Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-03-26
CalnaQe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talrnaee, d. D.

New York, March 22.-That each of
rs in his own sphere owes to the world
the duty of carrying ont the great
plans and purposes of the noble minds
that are gone is the theme of this SER
mon, the text for which IS II Kings H.
IA, and he took up the mantle of
Elijah"
We naturally gricvc when young
man of brilliant promise dies. There
are so few young mon capable of fill
Ing the places of the great men who
nre passing away we can i'll afford to
spare any of them. When that most
brilliant young minister of the Brick
church of New York. Maltbic I}abcocll,
during an attack of dclirium resulting
from Roman fever committed suicide
In the capital of the Caesars the Pres
byterian general assembly was in ses-
sion in Philadelphia. The moderator
announced the sad news. \ hush fell
over that great assembly. 1t was al
most CONSERVATION. Gray haired min
isters looked Mt one another in sor-
rowful amazement. They had expected
this young pulpit genius to take mp the
work and lead their church when their
hands became too feeble TO hold the
standard. That lie should be taken be
fore them caused Il sense of desointion
more acute than would have been
caused by the death of an older man.
Maltbie Babcock went rs Arthur Hen
ry Hallam went and the young
Ephraim Ellsworth went and the young
poet Richard Kirk White went and the
young DR.. Joseph Warren went and
Jean Regnault. the brilliant young art
list, went. SO the sharp Scythe Of death
Il continually moving down some of
the brightest and the most promising
of young artists and physicians ana
lawyers ana ministers. We cannot eX-
plain their premature departures. We
shall understand the reason in the next
world
One generation passes away ana an
other comes. 1t Is difiicult to realize
that In another fifty years at most the
work now being done in the world of
religion, OF letters, of medicine and of
art will be in the hands of new men.
There will be new men not only among
the leaders, but among the ordinary
workers, and ii is just as essential to
the worlds progress that these hum
bic men should be found faithful as
that the leaders should he men of gen
1us. Our concern Is not only that the
conspicuous pulpits of the church
should be ably filed. but with the
character OF the men who will be call
ed to the thousands of ordinary pulpits
scattered over the broad land in which
valiant service for the Masters king
dom Is now being done. Where there
is one chief Justices seat in the SUI
preme court of the United States that
viii need an occupant there nre thou
sands and tens Of thousands of ordi-
nary lawyers and justices who are
true to their profession and are seeing
that might is not triumphing over
right. And where there have been IN
this generation n pr Rush and a DR..
Sayre and "A Marion Sims and a Pas
teur and Loren2, who. as great sur
geons and physicians, have been hon
ored all around the world for their
brilliant work in the medical profess
sion, there have been thousands and
hundreds of thousands OF ordinary, lit
tie known physicians who as humble
family doctors have cared for the sick
and have come to our bedsides to allie
viate our pains. Aye, these ordinary
men Of the past generations have been
tust as essential TO the progress OF the
worldeand Of civilization as have been
The great men. want to direct your
thoughts today to the falling mantles
not only of the great men. but of the
crdlna.y men. VINO of us will be will
Ing to pick up their mantles even as
Elisha picked up the fallen mantle of
Elijah? Every man has his work The
important thing for us and for the
world Is not so much whether II he
humble or conspicuous, but whether it
Is well done. If we take mp the man
tie of an Elijah, let us see to It that
like him, We are bold and dauntless in
service; If we take up the mantle OF a
humber prophet, let us sec TO that at
least we are true and faithful.
Nantes Of the Old Pastors.
Who, In the first place, is going to
wrap about his shoulders the mantle
OF one Of the old fashioned Christian
pastors, scores and hundreds Of whom
] might name If ! would? These men
were noble preachers in their day, but
they held their pulpits and deepened
their Christian influence year after
year not only by the two great ser
mons they preached before audiences
which filed tie church auditorinms on
the sabbath day. but by the hundreds
Of little sermons preached during the
week days before audiences made up
Of one or two or at the most three or
four auditors by the family fireside.
These ministers found their way into
the affections Of their people not so
much because they were pulpit kings
ms by being devoted, loving and indie
fatigable pastoral friends.
These men Of God prea ched Christ
on Sundays to the accompaniment of
singing cho!rs They preached Christ
during the week to the accompaniment
uf lie cheerful talk and laughter Of the
home, and without any doubt the most
powerful sermons they ever preached
were their talks on Mondays and Tues
days and Wednesdays and Thursdays
Fridays and Saturdays. which they de-