Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-10-14
Calr,1age
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. d. d.

man and how we may recognize and
obey II. The text is l Samuel Ill, O.,
Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth."
How the mighty men and women OF
the world found their callings In life
would make very interesting reading.
Sometimes a genius, like Mozart, Is
born. From his cradle his parents
knew what vocation this child would
pursue. 1t three years Of age, with
his little chubby fingers, he could make
the piano speak with the touch of
master. A five years he appeared In
public at the University of Salzburg.
At six, with his little sister Marianne,
be was travelling about Europe on
concert tour, the pet Of kings and
queens and the wonder and astOnish-
ment Of the musical world. But, though
Wolfgang Mozart was born to music,
most Of our great men and women live
years and years and years before they
recognize their right spheres in life.
Some Of them try four or five different
hnes OF work before they place their
feet upon the lowest steps to mount
their thrones of power. Some, like
Odysseus, the Homeric hero of the
Trojan war, had to be bound hand
and foot to the masts Of duty, else they
would have leaped overheard and fol-
lowed the false wooing Of the sirens
song
George Washington did not wish to
be q soldier, but sailor. A British
man-of-wa came to Chesapeake bay
when he was a young man. He want
ed to enlist. A midshipman's commits
sion was obtained for him by his
elder brother Lawrence. His trunk
was already packed and placed on
board ship. But his widowed mother
could not bear to let her baby" boy
leave her side. For her sake he turned
his back upon the quarter deck OF a
British warshlp and thereby paved his
way for the wonderful career which
has made his name the most famous
In American history. Oliver Cromwell
wanted to emigrate to America. He
aud his family were down at the dock
with their tickets In their pockets and
had their berths engaged when a royal
command forbade him leaving the
kings country. Frederick W. Robert
son came from long ancestral lipbe pc Of 4
British officers. He wanfs aid woar
aaIdiar Indaed for IN"
Z ooiuiei. tnse SfiiT5fm, but physical In
hfInity made him forego camp life. He
entered Edinburgh university. When
he became pastor of Trinity chapel at
Brighton he found his right position,
which nightly Influenced his own gen.
Grafton and will also influence the Eng
lish speaking race for all time. Thus
many OF our most famous men and wo-
men have been compelled to grope and
struggle along, sometimes for years,
for their right vocations in life, just
the same as you and have done In the
past or may be now doing in the pres
ent. Where there is one Mozart who
was born a child genius there are a
thousand Frederick w. Robertsons
whose intellect and material life have
developed gradually. First came the
seed, then the sprout, then the bios
som aIli then the luscious fruit.
2 The First Calls.
The hst calls of the temporal life, as
q rule, Fall upon unheeding ears. The
first calls Of the spiritual life In the
same way usually fall upon unheeding
ears. When God first called to Samuel
in the midnight hour, Samuel, Sam
uel! the lad leaped up and ran to the
old priest, Eli, supposing that 1t was
he who called him, and said, Here am
l." Then Eli answered: my son, l
have not called thee. Go back to bed. :"
Again Samuel heard Gods voice, and
again he mistook it for a human voice
samuel. Samuelw what is it, EliT'
asked the boy. Here l am. am al
ways ready to wait upon thee" Agaiu
the old man answered, my son, !
have not called thee" Then a third
time God called, and old Ell said to
Samuel: my son, 1t is not calling
thee, but God. When God calls to
thee again do not run to me, but an
swer, Speak, Lord, for thy servant
heareth.'" Thus young Samuel was
taught to listen to the voice of the
Lord In the midnight hour. Thus
would beg you to heed Gods voice
when he speaks to you In the silent
places" of life. God generally calls uf
to our higher spiritual life In the Isl
lent places" as he called Samuel to be
come the prophet of Israel In the still
ness Of the midnight darkness.
Where are these "silent places" In
which you and 1 can hear the voice OF
the Lord? In the first place, l would
state that God calls US In the hours
of darkness. He calls to us as he call
ed Samuel after the first sleep OF the
night is over, and we suddenly awake
and feel that some ne Is very near tc
US and speaking. We cannot see him
but we feel him and hear him. We
feel his presence and hear him just the
same as we used to recognize our
mothers hand and her kiss and hei
"Good night, my boy" when we were
children and she would come and take
a last look at us to see that we were
all right before going to bed.
when Most PeonIe Die
Perhaps the reason why God Is abl'
to speak to Us so clearly in the early
hours Of the morning can be explained
upon natural grounds. Have you never
noticed the fact that most OF oul
friends die about or o'clock in thu
morning7 AS Solomon beautifully sym