Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1905-04-22
THE PULPIT.
a SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
The REV. 3. r. SHANNON.
Subject. Tn. rhou..ps,o,a Ian.

aSo@tsh, - i.-Sunday morning. IN
Grace NJ T. Church. the pastor. the
Rev Frederick F Shannon. had Tor
his subject The Thousandfo;d Man"
The text was from Joshua xxiii:lO:
zone man OF you shall chase a thou
SAND. Tor the Lord your God. He IL IS
that uShteth FOR you. as He spake unto
you. Mr.. Shannon said.
World building is not 50 interesting
IS nau building. Some philosophers
held that tasks are interesting in pro-
portion as they are difficult 20 perform.
IL this be good logic. then swinging
worlds into space must take secondary
rank 10 building n man in time. We
have no intimatiOn that God had any
trouble striuging planets along the
path OF His power. Yet the centuries
unite I'm the verdict that God has had
much trouble I'm producing the divine
style OF manhood. Therefore. ia Is
safe to conclude that God never I'M
dertooS vaSter plan than 60 build a
man. Worlds play out His purposes
IN the harmony OF gravitation. They
speli out His plans in the law OF ODE
ulence. But man ofttimes thwarts
those purposes and DESTROYS those
plans 10y setting his own will over
sgainSt the viii of God. Thus ne
wanders. a kind OF lost human plciad.
through the space called time. always
and ever coming TO himself. but never
wholly arrived.
Yet man is Gods human world
greater than any star-world twinklng
in space. because he thinks. loves.
feels and wills. Now. some men ex-
4 erciSc these functions more largely
than their fellows Then we label
4 them with that ancient degree called
\ greatness. After comforting the de
gree. we spend the rest OF our lives
. musing over what such men did when
they cot together. They NAV have
been great thinkers. great lighters
great takers. great writer's. or great
II friends. But i'm the last ANALYSIS. the
II greatness men adore is the alteration
H great men have given 20 God. This is
i why we never tire OF studying the
n friendship OF Moses and Joshua. They
are two links In the golden chain
Fl which moOrS this old world 10 the
Fl throne OF God Napoleon said that his
n tory Is fable about which men are
agreed Rather say history is a stream
flowing out from the Eternal Heart.
Sitting along its shores. like deathlesS
SentinelS. are the men Cod raised up
Tor handing His name and truth down
the ages
Our text asks for a consideration OF
The thouSaudfoid man. and the reason
or MS multiplied power. zone man or
|%ou shall chase "a fhousaudr' More
4startling words could hardly knock az
the door OF the human intellect They
are too vast in their outranginc mean
ing 90 be easily c0mprchcndod. Nat
urally enough the mind asks for n
81 second consideration of them But
q second reading fails Co rob them 90
Their Significance Really biz things
|H cont grow less ON second sight Like
|H 81 Peters. their bigucSS only helps
|" the mind expand 90 n more capable
FL appreciation OF their true dimensions
II = 50 with men. and il is SO with
the great objects IN nature. Just SD
great sentence like this. pregran,
|8 with large thought. is not stripped OF
its treasure by a second or third read.
ing. IL is thought centre round
switch the mind may revoive with in-
Acreasing profit.
Strictly speaking. then. what &.
meant 10y one man chasing thousand
Does IL mean that one man. by his
0phy>ical prOweSs. can drive thou
sand men before HING You wonder
at the folly OF such "a question. still
some people re So fond OF measuring
lie and men by the yardstick % physi
al bulk that it's absurdity may mocl
81 fem into better view. Physica
inss never did run smoothly ON .
Virtual track; and they never will
ecause il Is impossible The thou
Andfold man. according 10 Joshua. !,
ne man in league with God. h0usin.
iod's purposes and cooperating Will
iod's plans. awaiting Gods signals
| md answering Gods voices. watchin.
n
iodS truth. dropped i'm golden mum
beers from "the harp Of Gods eterna
| ears He is the man with his Zee
IN he earth. his head among the stars
NJ lnd his heart located IN heaven. be-
,auSe heaven is located im his heart
| tie Is the son Of yesterday. the MAJ
| u to-day, the heif OF to-mOrrOw--rate
S al for yesterdays goodness. inSpirel
nj ~ to-day'S blessings. and rejoicing (
5 o-mOrrOw's hopes And le is an thi
because he is in league with God. an
Knows IL; because he is in love wit
sod. and feels it. because he is Twin
u obedience 10 God. and wills il.
E Moreover. the thousandfold man
ne man God waits for. Ii has eve
cen zone man Of you" who has oDeue
he largest doors OF opportunity an
achievement in the history of n
world One man and God-they m
oSolutely unc0nquerable Graspin
he tangled threads or history The
have tied them into one solid knot 4
iyine purpose. And that purpose fC
Yer stands the pledge OF a bette
world and n nobier race. Do yo
wonder that even God can afford
yait for such a MANI Then let yOr
onder give away before this might
CT: God has to wait, so long as n
Rorld remains constituted as il is. 4,
man TO come forward and say. Her
"a l-use me- God answers bacI
| have 10 use You. because / haven
INVITING else To ne - XVha, 4, -,