Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-05-15
TALNAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT ThLAiRCE. DID,.
Pastor OF jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

or the spiritual OUTLOOK ana sees IN the
growing predominance OF the Anglo
Saxon race an augury that foreshad-
ows the spread of the gospel through
out the world. The text is Exodus
xiv, 10, Speak unto the children of
Israel that they so forward"
Napoleon Bonaparte, in some respects
the greatest warrior OF modern times,
once declared, There sometimes comes
a crisis in battle or n campaign when
victory, as a bird, will hover over the
standards of that general who has
brains and grit enough TO give the
command, Forward, march," This
was the way the French commander
defeated the two great wings of the
Austrian army at Montenotte and
Ceva. This was the way he won his
battles at Arccla and Marengo and
Wagram. This was the way lie tried
TO win Waterloo, when he commanded
Marshal Ney to lead the Old Guard
against the solid squares OF the British
infantry. And this was the way Moses.
the great law giver and soldier. led
the children of Israel out Of Egypt.
sea, and freed them from the onrush-
ing charge of the pursuing Egyptians.
But the divine command given to the
children of Israel "that they so for
ward is applicable to the children OF
God at the present time. 1 believe we
are at crisis in the worlds history.
In 1890 my father preached n sermon
entitled Last Decade of the Cen
tury." By it lie tried TO show how
easily the world could be brought TO
Christ within ten years if every Chris
tan would annually bring only one
soul to Christ and these new converts
in turn would also individually bring
one soul to Christ every following
year. But today 1 want to show that
the world can be brought to Christ
even in less time than that if the Chris
tan church will only realize its full
opportunity and grasp IL. 1 want to
show this because / believe all the
great preliminary battles have been
fought and won which are necessary
FOR this final triumph. AsfConcord and
Lexington and Bunker Hill and Prince
ton and Saratoga had 10 precede the
Yorktown surrender, so l would trace
the great onward movements of the
approaching the golden milestone
where the world can be redeemed from
sin. Then would try to show how the
Anglo-Saxon race, as human agency,
can take the chief part in this glad
some and worldwide triumph il we
will only move forward in Gods name.
The worlds Redemption.
The first great battle for the worlds
redemption was fought and won when
every mans fircside became his city
OF refuge" or his impregnable castle,
from which no feudal lord or arbitrary
chieftain could dislodge him. 1t was
won when husband and father
could walk into his home and shut the
door and defy the great wide world as
he said: "These goods are mine. This
wife is mine. These children are mine,
and no man dare touch them" 1t was
won when an honest man, no matter
how humble he might be, had n right
In fee simple to the property which his
energy had earned, TO the woman
whom he had led to the marriage altar
them.
The right OF man TO own his own
home and to have an exclusive claim
over his wife and children is recog-
nized I'm every civilized land We have
all read the story of "The Miller and
the Emperor Frederick the Great
wanted 10 enlarge his palace grounds.
A miller owned little patch of land
near the royal domain. The king offer
cd TO buy it. The miller would not sell.
The king offered three, four, five times
the value OF the property. The miller
still refused. That land was to him
above the value or money. 1t repre-
sented 20 him the home OF his child
hood and the home of his ancestors.
''Then," said the king, 81 will confis-
cate your land and take IL forcibly
from YOU" Then" said the miller TO
the king, Il will so TO law and compel
you to give me back my property"
The king was helpless. lie knew that
In Prussia the king might sit upon n
throne, but there was Il power greater
than the king. That one was the law
Il man intrenched behin5
the impregnable walls OF his own
home.
But this condition of individual rights
OF man and OF family did not al
ways exist in the human race There
was time when the names husband
and wife did not mean what they do
today. There was time" wrote Sir
John Lubbock in his book entitled
THE Origin OF Civilization" when in
many tribes the children took the name |
OF the mother instead of the father be- |
cause the name or the father was nev- |
er known" There was time when,
by the old feudal system. the corner
stone Of society was not in the home of |
The laborer. but in the castled walls of |
the near by ruling lord. The feudal |!
lord not only owned his peoples cat |
tie and sheep and horses, but If he |
wished he could do what lie would !
with his serf's wife and children. !
There was 4 time when every woman |
became by law the wife of every male |
member of her tribe and every man |
the husband OF every female member. |
Thus the communism of the brute pre- |
vailed. Thus the human being was az |
animal. beast pure and simple. Ever |
down to Bible times we find that Abra- |
ham was not only the husband of Sa- |
rah, but also the father of Ishmael by |
bis handmaiden Hagar. David and Solo |
mon were the husbands of many wives.
But now the condition of society is all |
The marital status has gone
back to the Edenic state Now by law
there is'only one husband for one wife
and one wife for one husband. 1t has
gone back to the ideal condition God /
irst ordained, which the psalmist de-
scribed when he wrote, God setteth
he solitary in families" Such being
he social condition among the civilized
races, believe we are one and all
ready TO grant that no class OF men
ire more willing 10 recognize their re-
TO God than those who
try TO fulfill their re-
possibilities in family life.
Intolerance Cverthroyvn.
The next great battle for the worlds
redemption was fought and won when
fro, fy,g.