Milford chronicle., 1905-09-01
Calnaoe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talnaae, DID.

NiSiA e14iiAple III social ana business
life. The text is Revelation iii. IL. 81
would that thou vert cold or hot"
God is love The Bible declares It.
Whether the divine Fathers children
are saints or sinners they are still en-.
shrined in his parental affections.
Gods love is like unto that of the
earthly parent who one day overheard
his little girl saying to her brother,
Now Charley be good boy or papa
viii not love you" With that, the
father answered: NO, Nellie, you
must not tell your brother that do
not love -gDu children because you are
good or hate you because you are bad.
love you, whether you are good or
bad, because You are my children
When you are good. then you make
me very happy. When you are bad
then you make me very sad But 1 |
still love You just the same" God |
loves his prodlgals, though they are I
prOdgals, but he loves his saints with
a delighted joy
But, though God loves all his chill
dren, there is one class about whom
he is especially concerned. As the wor-
I
the night lights her lamp and goes
to look at the little sick patient and
to feel the brow of the fevered child
God again and again turns his anxious
eyes toward certain Of his wayward
ones. And where do You think these {
divine eyes are most pleadingly look
ing? Toward the social outcasts? Oh. r
10! Toward the drunkards who are J
staggering and hiccoughing toward $
their filthy tenements? No. Toward r
the murderers in the criminal dock C
about to be tried for their lives? No. G
Toward the thief who in the evening f,
hours knocks down the pedestrian or d
toward the safe breaker who with his Il
dark lantern is making his way. @,
through the cellars of the bank he in T
tends to rob! No, no, no. These sin tn
ners by the very enormity Of their 2:
crimes may be led TO the mercy seat he
II we only 60 after them in the right III
way. Gods most yearning looks are w
not turned toward those who are in tn
open rebellion against his name. but tn
toward those who are chrOnically and ne
Systematically Indifferent. Those who su
are simply negative to the divine call to
Of love are harder to reach than those m
who deride God or curse him. Can tn
you make any other deduction than NJ
this from Christ's message to the fol
church members at Laodicea? OF all re,
The seven churches in Asia there was he
not one more excOriated in Revelation ten
han was this church. OF all the east on
ern churches there was not one from n;
outside appearance whose transgres- a
lions were not more heinous. VT
Modern LnOdiceans. but
Modern LaOdiceans, these sinners of hin
ukewarm Christianity and tepid mo- dis
'ality, at distance can be likened to a Sto
beautifully polished mahogany or rose lief
wood table. To the casual observer it of
eems to be worth almost its weight cou
n gold, but when you closely examine the
he same YOU find 1t is simply veneered mic
With rosewood or mahogany, cut as VIII
hin as paper. They are like contrary Chi
Winds, tantalizing the sea captain be- Dor
aimed near the equator. Here it is aga
little pun of wind, yOnder it is a bell
title pun Off to the west is another ten
title puff. All these little puffs come etel
rom different directions. But before We
he ships sail can be trimmed and Rib
He'd, like the cheeks Of a schOOlboy Of
lowing soap bubbles these puffs of in
Wind die away and the ships keel
lOves not They are like people of u.
hallow Christian experience whom %
10 IN -, ',i,,o t,, .ne lsule u refe
= ','l nas,,. So" ' a.. ~ s.ouy slounu which Eve
fnnne Nna.n IA
IN has been reached by the sun in the - ,.-
eavens. Now. the purpose Of this ius
srmon Is to describe some Of the play a
luses Of the languid condition Of "Ss a..
lese modern LaOdiceans. l am not - -
day going to preach to the great sin '. '--''-i
Frs or to the great saints, but to ~ -
lose who are simply ukewarm or - 80
sgative or appallingly Indifferent to pouy !,
DDS love and Gods commandments. - - -
ay God help me to move some out OF - -
cir sinful lethargy. May he fire with a''. s :
'ly zeal the lukewarm hearts Of our 80
odern LaOdceans, whom Christ de. - -
,unces with Gods bltterest contempt w Z"
Id scorn and opprObrium nm oli.
- ,,o,, y,,a,, 10 a,nlta5 =, A. e. respt
zoo - +tosa - ,,.I,,. - ~ Sol
W. IL
can be applied to those who cannot - ~.
lite make up their minds whether 80, ..
rist is God or a very good man, aaoa. ,-e
- ~ "I5s. I,s.,,. 'ne olIy Desot'eL an Of
: " - nc - merely one VI had
ln' ui1tie ei' man est"'ioiis ol Hou sands
S and Buddha and Vishnu are other h,+ :
and almost as good. i've
tn the old southern mammy's ideas cor
Christ they are in heartiest sym dis+o,
by. When her young mistress lit baro,
child died and the frantic mother that ,
ught her daughter was lost forever the n
old slave said: Honey darlln', We told
t right Oars a Grenful mistake each
iewhar Why. de Lord amt like lures
1t ye think. He loves We, honey. these
y, jes' see how loves We. an get t
( betfer'n him as made me Oar nOh &"