Milford chronicle., 1905-11-17
Calnnaoe
sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. D. D.

box the preacher in this sermon diTw
lessons of the gratitude which Uns,
should feel for the self sacrifice o
mothers, sisters and wives. The text il
Mark xiv, s, 'She hath done what sh,
could"
Some people are like the Dead ses
submerging the "cities Of the plain
They have no outlets They would
make all the streams Of the surround
ing hillsides tributaries to their reser-
Noirs. They would gather into their
depths the waters from the fountains
beneath and from the showers over
head. But, though they take in every
thing they can, they never have any
OutfiOwings. They would never give
anything to anybody else unless they
were compelled so to do. Their hands
are like steel traps, They keep the
palms open only as long as they have
nothing on them. But as soon as any
thing touches their skin their open
palms fly shut and every finger be-
comes wise and every muscle as rig
id as band of steel. Their doctrine is,
''What is yours ought to be mine and
what is mine is my own" Truly they
hang on to every ything they can. Their
appetites are 6mnivorous But, like
great stagnant pools, they become
stenchful through their immobility.
Their love Of other people is completely
circuInscribed by their love of self.
Selfish love has even a more con-
temptible characteristic than a mere
brutal love for self. As a rule, selfish
men consider it a personal reflection on
themselves if other people are not just
as mean and selfish as they are. When
any one makes a sacrifice for another
they give themselves to fault finding,
are always complaining and always
trying to depreciate the good which
that person has tried to do. If a man
like Andrew Carnegie endows Il libra /
" they raise a protesting voice and [
cry, saying: What is the good of Civ
ing a pile of books to a lot of work
men who never read? Why does he
not give them a loaf of bread instead
of printed page? If a philanthro-
pist offers to give loaf of bread every
midnight to every person who comes
Tor it they say: What is the good of
feeding lot of dirty tramps and dead
beats? These men ought to be made
to work as l have TO work." Thus
wherever we turn we find some men,
and, alas, they are many, with these
two miserable characteristics They ,
refuse to do anything for any one else,
and they find fault with all those who
lre trying to do what these selfish men
ought to do. I
Some Of these carping, selfish, fault ,
inding critics were in the home of ST.
mon the leper in the time of Christ, as
hey are in the homes Of our modern :
8ethanys. They never give a cent to
my one if they can help it, and they
late to see any one else give away a
.ent Thus when the woman of my :
ext, to show her love for Christ, en- !
cred the dining hall and broke an !
labaster box and poured the Ont- =
lent Of spikenard very precious upon !
'hrists head they commenced to COM
lain. absurd, absurdr they cried. /,
That ointment could have been sold !.
or 800 pence and given to the poor !,
Why all this waste?' Then said Jesus: :,
Let her alone. She hath wrought Il
ood work on me, for ye have the poor :.
With you always, and whatsoever We !,
rill We may do them good, but me We :,
ave not always" Then Christ utter =
d the words Of my text, "She hath Il
one what she could" That means to
ne very best of her power she had =
lown her true love for Jesus Christ. a
A Noble Sacrifice. =
Genuine and significant must have d
cen the act OF. this woman Of my text "
have brought forth such an encomi- q
d from the Saviour's lips. But is
ssus the only being who has had a y
oman break over his head an ala &,
lister box Of ointment of spikenard -
Try precious? Have not some of us -
zen surrounded in our babyhood, in p
IT boyhoOd, in our young manhood, -
our middle age and old age, by just Z.
ch noble self sacrificing women, who II,
we for us literally done what they =,
uld? Yes. Yes" most of us can -
swer, 1--WE have. We have" -
1uld like to call to recollection some
our obligations. some Of the. services
at we have received from devoted 90
)men, who would have laid down ~
air lives if it had been necessary for -
r welfare They literally did all IL,
~ could to bring us to our truest ~
d fullest mental and physical and vi
litual development W
Where shall we begin to find these tio
male characters, who have broken N,
us their alabaster box of ointment RI
spikenard very precious? Naturally ,be
start with that sweet face that wi
rered about our cradle. When we s,i
back to the dim recollections of nai
ldhoOd we remember that mother as Ian
Uys busy. She was either cleaning No
parlors, or making the beds, or go ers
out to market. or busy with her the
die at a big basket filed with the nv
ks clean washing. We never re car
nber her asleep unless she was sick hor
BED under the doctors care or un- mu