The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-28
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
BY me Rev FRANK DE VIII TALmAoE. 0. 9.
os ANGELES. cal. NAY 2l.-In this

Is ANGELES, Cal, May z-ln lhiS
sermon the preacher makes a
- strong plea for the establishment of
more brotherly relations among men IN
public and private life and for the eXer-
else of magnanimity in the forgiveness
of our enemies The text is Hphesians
IL, &C. Let not the sun go down upon
your wrath"
Righteous Indignation; An absurd
verbal term. that" SAYS some one. Two
such antithetical words should never be
yoked together. The first is found in
Gods lexicon of honored names. The sec
ond is of santanic Technology. Can the
lightnings and the sunbeams play to-
gether in garden at the same hour?
Can the blackness of midnight and the
brightness of midnoon be welded at the
same altar? Is not anger a sin? Is not
angers ebon featured twin. sister, wrath,
condemned again and again in sacred
Scripture? Wrath is cruel and anger is
outrageous, Is the Solomonic arraign-
ment of hates evil companions. And vet
here today by this suggestive caption
you are going to talk about twilight for
giveness' as though it was right some
times to be angry until sunset. Why
such a sermonic theme is not Biblical.
1t is not according to Gods will once
let the egg of anger be incubated by the
Santanic fires and the germs be allowed
to live even for a little while. and before
shutdown those minute particles of life
will grow into huge, kissing, venomous
serpents that will poison with spiritual
death the hand that nurtures them Bet
ter make fire in a gunpowder maya
zine to cook an evening meal than allow
anger to rest in your heart until the twill
light" Wherefore, my beloved breth-
rem, let every man be swift to hear. slow
to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath
of man worketh not the righteousness OF
God"
Anger always sin? Wrath always
under divine condemnation? Oh, no, my
brother, you are wrong. Righteous In
dignation has a right to live by divine
commandment. Supposing 1 go down the
street and see a great, hurley, drunken
loafer abusing and kicking little. help
less cripple. If 1 have the heart of
man shall not my eyes flash and my
cheeks flush and fists clinch in the pro-
lection of that suffering child? Did not
Christ in anger drive the money changers
out of the temple?? Surprising ] should
be called to my front door by ring OF
the bell and there ! should meet a man
to beat me and to knock me down? Must
| quietly submit to being knocked DOWN.
Oh no. That is not the gospel. 1t is not
Christian common sense. / should prob
ably do as that Sunday school scholar
resolved whose teacher one day said to
hi: Charley, what does the Bible teach
you to do If one of your little playmates
slapped You on one cheek?" II would
turn to him the other cheek" said the
boy. "Then what would you do II he hit
you on the other cheek?" Then said
Charley, II would hit him back as hard
as l could" Paul says: "Be ye angry
and sin not Let not the sun go down
upon your wrath" That means that there
are times when we have right to be in
dignant. There are times when we have
a right to strike back. There are times
when you and I must stand up for our
rights. We are not doing justice to others
when we allow others to be unjust to u.s.
but" says my text. there comes n
time when your anger must cool and
when your striking back must cease
With the setting sun you must bear no
man a hard. a bitter or an angry thought
or else that anger will do you more spir-
itual damage than 1t can ever do your
adversary" l hope I have made myself
clear, I hope I have not dishonored God
by laying down the broad premise-easy
to be Observation-Disclosures 1t is wrong to
let others trample upon your rights. as 1t
is wrong for you to trample upon the
rights of others.