Milford chronicle., 1905-07-21
Caln1aQe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. D. D.


the lightning's flash, which he likens
to the suddeuness of Christ's promised
temperance ON earth. The text is
Matthew xiv. -. AS the lightning
cometh out of the east"
The misfortune of being terrorized
by the lghtnings has never come to
me. Some of the bravest and noblest
men and women tremble like an aspen
leaf shaken in the rough grasp of the
wind whenever the lightuings flash and
the thunders growl because years ago
they lived through some awful hor-
ror of an electric storm. They can
never come out from under the shadow
of uIat danger Like Paul on the road
to Damascus. bin led and dazed they
were flung into the dirt by an electric
thunderbolt. or by it they had their
homes shattered and burned, or they
had a dear loved one killed by their
side. To be frightened by a storm un-
der such circumstances is not neees-
sarily to be c1warlly
If you or ] had been hurt by light
ming OF had seca some friend hurt. we
would be just as fearful OF the light
ming as was Mary Washington. No
one would dare dream of calling the
mother of Washington a coward. Al
most Spartau-like She gave up her son
to the cause of American liberty.
When the little old widow bade her
tail, noble boy goodby, il was not with
an agonizing cry of Stay, George
stay at home with me- Her com
mand was: Go. my son Go forth
and answer duty's call. 1t is better to
die gloriouSly than to live a towards
life Thy country calls thee. Go. my
son, go" Mary Washington was among
the bravest of women. She would have
been willing il necessary, TO march up
to tie cauuon's mouth as did her son
at Princeton and Brandywne. With
unblaucLed cheek she would have
faced the rifles of her couutry's enc
mics as did her son when with the
colonial troops at his back he saved
Bradd0ci'+ army near old Fort Du-
quesne of Pittsbrg But Mary Wash |
.iugt0ns checks would turn ashen
white when she heard a Thunderstorm
signal i'm the distance. Why! In her
early life, with Young girl friend, |
she was sitting at her fathers dinner
table suddenly there came a flash |
and a quick detonation Of thunder. She |
turnef and looked at her friend In |
horror she called to her to speak. but |
that friend never spoke to Mary Bail |
again. She was dead! She was killed |
by flash Of lightning
Glory Of the Lightning.
The raging of a thunderstorm has
always impressed me a good deal as
il did my only brother. A few weeks
before his death there was a terrific
electric storm in Brooklyn. Crash.
crash, crash, crash, went the thunder
1t seemed then as though all parts Of
the heavens became at times great
prairie conhagratiOns, great rivers of
fire, great cataracts and shooting iave-
Inns Of fire Father and mother be-
came nervous about the storm. They
wanted their clAldren all about them.
So father went upstairs to my broth
er's study to bring him down. The
room was empty. He began TO call:
de Witt. De Witt! Where are you?"
After awhile, amid lull i'm the storm,
lie heard a voice calling: Here, IA
therl What do You want?" Then my
father Went up into the cupola, which
stood upon the top Of our house. There !
he found my brother. what are You
doing here?" said father. Better come
down with the rest Of the family. You
might get struck here oh an
swered my brother, there is no dan
ger. Let us stay up here and watch
the storm. Is it not wonderful? Fa-
ther, is ROt that play of lightning glo-
Iaii5usf" Yes, the lightning is glorious
If YOU have never been frightened by
the touch Of its fingers Of fire. II has
always been to me a glorious speeta-
Gle. / am thrilled by its grandeur as
draw for You the symbol of ''the
coming Christ in 1.-THE lightning which
cometh out Of the east and shineth
even unto the west" May God help
me in this sermon to impress upon you
the ever present nearness of our Saw
iour and our divine King.
Christs second advent, in the first
place shall be glorious spectacle. lie
shall come not as babe TO be born in
a stable and cradled in stone crib;
he shall come not as a fugitive in his
mothers arms upon the back Of
humble beast of burden, fleeing into
Egypt: he shall come not as carpen-
ter. with the soiled garments Of toll;
be shall come not as an outcast, con
demned culprit, staggering toward Cal
vary's heights under the oppressive
weight Of the cross upon which he has
10 be crucifed. But he shall come in
All the splendor of the kings of old.
The glittering spears shall be by his
side. The FURNISHED helmets and the
flashing shields and the waving swords
shall be rejecting the lights Of his mil
lennial approach The white steeds OF
victory then shall be champins their
bits and stamping their golden hoofs.
The rumbling wheels Of myriads OF
chariots ana the vociferating cheers OF
the charioteers and horsemen shall be
making the welkin ring with their hal
l,inial,s of iov. The clouds shall be his