Connecticut western news., 1905-12-28
Caln1aQe Sermon
By Rev. Frank De Witt Talrnaae. D. D.

Los Angeles, Cal, Dec. 24.-In the prospect and retrospect afforded by our ascent of the Pisgah heights of hu- man life and experience the preacher finds topic appropriate to the closing old year and full of encouragement for the new. The text Is Deuteronomy xxxiv, 1, ''To the top of Pisgah.'
 I would that Victor Hugo's works were by my side. could find in one of his books-I think the one entitled Ninety -three"--a marvellous descrip- ton of storm In midocean. The great ship, which, I believe, was a man-of war, was being tumbled about in the heavy pillows. The hurricane was shrieking in a pandemonium of wrath. Only those who have been tossed about by a cyclone far out of sight of land know what the horrors of such a storm must have been. Suddenly the dangers of the tempest were multipo- tently increased by another danger nearer at hand. The ship was rolling this way and that. The huge cannon were straining at the chains that held them in place. Suddenly one of these cannon broke loose, and with frightful velocity 1t started on its juggernaut- like mission of destruction. While the brow of the ship would lift Itself and then point It's nose down Into the val leys of the waters, like a tenpin ball, the vagabond cannon would rush along the length of the deck and crash into the masts until the terrified sailors al- most heard the keel snap under their feet. Then when the ship would lurch to leeward and the gunwales would be submerged under the rushing waters the huge iron monster would stop just a minute. The next instant 1t would make a dash in that direction until, like a battering ram, 1t seemed as though 1t would splinter the side of the hull into kindlings. Horror upon hor- TOT followed in its track. It mangled the brave seamen who were trying to lasso it as cowboy upon western prairie would throw the lariat about the horns of a wild steer. Now 1t sent the sailors fleeing for their lives like a covey of cartridges scurrying to the woods after the pointer has made them fly up from the underbrush. Again 1t wrenched the iron bar out of the hands of the man who was trying to clog the gun carriage wheels and hurled him clear across the deck and far out into the abysmal depths to find a watery grave.
 The dangers of the battlefield were child's play compared to the dangers which threatened that ship. And yet as I read that account many years ago I said to myself: Those sailors were having an awful struggle, but very similar are the multitudinous dangers and difficulties that assail most of us during the voyage of life. The storms tornadoes. The dangers that threaten to demolish us not only come from without, but assail us from within the ship. It is hurricane after hurricane, bombardment after bombardment, bat ting wave after battling wave, rolling juggernaut followed by rolling jugger- naut."
 But though the dangers and storms of life seem to be so many and black while we are passing through them, yet in almost every life there comes time when, like Moses, we can stand upon Pisgah's heights, where we can truly see that all these troubles and misfortunes have been working togeth- CT for our good. As Moses was allow ed to climb to the top of Mount Nebo and look off upon the promised land and see the results of his life work, so God lets us climb to the mountain tops of inspiration and look off upon the re- suits of our life work. Then we can see into the dim future and know that the germ seeds we have planted shall yield their harvests thirty, sixty and a hundred fold. And then we can look back into the past as well as into the future and see how God has been lead ing us all the way. Let us first start with a retrospect
 
 The traveller climbing up the noun tain height naturally looks behind as we'll as ahead. He looks toward the land across which he has travelled as we'll as toward the region to which he intends to go. He looks back toward his wilderness as well as ahead toward his promised Utopia. We wonder not that when Marcus Whitman, after weeks and months of travelling, finally stood upon the tops of the Rocky mountains and saw the present states of Oregon and Washington stretching away toward the west his blood tin gled and that his eyes grew moist with tears. We wonder not that when on the famous Fourth of July. 1885, he spread his blanket upon the tops of these mountains he and his little con- pany knelt and dedicated that new country to their God and prayed that 1t might be blessing to their native gov ernment. But after the great mission ary had feasted his eyes upon Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson and the flowing rivers of the Columbia and the
 W turn and shade his eyes and look back toward the east. He kept looking far ther and farther east until in imagina- ton he could see clear across the COM tinent, until he saw his beautiful home; which he had left in the central part of New York In order to come and save the Nez Perces Indians for Christ. Then with inspired eyes he saw how God led him with his young bride on toward the west, on through the farm lands of Ohio and Illinois and Indiana, on to the rolling Mississippi, on and on through the hostile Indian tribes, on and on until he stood upon the ped estal of the Rocky mountains with q new world spread under his feet. "Yes, yes," I can hear the great missionary say, God has cared for me all through He has protected me. He has fed and clothed me. I thank thee, o Father, for what thou hast done for me and