The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-10-30
DR.. TALMACE'S SERMON.


De WITT TALMAeE. D. o.
pathy," wrote the photographer, us lit
orally fellowship with others in their
various conditions of joy or of gNief." It
IS the power which Christian man hss
OF putting his hand through anothers
arm and saying: "Old fellow, you are not
alone in this world My interests are COM
bined in your interests. When you are
happy l am happy. When you are sad
am sad. When you live right | rejoice.
When you sin ! sorrow as much as if
l had committed the sin. Therefore,
friend, you must be very careful how
you live. In one sense you are exactly
in the place of a locomotive engineer who
has a long train of coaches attached to
his engines tender. If your true arm
fails, then other lives besides your own
must suffer on account of your weak
ness" When Christian sympathy speaks
thus an average man will suddenly stop
and sap to himself: What! Does any
one care for me? Is my life an impor-
tant factor in other lives? If this be true,
I must be careful where my feet CO. how
[ laugh how | cry and what l do. My
life is not an Independent entity. My
spilled blood will stain other garments
besides my own
The dependence of other lives upon our
lives-is not this realization a mighty
safeguard against a man running into
needless physical dangers as well as spir-
itral? The other day a sailor rowed you
out into the offing or bay to take you
fishing. There was a strong breeze blow
ing beyond the point of jutting rocks
which protected The bay, but the fish
were jumping everywhere. and the temp
tation to go vas very great. But no
sooner did you observe the "cranlxiness''
f,,x.~ ,f,|t.
rowing and in which you were to sail
than you turned to your companion and
said: 81 am not going out today. That
boat is not safe. 1t is leaking now"
Why were you not willing to go? Are
you any more of a coward now than
you were ten or fifteen years ago, when
you would have jumped into that boat
without fear? Oh, no, not that. No one
could charge you with being a coward
Personally you would just as lief run the
risk now as you did fifteen years ago
but now you have a wife and children
which was not fifteen years ago. Now
you have others dependent upon you.
Now you cannot afford, for their sakes,
to needlessly risk your life.
Why They Were Reckless.
what kind of soldiers are the most
reckless?' was one day asked Lord
Kitchener the British general of the Boer
war. Without any hesitation he answered,
Bachelor soldiers. Not that they are at
heart Drawer, but when a man has a
wife and children dependent upon him
for daily bread he guards his life more
carefully on their account and does not
run into any useless dangers" Now, my
friends when true father is careful not
to run into physical dangers, fearing -
may deprive his wife and children of their
daily bread. is not a man by the same
Ia" OF reasoning the more unwilling TO
run INTO spiritual Anglers and tempta-
tiohs II ne reailzes that the joys of Others
III spiritual sense are wrapped up IN
ms own Joys anG that sorrows in other
IlVes VIII pc caused by his sins? Lord
bacoh' IN one OF his matchless essays
once saiu' After man marrles he
suIrehuers INTO lie nandS OF success ms
Wile ana chlldreh as hostages BY that
ioro bacon meant Every man VINO is
i,iaiiieu Is hahdieappeu III the race OF
me, ne meant that man becomes
tiiiiu "neh ne mas Whe ana chlldfeh
IN the crises oil NE, Wheh success Is won
by the man VINO cas-s everything into
lhe scale uhe married man hesltates be
cause ne Is AFRAID TO FISK the future OF
ms VINE ana chllafeh. BUT ne overlooked
the lact that MS love Tor ms FAMILY VIII
Keep MN from running Ioollsh f4sks
90 When u man ehlafges ms circle ana
makes the Weltare OIL others ms concern
ne mas an inspiration TO better truer'
nopler me lie shrlnks from wrongdolng
because ne KNOWS at ne VIII lnJure
otners py ms example. Inc ascetle mas
only hlmself TO consider, but the man
VINO mas entered INTO otner mems JOYS
anu SORROWS ana KNOWS that ms ran or
MS soou ne may acct the ives Oh oth-
eis'
What the scripture Means.
But how is Christian sympathy to enter
truly into the existence of anothers life?
First my text says: "Rejoice with them
that do rejoice" Do you know what that
means? Why, the Interpretation is sim
pie enough to understand. 1t means
when you see an old school friend get
ting ahead in life, when you see a broth
er succeeding at the law or in medicine
or in the pulpit. when you see a sister
living in a finer house than yours or driv-
ing in a carriage while YOU walk. or
when YOU know that your brother-in-law
is able to take his family and children
to the country to get back the flush of
health to their paio cheeks, while YOU
cannot afford to go. that YOU must NOT
be Jealous of their successes IF Won are
a minister and you hear of another
church holding a great revival and gath
ering in new converts by the scores, YOU
are to go to the ministe;. of that church
with a warm. loving GOSPEL handshake
and say: Brother. | congratulate youi
We are praying for you and the great
good you are doing. NAY God bless your
new members and make them mighty
agents for Christi 1t means that if YOU
are candidate for some office and an
other is elected to the presidency of that
tn,