Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-08-26
Calmage
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt TalrnaRe, ID. ID.

LUIS AhSeleS, Nui., Aug. Zl-ln this
sermon the freedom of this world. with
NIL its restrictions and limitations. and
the larger freedom of the spiritual
world are picturesquely contrasted.
The text Is John viii, %. The truth
shall make you free"
The word freedom has charming
sound. Like unto xylophone. each
one of its letters seems to be golden
bar. Like unto n silver throated trum-
pet. its voice sounds just as enchant-
ing in the rich mans palace MS in
the PEASANTS hut. Like unto the pleas
ants call for his mate il seems to rec
ognize no government save the scepter
of love. Like unto the aeolian harp.
which emits its most thrilling notes
when the wintry storms throb through
Its strings, this word freedom never
has more plaintive melody than when
1T Is uttered by beings who pine for IL
while they crlnge under the lash OF the
taskmaster and spend their lives in
the bondage of tyrants at whose word
they may have to die.
There have been orators whose tones
were so penetrating and impressive
that the words they uttered took n new
and deeper meaning. 1t was said OF
George Whitefield, the famous evan
gelist, that his voice was of such COM
pass and pathos that he could melt an
audience into tears by the information
he could throw into the word Meso-
potamia. But it IL not by melodious
tones that the word freedom reaches
the heart most powerfully. but by the
heroic deeds of men who have suffered
and died to win the blessing Cor their
people. 1t was thus uttered by Spar
tacus. the Roman slave and gladiator,
when he led the instruction against
the throne OF the Caesars and offered
rs a hbatiOn for that word his own
blood, which was shed upon the battle
field OF Silarus in al Il. c. We can
hear 1t thus spoken in the clarion calls
OF Bernardo O'Higgins, the great lib
orator of Chile, or of Toussaint Lou
venture fighting for the liberty of Haiti,
or OF Maceo dying for Cuba. or OF
Garibaldi struggling for the liberation
OF his beloved Italy.
freedom, thou art more than a
mere word! Thou art a strong armed
angel OF light breaking the shackles OF
the slave. unmuzzling the lfps OF the
patriot. lifting the shadow from the
home. Under this benignant rule every
mans abode Is his castle. surrounded.
like the ancient fortresscs of the old
world, with the Inoat whose waters
were irupassable TO the minlons OF n
king. Thou art the messenger of God,
who would place the coronation robes
around every human shoulder. Thou
wouldst put the crown OF gold upon ev-
cry manly or womanly brow as thou
dost say: Man. lift high thy forehead,
FOR thou art king! Woman, God has
made thy head the resting place for n
diadem which is the equal OF the crown
that 1 have placed upon thy husbands
brow" Yes. yes; no word In all the
English language has more potent
sound than that OF freedom. for. as God
gave TO King Solomon everything n
prince could want because the young
king had asked OF him wisdom" SO
every good thing in life is accessible to
the earnest, aspiring soul when free
dom removes the barriers 10 its flight
what Is Frcedomf
But as l began to study my text
asked myself this important question:
What is frccdon;" Is il unbridled IL
ccnsef Does IL practically say. Man,
You are free; therefore you can do as
you VIII, no matter what your desire
may beT' Does il mean an cmnnclpa-
ton proclamation which llberates from
obedience To all law2 When. on Jan. l.
1863. Abraham Lincoln In the White
House signed his name TO the famous
state paper which declared that all
black men and black women under the
stars and stripes "are and henceforth
shall be Free" II did not mean that the
negro was set free TO follow his own
unbridled inclinations. but that he
passed from under the control OF his
owner 10 be under the control OF the
same law that his owner himself has TO
obey.
Freedom has its limitations We
Ind those limitations in the physical.
the mental and the social as we'll rs
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 wide scope for natu-
raj and spiritual Investigation, and 1
shall endeavor TO show that the only
true freedom that the spiritual man
can enjoy is In the surrender of him.
self to the service OF Christ. Ia be-
coming servant OF Christ. in taking |
his will as the law OF our lives, we are
set free from the dominion OF sin and |
enjoy the glorious liberty OF the chill |
dren OF God
The physical man is surrounded by |
limitations which. like impossible bars, |
restrict him TO n certain kind OF life. |
IL he tries 10 break out OF the Enclosure |
he bruises and batters his body against |
those bars. l am not now abiding TO |
the penalties suffered by the glutton |
and the drunkard, which are only too |
obvious. There are penalties against |
oyerindulgence in legitimate courses.
A man may so devote himself TO his |
business or profession as to neglect the |
proper care OF his body. He has TO /
pay the penalty for overwork in prema-
ture exhaustion and decrephude. 4
conspicuous illustration of the fact was |
In the confession which the great and ]
brilliant DR.. GoldinR Bird made when
ne died from overwork at forty when |
he should have lived out his threescore
years and ten. A few months before
Ills death he Said to the famous. sur
geon, DR.. Routhe: Eyes, you see me at
little over forty having a fine prac-
tiee, making my several thousand
pounds a year, but am today a phys
icai wreck. ] have a fatal disease OF
the heart. the result of overwork.
live many months, and my part
Ing advice TO you is this: Never mind
at what loss, take your annual ak
weeks holiday. 1t may delay your sue
cess. but 1t will insure your develop
ment Otherwise you may find your
self at my age a prosperous practltion-
er. but dying old man"
] am not here going into the details
or the errors and the reasons why a
man should not abuse his physical or
sanism. But / am here to state that
as God limits the natural realms I'm