Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-12-07
CalnnaSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, b. b.

Los Angeles, Cal, Dec. BIN this
sermon the preacher sounds q stirring
note Of arousal and fresh encourage
ment TO those who are disposed to sink
iu the battle Of life and to give way to
unavailing regrets. The text Ia II Sam.
ucl xix, Is, 80 the king returned and
came to Jordan"
The world has no use for the common
scold. When universal fault finders
can see nothing but shortcomings In
their fellow men they are apt to dc.
nouncc sins similar to those to which
they themselves are addicted. what
is the matter with your the clapper
asked the cracked bell in the old leg
end. "You utter nothing but discords.
You are no good to anybody" Yves"
answered the bell. that may be true.
But what are you complaining about?
Was not my metal all right until YOU
pounded crack in my side? And. fur
thcrmore. would not the world think I
was all right now II you did not con-
tinue to pound me and advertise my
weaknesses:" So it often happens that
the people who are most active in de-
nounclng the weaknesses of others are
really denouncing the evil results OF
which they themselves are the direct or
indirect causes Like a boomerang.
their complaints fly in circle. They
strike back at the very lips which start
cd those complaints on their evil flight.
The world has but little use for the
common scold. 1t has also little use
for those who do not heed the danger
signals Of life which are lifted all about
them. 1t has unutterable contempt for
the pilot who will not steer away from
the buoys marking the dangerous reefs,
or for the engineer who will not stop
his locomotive when the warning tor
pedo Is exploded under his wheel, or
for tho sea captain who will not keep
his eye upon the falling barometer
when the ship is drawing near the ice
berg regions. or for the physician who
does not keep a careful record of the
patients fever. or for the statesman
who does not ferret out and check the
evils skulking behind the pillars Of the
legislative halls. There Is no sense in
declaring that the sun Is shining when
tornado Is battering down the har-
vests and knocking the unripe fruit of
the swaying branches. 1t is no sign OF
great virtue to be always looking upon
the bright side of things when condi.
lions about us are all askew and could
be made right II we would only go
forth 10 grapple with the wrongs and
scatter the causes which are bringing
forth evil results.
General Joab was not common
scold neither was he one Of those
wishy washy. effeminate. pusillanimous
characters who are afraid to say that
their souls are their own. He could
speak out boldly and bravely when it
behooyed him so to speak. When the
king did right, Joab was ready to say,
'"rhou' art right, o my king" When
the king did wrong. Joab was also
ready to say. Thou art wrong. o my
king" And because he was ready to
denounce the kings follies Just as EN-.
phatically as he was to praise the
kings virtues he was able to exercise
the far reaching influence on Davids
life that is described in the chapter OF
my text.
In the first place, the iconoclast open
ed the eyes Of the king to the many
blessings with which he was surround
ed. With one herculean blow Joat
shattered the idol Of the kings grief
and made him stop worshiping at the
shrine Of his hayward sons grave
With the keen, sharp words of friend
he went into the royal bedroom an(
cut and Slashed that weeping paren
with his verbal stiletto until Mt last tho
king realized that even a father has NJ
right to spend lifetime bemoaning {
dead Absalom IL by such a course he l!
doing an injustice to his living friends
And yet. my brothers, how many mel
and women there are just like David
They never seem to be able to turl
their weeping eyes away from the TO
Gus Of a tombstone. They never seen
to be able to see the laughing eyes ant
the smiling lips or to hear the lovin,
words Of those who are living for then
in the nurseries and sitting rooms O
their own homes.
Dnvid's Greatest Battle.
The greatest battle Of David's caree
was over 1t was an awful fight. Dur
ing the hours of that day the king
throne had been tottering upon its foun
dations. As Alfred the Great had T.
fee his capital when he was defeate'
'. by the Danes at Athelney, and as Rob
ert Bruce was an exile in Ireland 10
six long years before he came back I
his Scottish throne, and as Charles II
u, was a wanderer upon the face of tn
earth when Cromwell was dictator a
Westminster so King David, on at
> count of the uprising Of his son Absa
), lom, was fugitive from his Jerusaler
palace. 1t was not mere playful squa
). which had struck his ship Of STATE
1t was tornado, which was rppin
the sails and making the gunwales sin
= under the foaming raging pillows
King David's head was in danger. an
:, the whole royal family were menace
= by the instruction of which this di
= solute prince was the leader. Til
q young princes in the London Tows
met the same kind Of fate whic
Prince Absalom had planned out II
Ia his royal sire. but no sooner did ii
:. kings friends rally to his standard an
I. ut the risk of their fortunes and the
= lives fight the kings battles and wi
~ hacl, far him his throne and kill IL