Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-10-28
Calmase
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. ID. d.

congratulation to the successful and
sympathy with the sorrowing and the
distressed is urged by the preacher in
this sermon. The text is Romans xii.
10. "Rejeice with them that do rejoice.
and weep with them that weep"
Perpetual segregation. isolation, sep
aration, seclusion, voluntary exile,
were considered by many of the an
clients as necessary adjuncts to the ut
tainment OF the highest earthly de-
. velopment OF Christian perfection. Be
: cause Christ tasted and prayed In the
wilderness for forty long days many
disciples of old believed that to be like
Christ they must continually live in a
: wilderness, weQr sackcloth and ashes
and do nothisg but pray and starve
/, and starye and pray. They tried TO
walk with God, TO be like Enoch, by
refusing to walk with their fellow
men. They tried to live with Christ by
sleeping on stone couches and SILVER
ing in damp cells and clothing them
selves in coarse woolens, by trampllng
through SHOWS with naked feet and by
ehral countenances, while they refused
to smile an encouragement to the little
children playing in the street or to help
carry u heavy pack under which a
poor, tired peasant was staggering on
his way to town; hence the monas-
teries and the nunneries and the clois-
tiers and the abbeys and the priories,
which are only few OF the many
names given to the ancient buildings
within which the monks and nuns I'm
INJURED themselves for separation from
sinful men. Of whom they did not wish
to be part. But away back I'm the
time of creation God said, cit is not
good for man to be alone" And what
God spake TO Adam, our first ancestor,
God is speaking TO us now.
Not Good to be Alone.
mot good for man to be alone" Yes,
we know il. We know II in spite or
the fact that the cloister has segregat-
cd some good men from contact with
the busy, anxious, sinful world. Thom-
an a Kempls was hermit, n recluse.
Thomas a Kempis was good man.
Within the gloomy walls of the Angus
tinian convent of Zwolle In the dark
the wonderful pages OF de limitations
Christi" But, though his book is n
wonderful guide to Christly life, Thorn
as Kempis' cell is poor place i'm
which a modern Christian could prac-
tice the gospel truth. BY all odds the
best place 20 translate the teachings
OF Thomas a Kempis Is not in an as
cetic's cell. but in Gods sweet, pure,
golden sunlight, among just such
rough, horny handed men as the fish
ermen with whom Jesus Christ asso-
ciated.
San Marco convent OF Florence is n
poor nursery for spiritual life. There
Fra Angelica has drawn the students
OF art TO come and study his figures of
Christ which he painted upon the cold
walls nearly Goo years ago. But the
best place TO be n modern Fra Angelica
aud 10 paint Christ In the hearts of
living men is to do as Paul did on his
missionary tours. II Is TO do as Christ
did when talking TO men. 1t Is to do
as your mother and father did In the
parental sympathy OF Christian
home. 1t is TO do as we ourselves can
do by being Chrlsts disciples and re-
Joys and worshiping with them I'm their
true sorrows.
My text teaches the same kind
or consecratcd active existence as
did brother minister who lived a few
years ago in great Chicago center.
1 speak thus about him because he Is
now far across the seas, working as n
missionary In foreign fields. After the
Rev. George William Wright had been
Tor some months in the Philippines
the superintendent OF his old Sabbath
school Of bethlehem church was trying
TO draw a verbal picture OF Jesus
Christ The only being he had I'm mind
at the time was our Saviour. During
bis talk the superintendent practically
said these words: Children, who am /
now talking about? Who has always
been willing 10 join with you in your
fun and be happy with you when you
had a right 10 be happy? Who has al
ways been friend. loving, forgiv-
Ing friend. when you have done wrong?
Who has for years gone I'm and out
among US as a gentle, kind example
one who never did wrong, who never
spoke harshly against any one, who
was always ready TO lead us and to
love us? Tell me, children, who IS
hep With mighty chorus the little
children began TO call: II know, sir.
Know. 1t is Mr.. Wright. 1t is our old
pastor, Mr.. Wright" That encomium
of these little Sunday school children
is the best illustration i know of what
my text means.
Value OF Christisn sympathy.
Christian sympathy is n necessary
gospel attribute, in the first place be-
cause no human power on earth does
30 much to make good man or even
bad man try to live better as 10 know
that other lives are wrapped up In HIS
life. sympathy" wrote the lexicog-
rapher, rs literally a fellowship with
others In their various conditions OF
JOY or OF grief" 1t is the power which
a Christian man has OF putting his
hand through another's arm and say
Ing: "Old fellow, you are not alone In
this world. My interests are combined
In your interests. When you are hap
.py I EN- happy. When you are sad
am sad. When you live right 1 rejoice.
When you sin sorrow as much as IL
i had committed the sin. Therefore.
o friend, you must be very careful
now you live. In one sense YOU are
exactly In the place OF a locomotive
engineer who has long train of
coaches attached TO his engines ten
Ger. III your true arm fails, then other
lives besides your own must suffer on
account OF your weakness" When
Christian sympathy speaks thus an av-
erage man will suddenly stop and say
to himself: "Whatl Does any one care
for me? Is my life an important factor
In other lives? If this be true. must
be careful where my feet go, how I |
laugh, how l cry and what 1 do. My |
ire Is not an independent entity. My |
spilled blood will stain other garments |
besides my own"
The dependence of other lives upon |
fNrAC. l.