Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-05-26
Ca(m>age
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. d. d.

still accessible to present day Clrls-
tlans aud will be conferred on those |
who fulfill its conditions is the conten-
ton Of the preacher in this sermon ON
the text Luke xiv, 40. Until ye be
endued with power from on high"
While | was pondering on this text
like n fash this sentence rose to my
lips: "IIow many men and women
there are who have all the mighty ele-
ments for gospel power except the one
fact that they are not developed! what
service they might render as goSpei
evangelists if they would only follow
the leading5 of Jesus Christ and plead
with him that they might be baptized
with the power OF the Holy Ghost
These men and women are like the dis
ciples of Jesus Christ before the day
Of Pentecost. They believe in Jesus.
In one sense they have been followers
Of Christ, but in another sense they
have not had their souls fired with the
living Goals from off his altars. These
men and women are In exactly the
same position as was Dwight L. Moo
dy during the first years of his minis
try in the city Of Chicago.
Let me show you what that condl-
ton was by reading d. L. Moody's eX-
perlence in his own words: "When l
was preaching In Farwell hall, in Chi
cago. / never worked harder to pre-
pare my sermons than did then.
preached and preached, but it was
beating against the air. a good wom-
an said to me, MIR. Moody, you don't
seem to have power in your preaching
Nv desire was that l might have n
fresh amounting. l requested this wo-
man and a few others to come and
pray with me every Friday afternoon
at 4 o'clock Oh, how piteously l
prayed that God might fill the empty
vessel After the fire in Chicago | was
In New York city, and, going into
bank on Wall street, it seemed as II l
felt n strange and mighty power com
ing over me. l went up to the hOtei,
and there in my room l wept before
God and cried, % my God, stay thy
bandp He gave me such fullness that
Il seemed more than ! could contain.
Nav God forgive me If speak In a
boastful way, but l do not know that
7 have preached sermon since but
| God has given me some soul. On,
vould not be back where / was four
years ago for all the wealth or this
world If you would roll ii at my feet
7 would kick It away like a football.
seem n wonder to some of you, but
7 am n greater wonder to myself than
70 anv one else. These are the very
same sermons | preached in Chicago
word for word. 1t is not new sermons,
but the power of Cod 1t is not new
rospel. but the old gospel with the
Holy Ghost of power" This Is the tes-
timony Of the greatest winner of souls
In the evangelistic field Of the last cen
tury.
Brethren. we desire this higher pow
or. AS ministers we want It, Some OF
rs. like Mr.. Moody, have spent the
last ounce Of energy in the preparation
Of sermons. but, like him, 1--WE have
been beating against the air." AS
Sunday school teachers, as members
Of the churches, we all want this high
er power. How can we get the higher
mower of the gospel? | know OF nc
better way to learn how to get it than
to studv the eventsOf the days preced-
ing the first Christian Pentecost, when
the disciples, according to the com
nand Of Jesus Christ, tarried in Jeru
salem until they were "endued with
mower from OH high" o God, give tC
us the higher power Of gospel life as
thou didst give that power to thy dis
cinles of old and art willing to give Il
to thy disciples Of the present day.
believed In Christ's Power.
These disciples, in the first place, be
lieved in n supernatural Saviour. TheI
believed that he had power over hu
man souls. Just as matchmaker Il
greater than his own watch and cal
make a watch and then take 1t apar
and put it together again, so they be
lieved that Christ, who created tn'
world and created life, could take tha
life away from a human body an'
then put that life back again into tn
I same human body. They saw hin
raise Lazarus from the tomb. The
believed that just as a shlpbulide
could knock out rotten plank iron
, the hull Of the boat he had once Dull
and nut new plank in It's place. S
Jesus Christ who had created IN
body. could put in a new eye IN IN
q nlace of q blind eye. He actually pei
formed this miracle in the physlca
body again and again before their ow
ewes. They believed in his inspirin
power. Just as man can today TAX
the currents of electricity which he ha
produced and carry those currents owe
! n wire and store them up in an electrl
machine called an automobile Shey o'
lieved that this Jesus, who Is a super
g natural Christ. could transmit his pow
or into the lives of his disciples II d
wished so to do. In other words, the
looked upon Christ as a supernaturi
being able to give supernatural gifts
those to whom he wished to give thos
:. gifts. Do you believe that Christ IS
supernatural being and able to do tn
If as the disciples of old believed 1t Q
the days preceding Pentecost?
"Well." you answer, "to tell the trul
I have not thought about IT," You sa
81 have not been worrying so mu'
about what 1 believe as about wh
do" You say: Theorists new
= amount to much. 1t is the practical f'
low who brings results to pass