Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-07-02
CalnnaSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmage. d. d.


what the world calls failure of life
as well as 10 the impatient and dis
satisfied. this sermon conveys Il prac
teal lesson. The text is Exodus xiv.
-. stand still and see the salvation OF
the Lord
To fall back. In order Ia 70 forward:
TO retreat. In order 10 advance; to
evacuate. in order To conquer; aye. that
is the course most great military chief
tains have had To take. at least once in
life. before they won their ultimate
triumphs. Such line Of tactics won
for our nation that Independence the
anniversary festival OF which we are
soon 10 celebrate. George Washington
at Yorktown would never have been
possible had there not first been
Washington's retreat from Long Is
land When General Miillin, with n
small detachment OF troops acting as
sentineis over wooden guns. deceived
the British army while the American
troops. in n dense fog. quietly padded
past Lord Howe's fleet and Slipped
through the fingers of Sir Henry Gin
tOu, liUtEtitS were EtStuttl
from almost certain stransulation. Had
Washington stayed TO obstinately hold
his ground after the bloody battle OF
Long Island. the American army would
have been annihilated or captured. 1t
Is not always u good plan for n general
TO cut his bridges behind him. Had
there been no retreat from Bohemia
ms el.s. h..ef ..f oil mi
alton of Berlin after the slaughter of
Kunersdorf. there would have been no
humiliation of Maria Theresa. and no
Frederick the Great, whose name has
been the marvel not only of Prussia.
but of all Europe and the civilized
world. Nathaniel Greene. the mighty
military leader OF the Revolutionary
Washington. was aptly called The
Great Retreater" He never won
decisive battle in his life. So IL has
been with other military chieftains.
There is strategy I'm Guiding a foe
whose strength is superior. Many
general has kept the field and worn out
the patience OF an enemy by avoiding
q
proved victorious.
Can DO Nothing hut Wait.
There may come times in the battle
OF life when man Is To fight. and
times when a man Is To run. There
also come other times when man Is
to be like Moses ''encampcd before
Pi-hahiroth. between Migdol and the
ID ~,
one side of him was the Red sea. on the
other side of him were the pursuing
hosts OF the Philistines. lie could not
run. There was no place To run to.
He could not fight Pharaoh. He knew
he would have been annhilated in the
conflict. He could do nothing but wait
He had 10 stand still and see the sal
walton of the Lord" Moses was like
Sir Henry Lawrence. cntrappe,l i'm the
residcncy OF Lucknow during the sepoy
rebellion of 1857. For three long months
the little English garrison surrounded
by hundred thousand mur,lcrous de-
mons. had 10 do nothing but wait
They just kept on waiting for the
rescuers. who fought their way up from
Calcutta under the leadership of that
hero of heroes, Sir Henry Havelock.
Moses was like General Charles George
Gordon. who for ten long months just
had To wait and continue TO wait in
the besieged city of khartum and
then gave up his life only few days
before the English rescuers hove in
sight. Moses was like the foreigners,
praying and hoping and hoping and
praying in the missionary compounds
OF Picking. waiting for the allied troops
TO deliver them from their impending
fate during the Boxer uprising of Chi
ma in 1900. They We're too strong as
body 10 have TO surrender. They
We're not strong enough rs body TO
fight their way TO the English ships.
And so. hemmed in and driven in on
all Sides they just stood their ground,
fighting for their existence by day and
sleeping ON their guns by night They
were waiting simply waiting. They
We're standing still, 10 see the salvation
of the Lord
Very easy il Is for most Of us to 20
forward in the battle of life when the
divine command is given clearly and
distinctly: Charge. Let the whole line
charge" Easy IL Is for most of us 10
retreat when the command Is given
clearly and distinctly: Fall back. Let
the whole line fall back But IL is
another matter for us TO stand still. 1t
is another matter 10 patiently wait
Yet waiting is IA very great element In
spiritual success. as il is in temporal
success. How much factor is the
waiting crisis I'm the successes Of life
can be we'll learned in the words which
DIR. Cuyler taught n few years ago.
when he said. II have been conversant
I'm my time with thousands Of failures
OF talented men. both in New York and
Brooklyn. and | can bear testimony
that ninety nine hundrc,iths of all
those failures were. without doubt. due
10 the lack OF patience. both in II spirit
ual sense as well as In temporal"
II Is to teach the important lessons of
sanctified patience that l am preach
ing this sermon
The waiting crisis comes To thou
sands upon thousands of faithful men