Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-01-05
Calnnage
Sermon
~ BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, d. d.

Los Angeles. Cal. Dee. 24.-1n the
prospect and retrospect afforded by
our ascent of the Pisgah heights of hu.
man life and experience the preacher
finds a topic appropriate to the closing
old year and full of encouragement for
the new. The text is Deuteronomy
xxxiv, I. ITO the top OF Pisgah.'' e'
would that Victor Hugo's works
were by my side. could find in one Of
bis books-I think the one entitled
Ninety -three"-a marvellous ,descrip.
tion of q storm in nidocean. The great
ship. which. believe, was a man-of.
war, was being tumbled about in the
heavy pillows, The hurricane was
shriekmg I'm pandemonium Of wrath.
Only those who have been tossed
about by n 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 multiple
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 frightfuI
velocity II started on Its iuggernaut-
like mission OF destruction. While the
PROV OF the ship would lift Itself and
then point its nose down into the val
leys OF the waters, like tenpin bail.
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
minute. The next instant II would
make dash In that direction until,
Ike battering ram, IL seemed as
though IL would splinter the side OF the
hull into kindlings. Horror upon hor-
ror followed In its track. 1t mangled
the brave Seamen who were trying TO
lasso IL as n 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 partridges scurrying TO the
woods after the pointer has made them
fiy up from the underbrush. Again Il
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 n watery
grave. - ksN y -
The dangers of the battlefield were
chiid's play compared to the dangers
which threataned that ship. And yet
as ! 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
are not April showers, but December
tornadosss The dangers that threaten
60 demoiish us not only come from
without, but assail us from within the
ship. 1t Is hurricane after. hurricane,
bombardment after bombardment, bat
Ting wave after battling wave, rolling
juggernaut followed by rolling jugger-
naut" v 4
But though the dangers and storms
or life seem to be so many end black
while we are passing through them,
yet in almost every life there comes a
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-
er for our good AS Moses was allow
N fla fnx 90
and look on 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
hundred fold. And then we can look
back into the past as we'll as into the
future and see how God has been lead
ing Us all the way. Let us first start
with Q retrospect. s4So ''lA W '7s''' :
The MOuntain Heights,
The traveller climbing UP, the noun
tain height naturally looks behind as
well as ahead. He looks toward the
land across which he has Travelled as
well 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 TIM
gled and that his eyes grew moist
with tears We wonder not that when
on the famous Fourth of July, 1885, he
spread bis blanket upon the tops OF
these mountains he and his little com
pany knelt and dedicated that new
country to their God and prayed that IL
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
willamette methinks can see him
turn and shade his eyes and look back
toward the east He kept looking far
ther and farther east until In fmagina-
tion he could see clear across the con-
tinent, until he saw his beautiful home.
which he had left In the central part
OF New York I'm order to come and
! save the Neg Perces Indians for Christ.