Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-04-28

Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talma6e. D. d.

&-----------------
Los Angeles, Cal, April 22.-How to
get rid Of the skeleton in the closet"
to overcome the hidden trouble, the I'M
repented fault, is the subject of the
sermon today, the text chosen being
Psalm xc, g, "Our secret sins in the
light Of thy countenance."
Most men are born towards. They
were as babies rocked in the cradle of
fear. As boys they always by night
dlslikcd to travel the road which leads
to the bridge over which Tam O. Shan
ter was chased by the hobgoblins. "Oi
course we do not believe in ghosts,
once said a great English evangelist
"but most Of US feel squeamish when
alone, we have to walk past a silent
country graveyard in the dark hours
about midnight. And most Of us are
afraid of the valley Of the shadow OF
death when, like the psalmist Of old
we look at it in the dim vista of the
future. although, like him, we know II
is nothing but black shadow" Oh
course there may be men born, like
HOratio Nelson, who never know wha
the name Of fear means But if sucl
men exist they are very few and fal
between. They are almost as scarce
as clover tops growing in a January
snow bank or as diamonds imbeddeC
In a vein Of copper ORE
The members of the human race d'
not dwell all the time in the City o
COURAGE. They nearly all live for
little while, at least once a year, in tn
City of Timidity. They more Otter
cry and trembe before the imaginar.
dangers which threaten them thal
they suffer from the wounds inflicted
bv mortal foe. The legend is told tina
one dav a traveller met the Black Plagu
iourneying TO the famous eastern capl
tal of Bagdad. where are you 20
ingY" asked tue eastern pilgrim. ~
Baedad." was the answer, ito XII
1000 people" \ few weeks later, s.
goes the legend, the same traveller me
the Black Plague on the same road Du
now returning from Bagdad and goln
home. why" said this traveller al
YOU not do as you said you intende
TO do? You said you were going I
Bagdad to kill 5000 people. From ID
awful reports | hear coming from tina
doomed region you have killed 5000
neople instead Of 5000" "Ah'' an
svered the Black Plague, with glee
ful. 6endish grin, Il have kept m
word. | killed only 5000 people O
account Of my fatal touch, but tn
other 5000 people who also died pei
ished of fear. They killed themselves
| had nothing to do with it," Yes, tn
old legend is right. \ great man
plagues stalk through this land, d'
stroving their victims everywhere, Du
the dead that lie in their tracks are nc
all slain by those swinging scytne'
Most people are born natural coward'
More people die from fear than eve
die from the ravages of disease.
The Fear of Punishment.
This assumption is almost a self ey
dent fact or an axiom. Now, as mos
of us are towards in more ways ina
ono the greatest check on wrongdoin
In this world is the fear of future pun
ishment The would be murderer
afraid TO shoot his victim for fear !
will be executed; the young clerk WI
is getting into the habit of betting u
on the races is afraid to risk any
his EMPLOYERS money for fear he WI
he found out and sent to Jail; the won
en- or the men who would like to vi
laie the seventh commandment oIte
are afraid to do 1t for fear the neWsp
per reporters will get upon their tral
and the whole scandal will be pu
Ushed in the daily newspapers, al
then they will be ostracized from q
deceut associations, but If man cou
sin without being found out or Il
sinner not be brought to Judgment the
where there are now two sins the
would be twenty and where men e
once now they might do wrong 1t
times over. That means, of course,
onr sins would never be brought
trial. ,
Now. as l was thinking along tn
: line the other day my eyes were sea
ninr the Nineteenth Psalm of DaYl
Suddenly my attention was attract'
10 these words: Our secret sins in q
liobt Of tby countenance" What"
said to myself -"can it be that the
are sins 50 secret, so completely III
den. that our most intimate friends
not know Of them, sins that God know
and sees and that our consclenc
convict us off, | do not now refer
the open sins, the faults that the wor
takes note Of. but are there not othe
hidden away in the inmost recesses
the heart that will one day be set
the penetrating light of Gods count
nance? Let us examine ourselves IL
morning as in Gods presence.
Let me, in the iirst place, speak abo
the sin of robbing God Of those hou
of sacred devotion in which we shou
hold secret communion with him, tho
hours Of secret prayer and Bible rea
ing which are so essential for our oY
spiritual life. You know that in tn
discourse on prayer in which our 10
describes that exercise he comman
us to pray in secret as well as to pr
openlv. In Matthew we read, "Wh
thou prayest enter into thy closet, a
when thou hast shut thy door pray
thv Father who is in secret, ana |
S Father who is in secret shall reWa
thee openly" But, though God co
mands us TO have our secret hours
holy communion with him and thou
l. the Christian world thinks that we'