Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-08-08
CalnnaSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase, d. d.

Los Angeles, Cal, Aug An this
sermon the preacher shows that the
highest joy of life is not to be found
| in the pleasures of the senses, but IN
personal conservation and active Chris
tian service. The text is Philippians
~, 4, "Rejslcc in the Lord Away, and
again l say, Rejoice"
An aged minister once said to me
"The entire character Of my preaching
has changed with my advancing years
AS n young man I used to preach on
the terrors of theslaw, on the wrath of
God, on the warnings against sin and
on the awful picture Of the lake of fire
drawn Ivy st. John in the Apocalypse.
But ms grew older found my favor
! tie texts in the tender passages of the
| Psalms. in the loving words of Christ
! loved disciple and in the eloquent exor-
dunn on charity or love by the Apostle
! Paul. ] find that the nearer come to
heaven the more my heart burns with
7
/ face and to have part in the never
ending reunion of the redeemed. and
therefore the less | think about the
terrors of the Judgment. Faith to me
/ Is becoming more and more the sub
! stance of things hoped for. and ] am
I looking forward to peace and JOY
rather than backward at the drawn
fiery sword Of an avenging angel
standing at the gate of paradise"
These are not the exact words of my
venerable friend, but they convoy the
substance of his thought. Truly what
this aged man SAID about his miniSte
rial life every minister who is con-
scious Of advancing years feels as his
soul grows ripper and richer in spirit
ual development. More and more he
( loves to preach about the joys of the
gospel rather than about the dcstruc-
/ ton that is inevitable to one who leads
n sinful life.
Paul's letter to the Philippians was
written near the close of his life. He
/ had passed beyond the carnal part Of
/ his religious experience. He does not
now think so much of Christ presiding
! in judgment as he does of the Jesus
of salvation He does not dwell so
much on tie leaping flames of the
bottomless pit as he longs for the
songs of Moses anG the Lamb and is
thrilled at the thought of all the mer-
cies and blessings with which Jesus
| will welcome him. Thus he comes to
us not grooming dirge, but singing n
psalm of praise. He comes to us with
joy smiling upon his lip, with Joy
shining forth from his eye. with JOY
throbbing In his heart and with joy
in his congratulations handshal3. He
| comes to us with rapturous eXhorta-
! ton as he bids us take an inventory
of our spiritual opportunities. He
! says, 'Rcjoice in the Lord Away"
| Then. as though he had not made this
gospel sautation emphatic enough, he
repeats his words as he says, Again
l say, Rejoice" Now, today am not
going to talk to those who look upon
the cross of Jesus Christ only as n
means of escaping the horrors Of eter-
nal anguish, but ! am going to talk to
those who have so developed IN the
Christian life that their gospel faith
is n pleasure and a JOY and a never
ending consolation. AS ] speak to You
today shall tell you why you should
rejoice in the Lord Away and why
you should come to him with never
ending praise and with eternal
thanksgiving.
Joy is a fruit that will not grow
In natures barren soil;
All we can boast till Christ we know
Is vanity and toll:
But where the Lord has planted grace
And made his glories known,
There fruits of heavenly JOY and peace
Arc found, and there alone.
Rejoice In the Lord Away.
My Christian. brother, you OF the
deeper and hOlicr religious experience
you should III the first place rejoice
in the Lord Away because you have
by your side a divine friend who will
guard you and keep you and be n very
present help in all Your troubles. lie
has a keener eye than you, He has a
stronger arm than you. He has all the
powers Of heaven and earth at his
command He has heart so tender
and loving and self sacrificing that he
is willing to surrender all and do all II
he can in any way help you in your
struggle of life. Fle Is not an abs m,
friend a thousand miles away who Il
going TO meet you by appointment al
the brink of the grave, but he is n
friend so near that you can whisper
to him and he will hear you. He Is
so near that you can put out yOul
hand as little tOttering child, and he
Will grasp that hand and keep YOU
from falling. He is so near that, like
loving mother, he will guard yOt
when you are asleep and he will greet
you with smile when you awake ir
the morning. He will go with you to
the breakfast table He will follow
you in the street and stand with yOr
by the store counter. lie is an evcl
present friend. But he is also omnipO
tent and omniscient as we'll as Omni
present. Now, ought it not to be a JOY
TO you that this divine Friend. this
Son of God. Is always by your side tC
help you and care for you and love
you?
You know what the power OF q
sanctified and holy and purified human
friendship means. Years ago, in the
dawn of young manhood, there came
into your life young girl. You
thought you loved her at the time
| at