Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-09-19
Caln1aQe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, d. ID.

INTO the church or large accession
of converts. The text is Isaiah TX, s,
who are these that fly as a cloud and
as the doves to their windowsT
An axiom is a self evident fact ut
is" the photographers say, "a PROPOSE
ton whose truth is so obvious at first
sight that no process of reasoning or
demonstration can make it palmer"
1t is a golden truism coined in the
mint house Of maxims' with the rails
ed features of the Goddess of Truth
stamped upon its side, even as the
English shilling bears the profile of
King Edward, an American silver dol
lar the Outstretched wings of an eagle,
as the Roman penny once bore the SUI
prescription and image of Caesar and
a Grecian coin the features of Alexan-
der the Great 1t is an aphOrism, an
apothegm. 1t is as Hippocrates once
said, a succinct saying comprehend
ing a complete statement" 1t is one
of the many terse sentences of Benja-
min Franklin which are found in Poor
Richards Almanac No sooner do we
read it than we say, THAT is true"
From the moment of reading no
amount of illustration or argument can
change us from our original conclu-
sion. 1t is q strong armed charioteer,
swiftly guiding before our eyes the
chariot of conviction" 1t is truth in
a nutshell. 1t is universe of analyses
condensed in an epigram.
The truth of an axiom can be put to
a practical test Sometimes, however,
men do not take the trouble to test it,
but give credence to statements ap-
parently contradicting it, instead of
applying the test of experience. Some
years ago the French savants were
asked to explain how it was that
pail of water containing a dead fish
weighed more than one of the same
size containing a live fish. Disserta
ton after. dissertation was written
upon the subject At lost one COM
mon sensed scientist, whose brain had
not been educated to the verge of i'm
becility, saw that the question was a
misleading one. "a dead fish and
living fish ought to weigh the same"
said he ''trhis truth is automatic"
He put live fish into a pail of water
and weighed it. He killed the fish and
put the dead body back into the same
water and weighed it again. The
water containing the dead fish and
that containing the live fish of course
weighed the same. All the ingenuity
expended in writing the dissertations
had been wasted. The writers had
been trying to find reasons for a phe-
nomenon that did not exist.
Church's Power Not Waning.
Hundreds of men are simply doing
the same thing in trying to find the
reasons for the phenomenon stated by
shallow observers, that the church of
Jesus Christ is losing its power over
men Long lists of reasons for this
waning influence are cited, whereas
the writer's have only to open their
eyes to discover that the church Of
Jesus Christ is not losing its power
over men. The church of God was
never so powerful as it is today. More
strong men and strong women are
lbowing before it's affairs than ever
before More are the churchs teach
ings respected by statesmen and in
the homes and daily lives of our citi-
zens tthan ever before. l have not
zine 30 go into argument to prove this
assertion. | would not today do 81
IL | had the time. Why? Because i
Is a self evident fact that the churcl
of the Lord Jesus Christ is the mos
vital and essential influence in tn
world today. 1t is self evident state
ment. All intelligent people who hav
looked boldly and impartially at tn
facts are ready to concede that tn
assertion is true
But though the church of the Lor
Jesus Christ is growing more an
more powerful day by day, yet W
believe that still greater triumphs ar
before it in the future The victOrie
already won are small compared wit
those which sare yet to be won, whe
nations shall be born in a day. Josia
Strong recently wrote a book entitle
''The Next Great awakening" | al
not going to find my theme in the Ia
est book of the famous author of lou
Country" l am going to look throug
the inspired spectacles of d prophe
who lived nearly 5000 years ago
Isaiah took the picture OF the dove
flying to their home cotes in grea
clouds as the symbol of the church o
the future gathering in its members
So l shall try to show that the "com
ing awakening of the church is no
only going to be a worldwide evangel
istic movement, but also that tn
conquest Of the world for Christ ma
be near-yes. very near-at hand.
Gospel Triumpha.
n. In the first place, let me say th9
such a movement as this. foreseen b
the prophet and prefgured under tn
symbol of a fight of doves. is in a,
cord with the record of history. Agai
and again there have been revival
which have brought into the churc
vast numbers at one time Since Ii
Aay of Pentecost, when 5000 were col
verted under the preaching of the apo
tie Peter, there have been such gre;