Milford chronicle., 1904-07-01
Ca(naqe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmage. D. D.

tical lesson The text is Exodus xiv
13, "Stand still and see the salvation Of
the Lord"
To fall back, in order to go forward
10 retreat, in order to advance; tC
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 to celebrate. George Washington
al Yorktown would never have been
possible had there not first been a
Wash.ngton's retreat from Long Is
land When General Miffiin, with a
small detachment of troops acting as
sentineis over wooden guns, deceived
the British army while the American
troops, in a dense fog quietly padded
past Lord Uowe's fleet and slipped
through the fingers Of Sir Henry Clin-
ton, Americas liberties were rescued
from almost certain strangulation. Had
Washington stayed to obstinately hold
Long Island, the American army would
have been annihilated or captured 1t
is not always a good plan for a general
to cut his bridges behind him. Had
there been no retreat from Bohemia
after the battle Of Kolin, and no evacu-
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
war. second only in power to George
Washington. was aptly called The
Great Retreater" He never won
decisive battle in his life. So it has
been with other military chieftains
There is strategy in eluding a foe
whose strength is superior. Many
general has kept the field and worn out
the patience of an enemy by avoiding
a decisive battle and in the end has /.
proved victorious.
Can Do Nothing but Wait.
There may come times in the battle |
OF life when a man is to fight, and |
times when a man is to run. There |
also come other times when a man is I
to be like Moses "encamped before
Pi-hahiroth, between NIigdol and the
sea, over against Baal-zephon." On the
one side of him was the Red sea, on the
other side Of him were the pursuing
hosts Of the Philistlnes. He could not
run. There was no place to run to.
He could not fight Pharaoh He knew
be would have been annihilated in the
conflict. He could do nothing but wait
lie had to stand still and see the sal
ration Of the Lord" Moses was like
Sir Henry Lawrence, entrapped in the
'esidency Of Lucknow during the sepOy
'ebellion of 1851 For three long months
lie little English garrison. surrounded
~ hundred thousand murderous de-
mons, lad to do nothing but wait.
hey just kept on waiting for the |
escuers, who fought their way up from |
'alcutta under the leadership Of that |
zero Of heroes, Sir Henry Havelock
loses was like General Charles George :
iorcon, who for ten long months just
ad TO wait and continue TO wait in q
he besieged city of Khartum, and |
hen gave up his life only few days !
efore the English rescuers hove in
ght. Moses was like the foreigners,
raying and hoping and hoping and
raying in the missionary compounds !
/ PekinS, waiting for the allied troops
deliver them from their impending :"
tie during the Boxer uprising of Chi <
a iu 1900. They were too strong as !.
body TO have to surrender They ID
ere Eot strong enough as a body to =
sht their way to the English ships. =
nd 50. hemmed in and driven in on d
sides, they just stood their ground, Il
citing for their existence by day and g
eeping on their guns by night. They u
ere waitias-simply waiting. They 81
ere standing still, to see the salvation
the Lord. /
Very easy it is for most Of us to go "a
rwGrd in the battle of life when the al
vine command is given clearly and ~
Stinctly: Charge! Let the whole line u
orge. Easy it is for most Of us to ui
.gea; VIXEN the command is given ="
dr.y aal distinctly: Fall back! Let al
. wh5,e line fall backw But it is o'
otLc~ matter for us to stand still 1t II
another matter to patiently wait. 1t
{ waiting is a very great element in -
ritual success. as it is in temporal "
cess low much a factor is the !"
iting crisis" in the successes of life "l
, be we'll learned in the words which
C-yler taught few years ago.
en- Le said, Il have been conversant tic
NY time with thousands of failures d.
talented men. both in New York and ne
)oklyn. and | can bear testimony yo
It ninety-nine hundredths of all or
Se failures were, without doubt, due ar
the lack Of patience, both in a spirit 70
sense as well as in a temporal" Lc
Is to teach the important lessons Of We
Ictiiied patience that l am preach gr
this sermon. ini
he waiting rrisis comes to thou flu
DIS upon thousands Of faithful men his
women in the struggle for finan- sit
existence. 1t comes not to the no