Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-10-12
Calrnage
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, d. D.

Los Angeles, Cal, Oct. SIN this SER
mon the preacher shows how the d.
vine voice Is constantly speaking to
man and how we may recognize n
obey It, The text Is I Samuel Ill, 0,
Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth."
How the mighty men and women Of
the world found their callings In life
would make very interesting reading.
Sometimes a genius, like Mozart, Is
born. From his cradle his parents
knew what vocation this child would
pursue. At three years Of age, with
his little chubby fingers. he could make
the piano speak with the touch Of a
master. A Ave years he appeared in
public at the University Of Salisbury.
he was travelling about Europe on a
concert tour, the pet Of kings and
queens and the wonder and astonish.
ment of the musical world. But, though
Wolfgang Mozart was born to music,
most Of our great men and women live
years and years and years before they
recognize their right spheres in life.
SoOilIC VI hNL NY iOui VI ' I'll
lines of work before they place their
feet upon the lowest steps to mount
their thrones Of power. Some, like
Odysseus, the Homeric hero Of the
Trojan war, had to be bound hand
and foot to the masts Of duty, else they
would have leaped overheard and fol.
lowed the false wooing of the sirens
song.
George Washington did not wish to
be a soldier. but a sailor. A British
man-of-war came to Chesapeake bay
when he was a young man. He want
ed to enlist. A midshipman's commits
sion was obtained for him by his
elder brother Lawrence. His trunk
was already packed and placed on
board ship. But his widowed mother
could not bear to let her baby" boy
leave her side. For her sake he turned
his back upon the quarter deck Of a
British warship and thereby paved his
way for the wonderful career which
has made his name the most famous
in American history. Oliver Cromwell
wanted to clnigrate to America. He
and his family were down at the dock
with their tickets in their pockets and
had their berths engaged when a royal
command forbade him leaving tho
kings country. Frederick w. Robert
son came from a long ancestral line Of
British officers. He wanted to be a
soldier. Indeed, for a time he did wear
the soldiers uniform, but physical Ia
dirmity made him forego camp life. He
entered Edinburgh university. When
Brighton he found his right position,
which nightly Influenced his own gen.
Grafton md will also influence the Eng
1ish speaking race for all time. Thus
many Of our most famous men and wo-
then have been compelled to grope and
struggle along, sometimes for years,
for their right vocatiors in life, Just
the same as you and l have done in the
past or may be now doing In the pres.
ent. Where there is one Mozart who
was born a child genius there are q
thousand Frederick w. Robertsons
whose intellect and material life have
developed gradually. First came the
seed, then the sprout, then the bios
som and then the luscious fruit.
The First Calls.
The first calls Of the temporal life, al
n rule, fall upon unheeding ears. The
first calls Of the spiritual life in the
same way usually fall upon u~nheeding
ears When God first called to Samuel
In me midnight hour. Samuel, Sam
ne,!' the lad leaped up and ran to the
I'D priest. Ell. s%upposing that 1t was
'be who called him, and said. Here am
l." Then Eli answered: MY son, I
have not called thee. Go back to bed"
again Samuel heard Gods voice, and
again he mistook 1t for a human voice.
samuel, Samuel" What is 1t, Eli?'
asked the boy. Here l am. am al.
ways ready to wait upon thee" Again
The old man answered. my son. l
have not called thee" Then a third
time God called, and old Eli said to
Samuel: my son, it is not / calling
Thee, but God. When God calls ia
thee again do not run to me. but an
bwer. Speak. Lord. for thy servant
heareth.'" Thus young Samuel was
Taught to listen to the voice OF the
Lord in the midnight hour. Thus
would beg You to heed Gods voice
when he speaks to you in the silent
places" of life. God generally calls Us
to III higher spiritual life in the Isl
lent places" as he called Samuel to be.
rome the prophet Of Israel In the still
pess of the midnight darkness.
Where are these "silent places In
which you and I can hear the voice of
the Lordf In tho first place. l would
state that God calls us in the hours
pf darkness. He calls to us as he call.
I'd Samuel after the first sleep of the
hight is over, and we suddenly awake
and feel that some ~ Is very near t.
rs and speaking. We N see him
but we feel him and hear him. We
leel his presence and hear him Just the
yame as we used to recognize our
nother's hand and her kiss and her
GOOD night, my boy" when we were
children and she would come and take
last look at us to see that we were
I'll right before going to bed.
When Most People Die.
Perhaps the reason why God IL able
20 speak to us so clearly In the early
hours Of the morning can be explained
bpon natural grounds. Have you never
noticed the fact that most Of oul