Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-10-29
Caln1aSe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaae. DID,.

Los Angeles, Cal, Oct 23.-To give
to the successful ana
sympathy with the sorrowing ana the
distressed is urged by the preacher In
this sermon The text Is Romans Kill
Is. "Reioice with them that do rejoice,
and weep with them that weep
Perpetual segregation, isolation, sep
aration, secluslon, voluntary eXlie'
were considered by many Of the an
clients as necessary adjuncts to the at
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 ike
Christ they must continually live In
wilderness. wear sackcloth and asnes
and do nothing but pray and starVe
and starve and pray. They tried 10
walk with God, to be like Enocn, py
refusing to walk with their feiioW
men. They tried to live with Christ py
sleeping on stone couches ana shiVer-
ing in damp cells and clothing them
selves in coarse woolens, by trampilng
through SHOWS with naked feet and by
mumbling daily prayers with sepul-
chral countenances, while they refused
TO smile an encouragement to the little
children playing In the street or to help
carry a heavy pack under which
poor, tired peasant was staggering on
his way to town; hence the monas-
teries and the nunneries and the clois-
ters and the abbeys and the priories,
which are only a few OF the many
names given to the ancient Duildings
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 ths
time of creation God said, 1T 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.
"Not GOOD for man to be alone" Yes,
we know IT. We know it in spite OF
the fact that the cloister has segregat-
cd some good men from contact Win
the busy. anxious. sinful world. Thom-
as Kempis was a hermit, a rec'use'
Thomas a Kempis was a good man
Within the gloomy walls Of the Angus
tinian convent Of Zwolle, In the darK
recesses of an ascetic's cell, he wrote
the wonderful pages Of de 1mitatione
Christi" But, though his book ls q
wonderful guide to Christly life, Tnom'
az a Kempls' cell IL a poor place ID
which a modern Christian could prac-
tice the gospel truth BY all odds the
best place to translats the teachings
Of Thomas q Kempis is not In an rs.
cstic.s cell, but IN Gods sweet = re
golden sunlight, among just sucn
rough. horny handed men as the hsh
ermen with whom Jesus Christ asso
ciated.
San Marco convent Of Florence Is q
poor nursery for spiritual life. There
Fra Angelica has drawn the studen's
Of art to come and study his figures OF
Christ which he painted upon the colo
walls nearly 600 years ago. But .n'
hest plaee to be a modern Fra AngelicC
and TO paint Christ in the hearts OF
living men is to DO as Paul did on hl'
missionary tours. 1t is to do as Cnris
did when talking to men. 1t is TO az
n. vour mother and father did In TN
parental sympathy Of a Christial
home. 1t Is to do as We ourselves cai
do by being Christ's disciples and re
toicing with other people in their tru'
Joys and worshiping with them IN thei
true sorrows.
Nv text teaches the same KIM
of consecrated active existence d
did a brother minister who lived rev
wears ago in a great Chicago center
| speak thus about him because he
now far across the seas, working as
missionary in foreign fields. AFTER I'd
Rev George William Wright had bee
for some months in the Philippine
the superintendent Of his old Sabbat
school of Bethlehem church was tryln
TO draw a verbal picture OF Jesu
Christ The only being he had In min
at the time was our Saviour. Durin
his talk the superintendent practicaii
said these words: "Children, who am
now talking about? Who has alway
= been willing to join with you In you
fun and be happy with you when 20
had a right to be happy? Who has a
WAYS been a friend, loving, forgi'
ing friend, when you have done wrong
who has for years gone In and OF
among us as gentle, kind example
one who never did wrong, VINO new
spoke harshly against any one, WI
was always ready to lead us ana
love us? Tell me, children, who
be?" With a mighty chorus the HIT
children began to call: II know, sir.
know. It is Mr.. Wright. 1t is our
pastor. Mr.. Wright" That encomlu
of these little Sunday school childr'
Ia the best illustration l know OF wn
my text means.
yniue of Christian Sympathy.
Christian sympathy Is a necessa
gospel attribute, In the first place [
cause no human power on earth 90
80 much to make q good man or ev
a bad man try to live better as to knt
90 that other lives are wrapped up In
life. sympathy" wrote the le1ict
. rapher, 'is literally fellowship WI
others in their various conditions
Joy or of grief" 1t is the power viii
10 q Christian man has of putting
hand through another's arm and 81
ing: "Old fellow, you are not alone
this world. My interests are combln
in your interests. When you are hi
DIV I am happy When you are sac
am sad. When you live right rejoi
es When you sin sorrow as much as
ng I had committed the sin. Therefo
, Trend. you must be very care
how YOU I've. In one sense you
cv exactly in the place OF a locomot