Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-07-04
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor OF Jefferson Park Presoy-
terrain Church, Chicago

III thlS sSAuOu, ou inc approaching Ia
tional anniversary, takes look for
ward. The text is Matthew xiii, 3S
'rhe field is the world"
Every republic has o Fourth of July
1t has an annual holiday. set apart for
living over again the scenes of its
struggle for independence. 1t has
birthday celebration for banquets, fire
works. oratorical pyrotechnics and for
the arousement of patriotic enthusi-
asms-
The French republics Fourth OF July
is celebrated on the 18th day of July.
This is the anniversary when the grim
fortress OF prison for state criminals
was RACED to the ground. The Bastilie
was 20 the French what the Tower OF
London was to the British. 1t repre-
scented TO all the common people the
tyrannies of despotic throne. 1t rep
resented to them the place where men
and women, to please n royal within,
might be lodged for n little while on
their way to quench with their LIES
blood the Unsuitable thirst OF the heads
mans AK So on the 18th day of July
every car and wagon is stopped I'm the
Partisan capital Then the young men
and maidens, decked in holiday attire,
turn the broad boulevard OF the
Champs Elysees into ballroom. Then
in the French cities can be heard the
songs of the merrymakers and the mu-
sic from the different bands playing
up and down almost every street. The
Brazilian republics Fourth of July is
celebrated on the 10th day of Novem-
Der, the anniversary Of the time when
Dom Pedro's empire was overthrown
and the exiled imperial family had TO
sail away from the waters of the Anna
zon. One of the first acts of the Cuban
congress which assembled after the
American soldiers had been withdrawn
was to appoint n national holiday to
commemorate the day on which the
Cuban republic had gained her indie
pendence. So the people of the United
States government should hold sacred
the day on which Jefferson and Adams
and Franklin and Sherman and John
Hancock and Samuel Adams signed
the memorable document which made
the Goddess of Liberty n full grown
queen.
But there is an unwise as well as n
wise way OF celebrating the modern
Fourth OF July. The first way is to
glorify the past, as though our forefa-
1bers had won all the American victo-
ries that can ever be won. The other
way IS TO take national retrospect for
the purpose Of rousing our ambitions
10 go ahead and win the further victo-
ries that must be won In order to full
I'LL Americas mission. and if any min
lister tries the latter way he cannot
take In the full sweep OF Americas fu-
ture influence and work unless he dis
cusses them from a worldwide stand
point He must attune his Fourth of
July sermon 20 n worlds theme, as
Phillips Brooks, the most beloved man
of New England In his day, keyed his
ministry TO an international tone when
from European city be sent 10 a
friend ut home n letter which read
something like this: Dear Harry-I
wish you might do as / do every year.
wish you would annually spend two
months abroad IN travel. Such va
cation teaches you the immensely OF
Gods providences and how small are
the circumscriptions OF our own indl-
yidual lives and how small even the
Episcopalian church appears to be
when It is focused from across the
seas" So the purpose OF this Fourth
OF July sermon Is to try to discuss the
worldwide influence OF Americas fu-
ture mission rather than to spend our
time eulogizing what has been done at
Bunker Hill. Saratoga. Brandywine.
Valley Forge and Yorktown. The field
or Americas future usefulness Is not
TO be limited by the Atlantic on the
one side and the Golden Gate of the
Pacific on the other side. 1t is TO be
MS wide as the five continents, as am
pie as the two hemispheres. 1t is TO
take In all the mainlands as well as
the Isles OF the seas
Americas Greatest Mission.
Emphaucally the most important or
all Americas future missions Is the
spreading OF the gospel until IL shall
be preached In all the world for q wit
ness unto all nations" The Bible does
not state that the millennial day shall
come gradually, as the sunrise first
tips the eastern hills with light, max
Ing 1t appear as though the under
brush upon the tops OF the mountains
had been set afire by some careless
campers. 1t does not state that the
miliennial day shall come as when the
dawn In the beginning shoots its long,
slender bars OF yellow gold across the
heavens. 1t does not state that the
glory or the Lord shall cover the earth
as the waters cover the sea, as the
flood tide gradually creeps up the
beach. But the Bible does teach that
when the gospel OF Jesus Christ shall
be proclaimed In every town, village
and city OF every nation; when Ii shall
be proclaimed in the mountain log hut
and in the ships cabin; when it shall
be proclaimed under the shadow OF
every legislative hall and by the camp
fire OF every beathen tribe; when ii
shall ''be proclaimed In all the world
for witness unto all nations, then
shall the end come" Then the millen-
NAL day shall be flooded with light,
even as darkened hall is instantly
illuminated when the many different
electric lights fash out at the touch
or a single button. Then the millen-
NAL day shall be full of brilliancy. as
the blackness of midnight was changed
into the brightness of midnoon when
God spake at the morning OF creation
the four simple words, LET there be
light" and there was light The mil
iennial day shall come as suddenly as
the tongues OF fire leaped out of the
heavens when the Holy Spirit lowered
over the heads OF the praying, plead
ing, exultant Pentecostal worshipers.
II the millennial day is to come when
the gospel shall be proclaimed unto all |
the nations OF the earth, / ask you
this pertinent question: What nation is |
better fitted to convey that gospel TO |
all unevangeiized nations than the |
American nation? Was not this nation, |
: In the first place. founded In the name |
OF God? Did not old John Robinson
stand upon the shore just before the |
Mayhower sailed and dedicate to God |
the little band of pilgrim fathers? Was
not that Dilorim hand hound +<,o+,,o,. /