The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-10-13
COMING OF CHRIST.
Rev. Or. Talmage Likens II TO
the Lightnlng's Flash.
s,aaen Arrival Like That OF the
Electric Bolt-TO save and
20 Destroy.

trloal display the preacher mus 'O''
In the lightnlng's 6ash. which he iiAeus
10 the audiences Of Chrlsts promised
temperance on earth. Tbs text 10
Matthew xiv. 27. "As the lightning
somsth out Of the east"
The misfortune Of being terroFileu
by the nghtnings has never come 10
me. Some Of the bravest and MODEST
men and women tremble Ike an aspen
leaf shaken In the rough grasp OF me
wind whenever the nghtnings hash ana
the tAunders 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 that danger. Like Paul on the road
70 Damascus, blinded and dazed they
were dung into the dirt by an electric
thunderbolt, or by It they had their
homes shattered and burned or iney
had a dear loved one killed by their
sido. To be frightened by a storm IN
der such circumstances is not neces-
sarlly 10 be cowardly.
II YOU or had been hurt by hgnt-
ming or had seen 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 spartan-llke, she gave up her sou
70 the cause Of American liberty.
When the little old widow babe her
tall noble boy goodby. It was not with
an agonlzing cry OF stay. George
STAY al home with me" Her com
mand was: go. my son. Go forth
and answer duty's call II IS better to
die gloriously than to live a towards
life. Thy country calls thee. Go, my
son. gol" Mary Washington was among
the bravest OF women. She would have
been willing, If necessary, TO march up
10 the lannon's mouth. as did her son
M Princeton and Brandywine. With
unblsnched cheek she would have
faced the rifles Of her cOuntry's enc
mics as aid her son when with the
colonial troops at his back he saved
Braddock's army near old Fort Du-
ouesne Of Pittsburg. But Mary Wash
ington's cheeks would turn ashen
white when she heard a thunderstOrm's
signal In the distance. WhyI In her
carly life, with a young girl friend
she was sitting at her fathers dinner
table. Suddenly there came a fash
and a quick defamation Of thunder. She
turned and looked at her friend. In
horror she called to her TO speak, but
that friend never spoke to Mary Bal
again. She was dead! She was killed
By a flash Of lightning.
The raging Of a thunderstorm has
always impressed me good deal as
It 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 CONGREGATIONS. great rivers Of
fire, great cataracts and shooting javs-
Inns Of fire. Father and mother be
came nervous about the storm. They
wanted their children 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 With Where are your
After awhile. amid a lull In the storm,
he heard q voice calling; Here. ia
therl What DO you wanti" Then my
father went up into the cupOla, which
stood upon the top Of our house. There
be found my brother. What are you
doing herer said father Better come
down with the rest OF the family. You
might got struck here" "Oh," an
swered my brother, there Is no dan
ger. Let us stay up here and watch
the storm. Is il not wonderful Fa-
Their, is not that play Of lightning glo-
riousY Yes, the lightning is glorious
II you have never been frightened by
the touch Of It's fingers Of Ere II has
always been to me a glorious specta-
Gle. l am thrilled by its grandeur as
l draw for you the symbol Of "the
coming Christi In "the lightning which
comsth 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.
ChriSt's second advent. In the first
place. shall DO q glorious spectacle He
shall como not as a babe to be born IN
q stable and Graded 10 a 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 a carpen-
ter, with the sOiled garments OF toll;
be shall come not as an Outcast. a con
iemned culprit. staggering toward Cal
vary's heights under the oppressive
weight Of the cross upon which be has
10 be crucihed. But he shall come IN
nll the splendor Of the kings Of old
The glittering spears shall be by HIS
hide. The FURNISHED helmets and the
flashing shields and the waving swords
shall be rejecting the lights Of his mil.
Ionnial approach. The white steeds Of
victory then shall DO champing their
bits and stamping their golden hoofs
The rumbling wheels Of myriads Of
chsriots and the vociferatlng cheers Of
he oharioteers and horsemen shall be
the welkin ring with their hal
eluiahs Of Joy. Tho clouds shall be his
The white horse Of victory
shall be his brightly caparisoned char
ger. The armies Of the heavens shall
follow him clothed IN fine linen. And
on his thigh shall be written. king Of
kings and Lord Of lords" The sublime
panorama Of the flashing hghtnings OF