Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-04-13
CalnnaSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, d. d.

Los Angeles, Cal, April 0.--To the in.
different, and especially to the back
slider who has gone back to the world
and its pleasures, this sermon makes n
powerful appeal for renewal Of spir.
ituai ties and a reminding Of spiritual
activities. The text IL Psalm II, L.,
Restore unto me the Joy Of thy saliva.
ton"
oh, how quickly the wheel of for.
tune may whirl around! What we are
today Is no earnest of what we may be
tomorrow. Rich and aflluent, prosper
Gus and happy now, that does not
prove thet we shall be rich and happy
and prosperous, with a multitude Of
friends hanging around us. next week
or next month or next year. The night
follows the day as we'll as the day tho
night. The people living in the South
American republic of Chile reckon his
tory by this or that or the other earth
q,fQke, which has made the heaving
earth rock down homes and destroy
whole cities and towns and villages
Some Of us may reckon the passing
away Of our lives by the epitaphs
which are chiseled upon the tomb.
stones Of our buried hopes.
"Year Of 1872" we say. ooh, that
was the year of Americas awful black
Friday, when my fortune like snow
flake melted away IN an hour. Year Of
1881. That was the year l lost my
brother or wife or mother. Year Of
1905. That was the year was injured
in a railroad accident. On account Of
that broken hip 1 lost my position at
the store and had to give up my life in
surance policy and become poor,
helpless invalid, a burden on my
friends. All, am not as used to be-
Once had enough for myself and for
others. Now I have less than nothing
I am dependent upon those around
me-"
Better days! Oh. yes. scores Of you
have seen better days In your body.
your property and your families! But.
alas. many of us, like the writer of the
words Of my text. have seen better days
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know whether this author held. as do
the Methodists of our day. that good
man might lose his hold on salvation.
but one thing Is sure-he knew that he
had fallen from grace. He had once
tasted the joys Of divine sonship. He
had once waded ankle deep, knee deep.
waist deep, chin deep, into the great
depths Of Gods love and had drunk Of
those living waters. But now he has
climbed out Of those depths and stands
shivering upon the Jagged rocks Of evil
in the cold. biting winds of sin. Thus
we find him crying out in the words Of
entreaty: 20 God, bring back to me
the happiness and the exhilaration and
peace Of my past gospel life! Restore
unto me the Joy Of thy salvation"
Have not some OF us need to offer
the prayer Of the psalmist? 1 know
that there are many who are in the po-
sition of this psalmist. I know, fur
thermore, that II you will only return
you may taste again the gospel Joys.
and they will be sweeter to you than
they ever were before. An eminent
minister Of the cross short time ago
told me that the greatest blessing Of
a revival Of religion was not found in
introducing strangers to Jesus, but In
bringing back to his service those who
had once been found Mt the foot Of the
cross. And" said he, when these
wanderers return they make the very
best workers in our Christian church
es.' May God help me to prevail on
some of you backsliders again to taste
the gospel Joys.
Prayer That IL Explicit.
But never did like praying for
'everything In general and for the uni
verse In particular" In order to be
more explicit we would divide the
psalmists prayer under three or four
distinct headings. In the first place. l
would have you make the prayer: IRE
turn unto me. o Lord. the JOY which I
experienced when fret tegan to re-
alize the heights and the depths and
the lengths and the breadths of thy
sacrifices for me. Restore unto me the
Joy which came to my soul when years
ago first approached the communion
table and said, Lord, believe; help
thou mino unbelief'" Then the tidal
wave Of happiness rolled over us In
surges. Then we said to ourselves:
Saved by grace. Saved by grace!
o God, l thank thee that I have been
saved by grace"
Was 1t marvellous fact that at that
time we should have been happy and
have thanked God that we were saved
Ivy grace? Surely we would not treat
God less gratefully than we would
have treated any human being who had
rescued us from threatening danger.
When at the battle of Brienne General
Gourgaud flung himself before his
chief and killed the Cossnck who was
about to bury his lance in the heart Of
his emperor Napoleon's gratitude knew
no bounds. Thus we feel grateful to-
ward our human rescuers. We look
with loving eyes toward the skilled sur
geon who drove the knife within a
hairs breadth of the fatal artery and
say: HE saved me! He saved mew
We throw our arms with grateful,
Ponvulsive clasp about the neck of the
strong swimmer who breasted tho
waves and swan out to bring US to
shore when we were sinking In the
surf. We sound forth the praises Of
the man who leaps forward at the risk
Of his life and clutches the bride of
our runaway horse and hangs on until
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