Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-07-01
Calnase
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmage. d. ID.

us WeH as 10 the impatient and dis
satisfied, this sermon CONVEYS q prac-
teal lesson. The text is Exodus xiv,
13. "Stand still and see the salvation OF
the Lord"
To fan back, in order TO go forward;
TO retreat, in order TO 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 a line of tactics won
for our nation that independence the
anniversary festival OF which we are
soon to celebrate. George Washington
ut Yorktown would never have been
possible had there not first been a
Washington's retreat from Long Is
land. When General AIifiiin. with a
small detachment OF troops acting as
sentinels over wooden guns, deceived
the British army while the American
troops. in dense fog. quietly padded
past Lord Howe's feet and slipped
through the fingers of Sir Henry Gin
ton, Americas liberties were rescued
from almost certain strangulation. Had
Washington stayed TO obstinately hold
his ground after the bloody battle OF
Long Island, the American army would
have been nnnihilated or captured. 1t
is not always good plan for 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 a 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 1.-The
Great Retreater." He never won N
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 fleId and worn out
the patience of an enemy by avoiding
n decisive battle and in the end has
proved victorious.
Can Do Nothing but Welt.
There may come times in the battle
OF life when n man is to fight. and
times when a man is to run. There
also come other times when a man il
TO be like Moses "encamped before
Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol 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 Philistines. lie could not
run There was no place TO run TO.
He could not fight Pharaoh. He knew
he would have been annihilatcd in the
conflict. He could do nothing but wait.
He had TO ''stand still and see the sal
vation of the Lord" Moses was like
Sir Henry Lawrence, cntrapped in the
residency of Lucknow during the sepoy
rebellion OF 1857. For three long months
the little English garrison, surrounded
by n hundred thousand murdcrous de-
mons, had 10 do nothing but wait.
Ihey 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 lust
had TO wait and continue 10 wait in
the bcsieged 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
or Picking, waiting for the allied troops
TO deliver them from their impending
tate during the Boxer uprising of Chi
ma In 1900. They were too strong as
n body TO have TO surrender. They
were not strong enough MS body TO
light their way TO the English ships.
And so, hemmed in and driven i'm on
all sides, they just stood their ground.
lighting for their existence by day and
sleeping on their guns by night. They
Were waiting-simply waiting. They
were standing still, to see the salvation
OF the Lord
Very easy 1t is for most OF us TO go
forward in the battle OF life when the
divine command is given clearly and
distinctly: Charge! Let the whole line
charge" Easy it is for most OF us to
retreat when the command is given
clearly and distinctly: Fall back! Let
the whole line fall back But 1t is
another matter for us TO stand still. 1t
Is another matter 10 patiently wait.
let waiting is a very great element in
spiritual success, as il is in temporal
success. How much factor is 1.-The
waiting crisis" I'm the successes OF life
can be well learned in the words which
DIR. Cuyler taught a few years ago.
when be said, 81 have been conversant |
In my time with thousands of failures |
or talented men, both in New York and |
brooklyn, and 1 can bear testimony |
that ninety-nine hundredths of all |
those failures Were, without doubt, due |
TO the lack Of patience, both in a spirit |
ual sense as well as in a temporal" |
1t Is to teach the important lessons OF |
sanctfhed patience that j am preach |
ing this sermon.
The waiting crisis comes to thou |
sands upon thousands of faithful men
ana women In the struggle for finan-
cial existence. 1t comes net to the |
lazy. good for nothing human beings,
who think the world owes them a liv.
Ing. and, therefore, they do nothing
IL comes not TO the tramps, the loafers
she deadbeats, who. as - on the
great highway seas of life. are n
menace TO all with whom they come
Ouch But II comes to the young
IN who gets up promptly at o'clock
l. nd goes 10 the store punctualiy on
lime. 1t comes TO the conscientious
lawyer and doctor and mechanic who
are striving with all their power to do
right. Ii comes to men and women
who In every sense are noble, who
always seem to be on the verge of
a great success and yet never
seem to be quite able to reach the goal.
Macy Are True, but Unfortunate.
These men are true and good men.
but unfortunate men. They are what
worldly people call "unlucky" We
know there is no such thing as luck.
Men are not lucky or unlucky, but there
ire some who seem to have more mis-
fortunes than others; who, through no
'ault OF their own, miss the good things
II life. The strong man triumphs over