are Tor III
first time living in great city 10
are away from home. away from ia
ther and mother Unless you start righ
YOU will never end right. THE glor
of Young men is their strength. IN
way to keep that strength Is to refus
TO allow the sinful designations TO ia
the vIrillty Of youth.
King Solomon warns the young pee
nle against sin. because young tolK
are apt to be thoughtlessly reckless
They do not want to be bad: they nav
no intention Of throwing overheard d
the past teachings Of probity and righ
they are naturally religious; they sa
their prayers when they arise In ID
morning; they say their prayers agar
before going to bed at night But the
are full Of fun and animal spirits. Inc
laugh and sing and frolic just az co
capers, kitten plays with her tail an
n bird flies hither and thither for II
mere pleasure Of flying. A full bloo
ed lad cannot keep still. He squirn
ana LWlSlS uuu NhiSPN'"
notes In che schoolroom. He does aDo'
everything that the teacher tells ni
not to do. If you ask him why ne DO
thus, he could not answer Wh
schoolboy when out in the country n'
, not tried to see how near he cou
T skate to the airhole In the icef Wh
boy has not fiShed when standing up'
q rolling log or has not tried TO wa
across a dangerous trestle or has n
climbed q steep precipice unul Q
. brain was dizzy with vertigof Wh
boy has not tried to swim across a II
er merely because the older boys sa
he could not?
When Benedict Arnold was o you
nan, he would catch hold Of the spok
II the mill wheel and be dragged roul
: and round, in and out Of the wat'
merely to terrorize the miller, w
thought the boy was going to q
When a healthy boy at boarding schO
did you not love to go rowing! u
you not pull the boat so far from sho
IL that when the storm came up IL "
y almost impossible to get backT