Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-09-01
Calnase
sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. ID. d.

spiritual Indifference of professors OF
religion and shows the evil results Of
their example In social and business
life. The text Is Revelation III, 10, II
would that thou vert cold or hot"
GOD is love. The Bible declares II.
Whether the divine Fathers children
are saints or sinners they are still en-
shrlned In bis 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
will not love you" With that, the
father answered: "No. Nellie, you
must not tell your brother that do
not love you 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 prodigals, though they are
prodlgals, but he loves his saints with
a delighted joy.
But, though God loves all his chill
dren, there IS one class about whom
he II especially concerned. AS the wor-
ried mother four or FIVE times during
the night lights her lamp and goes
to lock 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 Maynard
ones. And where do you think these
fvfn raln er1xr IoOrr
ing? Toward the social outcasts? Oh,
mol Toward the drunkards who are
staggering and hiecoughing toward
their filthy tenements2 No. Toward
the murderers in the criminal dock
about TO be tried for their lives? No.
Toward the thief who in the evening
hours knocks down the pedestrian or
toward the safe breaker who with his
dark lantern is making his way
through the cellars of the bank he In
tends TO rob? No, no. no! These sin
ners by the very enormity OF their
crimes may be led to the mercy seat
IL we only go after them In the right
way. Gods most yearning looks are
not turned toward those who are in
open rebellion against his name, but
toward those who are chronically and
systematically Indifferent. Those who
are simply negative to the divine call
or love are harder to reach than those
who deride God or curse him. Can
you make any other deduction than
this .sfrom Chrlst's message to the
church members at Laodicea? or all
the. seven churches In Asia there was
not one more excoriated i'm Revelation
THAI was this church. or all the east
ern churches there was not one from
outside appearance whose transgres-
sions were not more heinous.
Modern LnOdiceans.
Modern Laodiceans, these sinners of
lukewarm Christianity and tepId mo-
rality, at distance can be likened TO n
beautifully polished mahogany or rose
wood table. To the casual observer IL
seems TO be worth almost its weight
In gold, but when you closely examine
the same you find IL is simply veneered
with rosewood or mahogany. cut as
thin as paper. They are like contrary
Winds, tantaliZing the sea captain be-
Gained near the equator. Here IL Is
little pun OF wind, yOnder II is a
little pun, or To the west Is another
little pun. All these little pufrs come
from different directions. But before
the ships sail can be trimmed and
nhed, ike the checks OF n schOolboy
blowing soap bubbles, these puffs OF
wind die away and the ships keel
moves not. They are like people OF
shallow Christian experience whom
Christ describes under the figure OF
grain growing on stony ground which,
on account OF the scarcity OF soil COW
ering the roots. dies before the merId-
ian has been reached by the sun In the
heavens. Now. the purpose Of this
sermon Is to describe some Of the
causes or the languld condition OF
these modern Laodiceans. 1 am not
today going TO preach TO the great sim
ners or TO the great saints, but to
those who are simply lukewarm or
negative or appalllngly Indifferent to
Gods love and Gods commandments.
May God help me to move some out of
their sinful lethargy. May he fire with
holy zeal the lukewarm hearts OF our
modern i,aodiceans. whom Christ de.
nounces With Gods bltterest contempt
and scorn and opprobrIum.
The appalling negativeness OF my
text can well be applied. In the first
place. to those OF weak kneed theology.
Ii can be applied to those who cannot
quite make up their minds whether
Christ Is God or a very good man.
whether Christ Is the only begotten
Son or the Father" or merely one OF
many different manifestations Of Gods
love or whom Mohammed and Conru-
eius and Buddha and Vishnu are other
manifestations and almost as good.
With the old southern mammy's ideas
or Christ they are in heartiest SYM
patty. When her young mistress lit
tie child died and the frantic mother
Thought her daughter was lost forever,
the old slave said: Honey. darlin', We
amt right Oars a drefful mistake
somewhar. Why. de Lord amt like
what ye think. He loves We, honey.
Why, 1er' see how / loves ye, an i
ain't bettcr'n him as made me. Oar
5es' ain't but one ting to come to, an
DAT ar's Jesus. Jes' come right down
TO wbsr dis pore old darky has to stay
aiiersr It's \ good place. darlln'. Look
right at Jesus. Oars a God We can
love- oh, yes, these men OF weak
kneed theology can look at Jesus and
love him Ike that. but the trouble is
that Is not the place to stop. They
go little further and still = little fur
thersand say, Jesus is SO good that
he saves as whether we love and honor
him or not" They are almost In the
same position as was one OF the officers
OF my regiment In the Spansh-Amer-
lean war when he said TO me: Chap
lain, believe In your Christ. 1 do not
serve him as ought to. but believe IL
am shot ia this war God will say:
There is a poor fellow who gave up
his life for his country. No man can
do more for love OF his native land
than that. / VIII save MIN on account
OF his shed blood" Mark You this
not on account OF Christ's blood. but on
account OF mans blood.