Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-08-18

Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. d. ID.


for Christ 1t must be true TO its pro-
fessisns. collectively and individually.
The text Is Solomon's Song vi. 10,
Terrible as an army with banners"
Di@eult Is It ito keep sweet and keep
moving" AZ a poet once wrote-difh-
cult not to look upon the dark side OF
lie and be impressed by the mean
nssses and the contemptibleness OF
men rather than by mans good quail
ties and by bis nobilities. Almost all
people every day OF their lives have
some ipJustices or selnshnesses prac-
riced upon them. Unless very careful
we are prone to become pessimistic
and to entertain disparsging views OF
our fellow men. 1t may be that the
conduct OF some with whom we come
In contact leads US to think them as
wSrShlsss-as that man whose life Paul
BOyton saved a few years ago. Mr..
Boytor was spending a few weeks in
Atlantic City, on the New jersey coast.
One day the cry OF Help was raised.
A bafher who was a very wealthy
bnen had been swimming far out be-
yOud ths life lines. Caught In the cur
rents. be was being swept out to sea.
Mr.. Boyton at once jumped into the
water and at the peril of his own life
brought this millionaire TO shore In an
unconscious condition. Next day the
rescued man hunted up Paul Boyton.
After THANKING him for what he had
done be took out OF his pocket n big
roll Of bills He turned them over and
over Then be put the bills back into
his pocket Not one was small enough
for his fancy. Then he took out
nfty cent piece aud handed It to the
rescaer. what Is that forP' asked the
great swimmer. why, for saving my
life" ''Ohp' said Boyton- Then the
swimmer took out his own pocketbook
and counted out 40 cents and handed
them back to the millionaire. Here
IL your change" said he. For what?"
why" Ssld Boyton, you have over
paid me. Any millionaire like you
who would offer a man 90 cents for
saving his life has soul so mean and
small that It Is not worth more than
penny, IL 1t IS worth even that" 1t
was the reproof or n justly incensed
man. But We have to beware lest I'M
der provocRtions similarly contempti-
bls we come to entertain too low an
estimate OF human character as a
whole.
Pessimisttc Views.
The pCssimIstic way In which some
OF Us regard men Is very similar to the
estimate some OF Us place upon the
spiritual movements OF the day, espe-
clally those which find expression IN
the work OF the church OF the Lord
Jesus Christ. We try TO honestly and
intellIgentiy read 1.-The signs of the
time" There we fiud much to dis
courage us. We do not see the chill
dren OF this generation loving the
word OF God and the house of God as
did the fathers and mothers OF the past
generation. We find our Sabbaths look
ed upon az holidays instead of holy
days. We find the golden calf" the
shrine At which the human race Is
anxious to worship and that the saloon
Is being intrenched everywhere. We
find the Bible being driven out OF our
public schools and that many OF our
state colleges have men In their pro-
fessorial and presidential chairs who
never darker the doors OF the church
and whose whole influence direct and
indirect. Is TO lead their students Into
the paths OF free thought and not
into the paths converging at the feet
OF the Lord Jesus Christ. yea" some
OF you say. lit is all we'll enough to
talk about a coming millennium, but
where are the signs OF It's coming?
The world Is growing darker and
darker. This Is not a spiritual land OF
the midnight sun, but one OF midday
blackhess. Everything spiritually seems
TO be going askew." Is II, my brother?
] would not have you take such de-
pressed view OF things. / am today
going TO take my stand upon the proph-
ecy or my text. / am not only going
20 show you a vision OF a conquering
church In the years to come, but a con-
onsring church in the years that are
now at hand.
Because Paul Boyton saved the life
or q millionaire who offered him a
atty cent piece for his service it does
not follow that all men are mlsers and
unErateful. Because the morning sun
FOR some OF us seems to be obscured
by the fog banks OF mist, that does not
prove that these mists shall never be
cleared away. Listen to the prophecy.
WHO Is she that looketh forth as the
morning. fair as the moon, clear as
the sun and terrible as an army with
bannersf" exelaims the sacred writer.
''This- Is the church." comes the
ha II.
OF the Lord Jesus Christ. which shall
usher In the millennlal morn OF a
Saviour's earthly enforcement,
Tbs future OF the conQuering church,
In The ftst place. Is not to be estimated
By the myriad numbers OF her soldiers.
nor the costliness OF her barracks, nor
the lofty altitude OF her watehtowers,
nor the insxhaustible gold OF her treas
ury. nor ths sharpness Of her steel
weapons. The text does not ask,
Who - abe that cometh forth, leading
ON an armed host like that with which
tne invading conqueror. King Darius,
overthrsw the BabyIonian walls, or
Ike that with which Xerxes bridged
the Hetlssnont. or like that with which
AlsxahaeE the Great conquered the
~ssAoA C-hRitcs Ou, NO, BuL IL GOES
say, WHO 10 she that cometh forth
as me morning fair as tho moon, clear
AZ the sanY' Thus the nrst great es-
senriai OF the conquering church or
Christ to which would cali your at
tention IL that che must be s'clear as
the SUM-" That means, as all the light
and all the heat OF the earth come
from the great orb which rises In the
esat, 10 all the teachings or tenets or
beliefs or creeds OF the conquering
church must rAdiate from the Sun
OF righteousness. the risen Christ.
Christ must be the center, the circum-
ference. the nadir. the zenith, the be-
ginning and the ending and the all OF
that conquering church or there shall
be no triumph ahead OF her. What the
rising sun Is to the natural world the
Sun OF Righteousness is to the spirit
val world.
Higher Rose the SUN.
A true conception OF Jesus Christ
Ia