Milford chronicle., 1905-07-14
Calnaoe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, DID.


er avoids 1t. The text is 'Ecclesiaste
XII 8. They shall be afraid OF tha
which IS high"
What is the Biblical picture Of m,
text? Mere physical decadence onG
mental decrepitude? Do we find here
as dear friend of mine some time ago
tried to prove to me. simply a half
bllnd. deaf, tOOthless. stiff iointed.
rheumatic, palsied, helpless old man.
being wheeled around in an invalid
chair or hobbling about on a crutch or
grunting and grOaning on a bed of
chronic invalidism: Is he a nervous
wreck white haired timorous old
patriarch. afraid of his own shadow?
Is he eowardly person. who. realizing
MS own physical infrmities with a dis
eased mind, is conjuring up a lot of
imaginative dangers If there are no
real dangers Mt hand? l think not
Deheve that the writer is here pictur-
ing OLD age, but it IS the noble brave
ana self reliant old age which your
Iather and mine had when they drew |
near the end Of their earthly career
II is not the pitiable old age Of senile
coWardliness. 1t is the farsighted. in
spring old age of caretaking cautious
ness which generally comes from the
bitter experience Of misfortunes. To
be cautious is not necessarily to be
cowardly. TO be reckless is not nee
essarily to be brave. The reason some
young folks are reckless is because
they do not realize the dangers at I
hand against which as sensible men q
ana women they should carefully pro- 4
tect themselves. Il
Let me Illustrate You call me up on
the telephone; say: Hello. Is that you? p
VIII you take a drive this afternoon? 81
All right, | will be up with the car lc
riage in twenty minutes" When Won
drive up with the carriage see that %
you have beautiful, high stepping. III
mettlesome thoroughbred When / en- III
ter the runabout / see you hold the III lil
relns tight You speak gently and
soothingly to your horse BY the tone no
Of your voice and by the way you han an
ole the lines l know you are a good Je'
driver, and l feel perfectly safe. But u'l
supposing l enter your carriage and WI
see you jerk the lines. Then Won LET th'
them lie loose; then YOU halloo at the Wo
morse or cut him with the whip What "
40 doF why, simply get out of that ~
carriage and walk home, not because I Dy
am coward, but because know that "a. SaN
you do not know how to drive a mettIe- iis i
'ome horse. l know what that means. an
once rode behind a fractions colt.
with Just such an inexperienced driver Wei
IS you are and l was nearly killed
nave more respect for my neck and III
ny life than to trust them in such PREF
Incompetent hands again. When thel
vas young man did not care what aieI
ind Of horse rode behind or what tie
ma OF a driver had hold of the lines tnls
Ut from bitter experience now / know cani
oout such dangers and give them Otiie
Fry wide berth. Such, 1 think. is the VINO
stinction Of my text. We see the our
d man not cowardly, but cautions. l ma
see him afraid of that which is bipb MISS
,cause mast avnorior,ae ''iii0ii - nisu chur
er such places "Bewarer This is a W., %Uin
nger sign, "Bewareg girl
BE Cautious. nice
But do we have to wait until old age lnou
fore we become wisely cautious? Not tbis
ly is 1t the duty of all men to be for I
rerul and run no needless risks but cies
is certainly the duty Of young men assoc
learn from OLD men the lesson Of That
wing cautiOusness." There is so Chris
ch-aye. so very much-depending I con
most Of us younger men. Many Of and ,
have families of little children who make
looking to us for their daily bread. vvome
are also responsible for our useful what
which can Dless all mankind prefer
ut us. mus instead OF telling my risked
Fnrg hn
nd tell those in youth and those in like I
prime OF strong middle life to be other
llgly cautious" Be cautious for along
: own sakes Especially be eau Yosem
for your dear ones and for the good ]
! which you may do for Christ and compa
the great outside world. No man reputa
a right to run any useless risks the str
reby his physical life might quick But
e ended. If duty calls you as a heights
e or surgeon to enter the conta- en- foo
s ward Of a hospital then there not ne,
should go. If duty bids you shoul- high as
a rife and charge the enemy upon along
Oody battlefield for your country's risk til
arvatl0n, then there you should 20 a prize
fight. But. If duty does not com man "
d you to endanger your physical name I
then you have no right to run any twenty,
less risks. who ar
eless recklessness is not the sign for fini
sublime bravery. but Of arrogant are Of
insipid stupidity. General VIII names
T. Sherman on his famous march only "a
Atlanta to the sea powerfully Oh, I
It this truth. For days and weeks good n
weary months Joseph E. John hnancia
and he had been playing hide and your &
behind their opposing breast hangerC
;. First would come the brilliant might $
ing movement. then the brave into the
e. then the quick retreat and the many ]
lstment Of the Confederate lines upon N
he building up Of new breast a minis
!. One day the northern com bility }
ar was standing in dangerous wealthy
IN on a eertain fortifcatlon. He name.