Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-12-09
Calr,,aSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank DE Witt Talmaee. ID. d.

sermon the preacher sounds II stirring
mcnt 10 those who are disposed to sink
In the battle of life and To give way to
unavalling regrets. The text IL II Sam
ucl kin, IL. $50 the king returned and
came TO Jordan"
The world has no use for the common
scold. When universal fault finders
can see nothing but shortcomings In
their fellow men they are apt TO de-
nounce sins similar 10 those to which
they themselves are addicted. what
X the matter with you;" the clapper
asked the cracked he'll in the old leg
end. You utter nothing hut disc0rds.
You are no good TO anybody" Yes"
answered the bell. that may he true.
But what are you complaining aboutf
Was not my metal all right until You
pounded n crack in my side: And. fur
thcrmorc. would not the world think I
was all right now II YOU did not con-
time TO pound me and advertise my
weaknesses: SO II often happens that
the people who are most active In de-
nOuncing the weaknesses OF others nre
really denounclng the evil results Of
which they themselves are the direct or
| Indirect causes Like II boomerang.
their complaints fly In circle. They
strike back ut the very lips which start
ed those complaints OH their evil flight.
The world has but little use for the
common scold. II has also little use
for those who do not heed the danger
signals of life which are lifted all about
them. II has unuttcrablc contempt for
the pilot who will not steer away from
the buoys marking the dangerous reefs.
or for the engineer who will not stop
his locomotive when the warning tor
pcdo Is exploded under his wheel. or
for the sea captain who will not keep
his eye upon the falling barometer
when the ship Is drawing near the ice
berg regions. or for the physician who
does not keep n careful record Of the
PATIENTS fever. or for the statesman
who does not ferret out and check the
evils skulking behind the pillars of the
legislative halls. There II no sense in
declaring that the sun Is shining when
II tornado II bnttering down the har-
vests and knocking the unrlpc fruit Off
the swayin. branches II Is no sign OF
great virtue TO be always looking upon
Tie bright side OF things when condi-
lions about us are all askew and could
hc made right IL we would only 90
| forth 10 grarplc with the wrongs and
scatter the causes which are bringing
forth evil results.
General .joab was not common
scold: neither was he one of those
wishy washy. eifemnatc. pusillanimous
characters who are afraid 10 say that
their souls are their own. He could
| speak out boldly and hravcly when 1t
bchoovcd him so to speak. When the
king did right. .Joab was ready to say.
"rhou art right. o my king" When
the king did wrong. Joab was also
ready To say. Thou art wrong. o my
king" And because he was ready to
dcnouncc the kings follics just as en-
phntically us he was 10 praise the
the far reaching influence Oh David's
life that IL described in the chapter of
my text.
| In the first place. the iconoclast open
ed the eyes Of the king TO the many
blessings with which he was surround
cd. With one herculean blow Joab
shattered the idol Of the kings grief
and made him stop worshiping ut the
shrine of his Maynard sons grave.
| With the keen. sharp words of n friend
he went into the royal bedroom and
cut and slashed that weeping parent
with his verbal stiletto until AT last the
king realized that even father has no
right 10 spend lifetime bemOanlng a
dead .ibsalom II by such II course he Is
doing an injustice TO his living friends.
And yet. my brothers. how many men
and women there are just like David!
They never seem TO be able TO turn
their weeping eyes away from the TO-
Gus of Il tombstone They never seem
to be able TO see the laughing eyes and
the smiling lips or 20 hear the loving
words of those who nre living for them
IN the nurseries and sitting rooms OF
their own homes.
Davld's Greatest Battle.
The greatest battle of David's career
was over. II was an awful fight. Dur
Ing the hours of that day the kings
throne had been tottcring upon its foun-
dntions. As Alfred the Great had 10
flee his capital when he was defeated
by the Danes mt Athclncy. ana as Rob
crt Bruce was an exile In ireland for
six long years before he came back TO
his Scottish throne. ana as Charles H.
was wanderer upon the face OF the
earth when Cromwell was dictator at
Westminster. so King David. Oh ne
count OF the uprising OF his son Absa-
lom. was u fugitive from his Jerusalem
palace. II was not mere playful squall
which had struck his ship Of state.
II was tornado which was ripping
the sails and making the gunwalcs sink
under the foaming raging pillows.
King DavId's head was IN danger. and
the whole royal family were mennced