Democratic messenger., 1905-07-22
Calrnage
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. d. d.

TO the suddenness of Christ's promised
Matthew xiv. %. AS the lightning
cometh out of the east
The misfortune of being terrorized
by the lightnings 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 lightnings 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 that danger. Like Paul on the road
TO Damascus. blinded and dazed they
We're flung into the dirt by an electric
thundcrbolt. 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 storm un-
der such circumstances is not neces-
sarily to he cowartily.
Ii YOU or | had been hurt by light
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-like. she gave up her son
to the cause of American liberty.
When the little old widow babe her
tall. noble boy goodby. it was not with
an agonizing cry of stay, George
stay at home with me-, Fer COM
mand was: ''Go. my son. Go forth
and answer duty's call. Ii Is better to
die gloriously than to live towards
life. Thy country calls thee. Go. my
son. go." Mary Washington was among
the bravest of women. She would have
been willing. if necessary. to march up
10 the cannon's mouth. as did her son
at Princeton and Brandywine With
unblanched cheek she would have
faced the rifles of her country's enc
mics as did her son when with the
colonial troops at his back he saved
Braddock's army near old Fort Du-
quesne of Pittsburg. But Mary Wash
ington's cheeks would turn ashen
white when she heard thunderstorm's
signal In the distance. Why! In her
early life. with young girl friend,
she was sitting at her fathers dinner
table. Suddenly there came flash
and a quick detonation of thunder. She
turned and looked at her friend. In
horror she called To her To speak. but
that friend never spoke to Mary Ball
again. She was dead, She was killed
hy a flash of iiol,fninn
Glory of the Lightning.
The raging of a thunderstorm has
always impressed me good deal as
it did my only brother. 4 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 conflagrations. great rivers Of
fire. great cataracts and shooting jave-
lins 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 Witt. Where are you?"
After awhile. amid a lull in the storm.
he heard voice calling: Here, IA
ther. 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 not that play of lightning glo-
riOus?" Yes. the lightning is glorious
II you have never been frightened by
the touch of its fingers of fire. 1t has
always been to me glorious specta-
Gle. | am thrilled by its grandeur as
i draw for you the symbol Of 1.-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 nearncss of our Saw
iour and our divine King
1nflSt second advent, IN the nrSt
place. shall be glorious spectacle. He
shall come not rs Il babe TO he born in
stable and cradled in stone crib:
he shall come not as fugitive in his
mothers arms upon the back of
humble beast of burden. fleeing into
Egypt: he shall come not as Il carpen-
ter. with the soiled garments OF toll:
he shall come not as an outcast. Il con-
demned culprit. staggering toward Cal
vary's heights under the oppressive
weight of the cross upon which he has
TO be crucified. But he shall come in
all the splendor of the kings of old.
The glittering spears shall he by his
side. The FURNISHED helmets and the
flashing shields and the waving swords
shall be rejecting the lights of his mil
lennal approach. The white steeds of
victory then shall be champing their
bits and stamping their golden hoofs.
The rumbling wheels of myriads of
chariots and the vociferating cheers OF
the charioteers and horsemcn shall be
making the welkin ring with their hal
N.... H.. -. Ii