Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1908-03-28
Calm1aSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. ID. ID.

the duty of carrying out 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.
II. "And he took up the mantle OF
Elijah"
We naturally grieve when young
man of brilliant promise dies. There
are so few young men capable OF NIL
ing the places of the great men VINO
are passing away we can Ill afford 10
spare any of them. When that most
brilliant young minister of the Brick
church Of New York, Maltbie Babcock'
during an attack of delirium resulting
from Roman fever committed sulclue
in the capital of the Caesars the Pres
byterlan general assembly was in ses-
sion In Philadelphia. The moderator
announced the sad news. a hush tell
over that great assembly. 1t was al
most CONSERVATION. Gray haired min
listers looked at one another IN sor-
rowfnl amazement. They had expected
this Young pulpit genius to take up 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 n sense Of desolatlon
more acute than would have been
caused by the death of an older man.
Maltbie Babcock went as Arthur Hen
rv Uallam went and the young
Ephraim Ellsworth went and the young
! noet Richard Kirk White went ana the
Young DIR. Joseph Warren went ana
Jean Regnault. the brilliant young art
tst went So the sharp scythe cf death
is continually moving down some ol
tbe brightest and the most promising
Of young artists and physicians anc
LAWYERS and ministers. We cannot eX
plsin their premature departures. We
shall understand the reason in the mex
world.
One generation passes away and an
other comes. 1t is difficult TO reallz'
that in another fifty years at most I'M
work now being done in the world o
religion. Of letters, of medicine and o
art will be in the hands of new men
There will be new men not only among
the leaders, but among the ordinar'
workers. and it is just as essential I
the worlds progress that these hum
bic men should be found faithful a
that the leaders should be men of ger
ius Our concern is not only that III
Y a. -illll1its l af hechnES
{ I should be ably filed, but WIN "a
character of the men who will be ca
ed TO the thousands Of ordinary pulpit
scattered over the broad land in whlc
valiant service for the Masters klnt
dom is now being done. Where ther
Is one chief Justices seat in the 81
nreme court of the United States tha
will need an occupant there are tho'
sands and tens of thousands of ord
nary lawyers and justices who al
true 10 their profession and are seem
that might is not triumphing oV'
right. And where there have been
this generation a DR.. Rush and ID
Sayre and a Marion Sims and Ia
teur and a Lorenz, who, as great su
geons and physicians, have been no
ored all around the world for the
brilliant work in the medical profe
sion. there have been thousands al
e hundreds Of thousands Of ordinary, i
\ tie known physicians who as hump
= family doctors have cared for the si'
and have come to our bedsides to all
viate our pains. Aye, these ordlna
men of the past generations have De'
q lust as essential to the progress OF Z
IS world and of civilization as have be-
e the great men. | want to direct 70
thoughts today to the falling mantl
not only of the great men, but or I
- ordinary men. Who Of us will be WI
ar ing to pick up their mantles even
D. Elisha picked up the fallen mantle
n Elijah? Every man has his work. L
r important thing for us and for
-vorld is not so much whether 1t
humble or conspicuous, but whether
is well done. If we take up the ms
tie of an Elijah, let us see to 1t tn
like him. we are bold and dauntless
service: If we take up the mantle OF
: humber prophet, let us see to that
least we are true and faithful.
Mantles of the Old Pastors.
Who. in the first place, Is going
vrap about his shoulders the man
Of one of the old fashioned Christ
nastors. scores and hundreds of VIII
| might name if would? These II
were noble preachers in their day,
they held their pulpits and deeper
their Christian influence year al
year not only by the two great
mons they preached before audien
which filed the church auditoriums
the Sabbath day, but by the hundr
p Of little sermons preached during
week days before audiences made
Of one or two or at the most three
four auditors by the family fires
These ministers found their way
the affections of their people not
much because they were pulpit ki
as by being devoted, loving and IL
- fatigable pastoral friends.
These men of God preached Oh
on Sundays to the accompaniment
singing choirs. They preached On
during the week to the accompanin
IS the cheerful talk and laughter of
nome, and without any doubt the 4
powerful sermons they ever preac
were their talks on Mondays and L
days and Wednesdays and Thursd
Fridays and Saturdays, which they
livered upon the streets to the N
bers of their congregations as they
them by the wayside.
Who shall fill the places OF II
men? Is the call for old fashio
Christian pastors to fall upon unn
ing ears? You tell me that the grea
need of the church of God is for g