Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-10-19
Calmage
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmage. ID. ID.

who are glOomily predicting the de-
cline of Christian civilization and
shows that the cOnquerins forces or
the faith were never so strong rs now.
The text Is Solomon's Song vi, 10.
"Terrille as IN army with banners
One Of the easiest characteristics to
develop Is Il genius for looking upon
the dark side Of life. II the human
soul will persist In dwelling IN the
dark cavcrns by day it will not be very
long before it will 20 forth to seek its
food by night Then it will think that
all human heings have the depraved
nature of the bat and the coyote. Then
il will get the awful habit Of looking
for the imperfections in the lives OF
men rather than for their virtues ana
their eXcellencies.
People who rejoice IN the weak
nesses of their neighbors are apt to
glory in the imperfectiOns of any nota'
bic movement of the day. They love
D. magnify social troubles. They love
TO detect the dark clouds In the polit
ical, moral and financial horizons
They love to be eulogists Of the past
and dcpreciators of the present. They
contend that all the great men are
dead and that the living men are
feeble, puny. worthless race. They
seem TO be blinded to the self evident
facts of the worlds progress on every
side. They are like the foolish man
who stands upon the seashore and
watches the incoming tide. wave
rears and breaks and filings itself upon
the beach and then recedes into the
ocean. "There, There" he cries,
"See. the tide is going" Then another
wave rears and plunges and comes up
q little higher upon the beach ana
then recedes. There! There! he
cries again. "The tide is going out.
The pessimists seem to be blinded to
the fact that each wave comes up
little higher and little higher until
after awhile full tide is reached and
tbe whole seashore is flooded with the
heaving waters. Now, this Is just
what some pessimists do when they
watch the incoming tides of the
worlds prosperity and progress. Ihey
see here and there wave break ana
90 back. They see here ard there
man or an institution fail. Then they
cry. "I.ook, Look See how the world
is going to the dogs" But though here
and there we may see receding wave
the general trend is higher and better.
Critics of the Church.
Pessimists hurl their structures in all
directions, but their favorite target IS
the church. "Ahaw they laugh. DID
you ever see an institution crumble IN
to pieces like the old church? The
children of this day are not being
sent to the Sunday schools as they
once were. Just look how empty are
| it's pews-here and there an old Wo-
man or Sickly, effeminate man at
tending the church service, but for the
most part sensible people look upon
Sunday as holiday instead of holy
! day. Once the Bible was the most
conspicuous book upon the parlor Ia
BILE: now the stock quotations OF the
daily newspapers have taken Its place
Once the minister was looked upon as
the most important parsonage in q
community: now the actor is the ldol
of the young people. Once the school
house was colijutor Of the church
now II has broken its shacA!es OF bond
age. and the public authorities refuse
to allow a E.ble chapter to he read IN
tbe public school. Everywhere we see
| the church rs public institution re
ceding and crumblng and disappear
ing" So say the pessimlsts, who are
hurlinc their ana;henas at the church
Now. | would not have you thlnH
that the church which Christ estaD
lishcd is n dying church. shall show
you that tie church of Gcd Is by us
nature a comnucring church; that the
gospel is growing stronger and purel
and more powerful every day; that the
nrohctic vision which King Solomon
saw 1869 years ago is being tulhlle'
now. The church today. like bride, i
nreparing for the advent Of the DIVINE
BRIDEGROOM. She is going forth to per
form the work which God has glvel
her to do. "iair as the moon, clear al
the sun and terrible as an army VIII
banners"
The prophetic vision of my text hk
ened the conquering church to a grea
army in numbers. 1t likened it TO
mighty multitude which marched Dy
company after company, regiment all
or regiment brigade after brigade, dl
vision after division. host after hos1
T There the army went marching, tramp
, ing. And as they marched and KEEP
step the very earth trembled an
shook with the uniform tread OF tn
myriads of feet.
viii Not Break Step.
You know that when soldiers com
to a bridge they are ordered 10 Drea
step lest the rhythmic pulsation OF tn
marching bring down the bridge. Bu
in the scene of my text the conquerln
=; church will never have to break stel
It's myriads Of Christian soldiers wi
j., march until the poundings of thel
. many feet will make the earth shak
with the step of the advancing hoSt'
S The figure iu this metaphor is not tha
b of a "corporal's guard" 1t is not til
+ figure of a small company. But 1t
the figure of a great warlike host upo
/ the march. "Who Is she that looket
5 forth as the morning, fair as III
5 moon. clear as the sun and terrible
a an army with banners?'
/ Oh. the immensely of the army
h the gospel church, Some of you age
j men and women were In Washingto
|. during the grand parade of the Unic
troops just before they disbanded aft
i the civil war; Hour after hour the
: turning soldiers filed past that revieV
S ing stand. But the Christian army
5 greater in numbers than any that ev'