Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-11-17
Calrnage
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, D. d.

class of nominal Christians who nre
hearers. but not doors. and who pin
their faith upon their religious ances.
try or their favorable environment in.
stead Of getting right with God" per.
sonally, this sermon will come as an
arousing call. The text Is Matthew
XIV, 8, "Give us Of your oil, for our
lamps are gone out"
All men may be broadly divided into
two classes. There are some on the
border line. belonging not altogether
to the one class or the other, having
characteristics OF each but the great
mass may be separated into two groups
the workers and the oilers. The one
class includes the toilers tho pullers,
the diggers, the grinders, the climbers.
They are striving to succeed in no.
bic, honest way. They do not mean
to be social parasites They want n
share of the good things Of life. but
they DO not expect to receive them as q
gift, but TO Jay for them by honest
work. They hope for promotion. and
they strive to merit 1t by seeking to
make themselves worthy OF It. They
study and toll to develop themselves,
so that when the opportunity comes
they will be ready 70 take advantage
Of 1t. Though they may be in obscure
positions they do their work we'll, and
when the call comes to 20 higher they
are prepared by long years of hard
work to perform the duties OF the high.
er position.
"Why do You study so hard7" Yale
classmate asked one day Of John c.
Calhoun. the South Carolina student.
who was his roommate You are now
the leading student H. the college No
man can successfully compete with
you in any study" "Oh." answered
the young man. Il am not working for
leadership In a college town. am
working to be leader in the nation"
what, Calhoun-do YOU expect to be
great statesman IA Washington Z"
"If did not expect to go to congress
within six years" answered Calhoun,
II would pack up my books Mt once
and leave Yale tomorrow. | feel so
sure Of going TO Congress- that | be-
grudge every wasted minute. I must
prepare myself by unceasng labor to
meet the nations leaders in the arena
Of debate" John G. calhoun wanted
to win success, He did more than that.
He wanted to prepare himself by hard
work for the time when that success
should come. as come Il did, and as it
nearly always will come to those who
are conscientious In preparatory work.
No Short Road TO Success.
The second class Is c1mprised Of men
who want to win success by a mini
| mum Of labor. Thy hate drudgery:
they hope to succeed by some lucky
scheme. These are lie men who, 60
ing on a foreign tour expect to learn
French or German IN five weeks; they
hope to marry rich wife and have an
easy time living on the savings OF their
wife's father; they prepare to conduct
the business Of their fathers. not by
beginning, as be id, at the lowest runs
of the ladder, hut by taking six
months course ~ business college or
by becoming their fathers nominal
private secretar,es During their easy
| apprenticeship t.ey would spend three
days out OF every week playing golf
and at least five nights out Of every
seven in ballroom at theater party or
in clubhouse dis pations. The little
time they play a- business IS when
they are not working at play. These
people represent failure. For as an old
writer once said People who never
do any more work than they are paid
for, never set paid for any more than
they do" These people always want
to succeed with o minimum of work.
Yes. the two KINDS Of people on earth
mean
Are tho people 10 IN and the people
who lean
Wherever you 60 you viii ind tho world
Arc always divided In Just these two
classes,
And, oddly enough. you will find. too.
wecn
There Is only one litter to twenty who
Dronee there are In the busy bee
hives of temporal life. Drones there
are in the busy beehives of spiritual
life. We know them we'll They have
existed In every ige-meu who hope
to enter heaven. but are not willing to
deny themselves, nor to resist tempta-
ton, nor to strive TO enter through the
straight gate. 1t vas TO warn people
of the futility Of such lives that Christ
spoke the parable Of the ten virgins.
Five OF them, he said, were foolish.
self indulgent and needless Of the OBJ
legations Of the spiritual life. He Is
not here denouncIng criminals or VI
cious people. These virgins were NOM
inally Christians not the murderers
and robbers who Infested the lonely
roads of Palestine ready to waylay
the traveller; not the openly immoral,
like the Magdalene or the woman Of
Samaria, but the people who, MS an old
commentator has said, make n PRO
fesslon Of the gospel and act in such
manner as to give real Christians a
favorable impression Of them and so
gain admittance into their midst" He
= abiding to Christians in name only,
who outwardly appear all right and
yet have not the true inward consecra-
ton Of heart and who expect therefore
to 20 to heaven upon borrowed spir-
itual capital.
Tho Spiritual Mendicants.
These spiritual mendicants OF my
text are, In the first place the men and
women Indifferent to the command
ments OF Jesus Christ, who expect to