The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-12-16
THE TRUE FREEDOM
Rev. Dr.. Talmage Explains lr
What II Consists.
The Difference Between Liberty nr o
demonstrating of the Text,
"Tbe Truth Shall Make
You Free"

and the larger freedom Of the spiritual
world are picturesquely contrasied.
The text Is John Wifi. 81, "The truth
shall make you free"
The word freedom has q charming
sound. Like unto O xylophone, each
one OF It's letters seems 10 he q golden
bar. Like unto 9 silver thr0ated trum-
pet its voice sounds just as enchaut-
ing IN the rich mans palace as in
the peasants hut. Like unto the pheas-
ants call FOR bis mate, II seems 10 rec
ognize no government save the scepter
OF love Like unto the aeolian harp.
which emits Its most thrilling notes
when the wiutry storms throb through
rs strings, this word freedom never
has more plaintive melody than when
II is uttered by beings who pine for il
while they cringe under the lash Of the
taskmsster and spend their lives in
the bondage Of tyrants al whose word
they may have 10 die.
There have been orators whose tones
were so penetrating and impressive
that the words they uttered took q new
and deeper meaning. II was said Of
George whiteheld, the famous evan
gelist that bis voice was Of such com
pass and pathOs that be could melt an
audience into tears by the iutonat,On
he could throw into the word Meso-
potamia. But II is not by mel0dious
tones that the word freedom reaches
the heart most powerfully. but by the
heroic deeds OF men who have suffered
and died 10 win the blessing for their
people II was thus uttered by spar
tacus. the Roman slave and gladiator,
when be led the insurection against
the throne Of the Caesars and offered
as q llbatioD for that word his own
blood. which was shed upon the battle
field OF Silarus IN u 2. c. We can
hear II thus spoken In the clarion calls
Of q Bernardo o'Higgins, the great lib
orator Of Chile. OF Of q Toussaint Lon
ve-tu-e fighting for the liberty Of Haiti,
o. Of q Maceo dying for Cuba, or OF
SaribalH struggling for the liberation
Of ais beloved Italy.
o freedom, thou art more than
mere word Thou art strong armed
angel Of light, breaking the shackles Of
the slave. unmuzzling the lips Of the
patriot, lifting the shadow from the
home. Under this bsniCnant rule every
mans abode is his castle. surrounded,
Ike the ancient fortresses Of the old
world. with the moat whose waters
were impossible 10 the minions Of q
king. Thou ar the messenger Of God,
who would place the coronation robes
around every human shoulder. Thou
wouldst put the crown Of goid upon ev-
cry manly or womanly brow a. thou
Cost say: Man, lift high thy forehead,
FOR thou art o king! Woman. God has
made thy head the resting place for
diadeu which is the equal Of the crown
that have placed upon thy husbands
brow" Yes, yes; no word IN Oh the
English language has g more potent
sound than that Of freedom, for, as God
gave TO King Solomon everything
prince could want because the young
king had asked Of him wisdom" SO
every good thing IN life is accessible 10
the earnest aspiring soul when free
dom removes the barriers 10 TT flight
But as I began 10 study my text ]
asked myself this important question:
What Is freedOmY' Is II unbridled ID
censef Does Il practically say, Man.
you are free; therefore you can do as
you will no matter what your desire
NAV beV Does IL mean an emancipa-
ton proclamation which lberates from
obedience 70 all lawf When, Oh Jan. 4,
1858. Abraham Lincoln in the White
House signed his name 10 the famous
state paper which declared that all
black men and black women under the
rtsrs and stripes "are and hencef0rth
shall be free" II did not mean that the
negro was set free 10 follow bis own
unbridled inclinadons, but that be
passed from under the control OF his
owner 10 be under the control OF the
same law that bis owner himself has 10
obey.
Freedom has its limitations. We
find those limitations in the physical,
the mental and the social as well as
in the spiritual world. Biologists find
them in the dumb brutes and in the
vegetable and mineral kingdoms as
well as in human society. Thus my
subject today, The Limitations OF
Liberty" offers a wide scope for natu-
raj and spiritual investigation. and !
shall endeavor 10 show that The only
true freedom that the spiritual man
can enjoy Is in the surrender OF him
self 10 the service OF Christ. In be
coming q servant Of Christ. in takine
his viii as the law Of our lives, we are
set free from the dominion Of sin and
enjoy the glorious liberty Of the chill
oren Of God.
The physical man is surrounded by
limitations which. like impossible bars,
restrict him to q certain kind Of life
II he tries 10 break out Of the inciosure
he bruises and batters his body against
those bars. ! an not now aliudmg 20
the penalties suffered by the glution
and The drunkard, which are only too
obvious There are penalties against
overiDdulgence in Legitimate courses.
A man may 30 devote himself to his
business or profession as 20 neglect the
proper care o. his body. He has 10
pay the penalty Tor overwork in prema-
ture exhaustion and decrepitude- A
conspicuous Illustration OF the fact was
II the confession which the great and
brilliant Dr. GOlding Bird made wh@
he died from overwork at forty whn
he should have lived ont his threescurt
years and ten. A few months before
his death be said 10 the famous sur
ge0n. DR.. Routhe. "Yes, you see me 81
q little over forty having a fine prac
tice. making my several thousand