St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-30
ALI Are Not Shipwrecked Who Have
Gone Through the Straits Into
the Great Ocean,
But Be Prepared for the Pale Messen
ger Who Enters the House
hold at the Most
Unexpected Hour-Quickly We Fly Toward
Eternity, and Shall We Leave this
Life Condemned Culpritss
Dr. Talmadge's Sunday Evening Sermon at
the Great Tabernacle Upon the
Suddenness of Death.
Special to the Globe.


BROOKLYN, March 29-Dr. Talmage
preached this evening in the Brooklyn taber-
nacle on the subject Awkward Usefulness.
When by electric touch the 1,500 lights OF
the tabernacle flash up, the auditorium af-
fords brilliant scene not to be forgotten.
The aisles and the corridors and entrances
of the church are thronged. The opening
hymn of this evenings services was:
''My soul DE on thy guard
Ten thousand foes arise.
The hosts of sin are pressing hard
To draw thee from the skies
The text was from Judges ill.,, 15-But
when the children of Israel cried unto the
Lord, the Lord raised them up deliverer,
Ehud, the SOD of Gera, BenjaInite. man
left-handed, and by him the children of
Israel sent present unto Eglon, the king OF
Moab. DR.. Talmage said:
Ehud was ruler in Israel He was left
handed, and what was peculiar about the
tribe of Benjamin to which he belonged,
there were in it 700 left-handed men; vet
so dextrous had they all become in the
use of the left hand that the Bible says they
could sling stones at hairs breadth and
Lot miss. Well. there was king by the
name of Eglon who was an oppressor of
Israel. He imposed upon them most out
rageous tax. Ehud, the man of whom first
spoke, had divine commission to destroy
that oppressor. He came, pretending that
he was going to pay the tax and asked to see
King Eglon. He was told that he
was in the summer house, the place
to which the king retired when it
was too hot to sit in the palace. This
summer house was place, surrounded by
flowers and trees and springing fountains
and warbling birds. Ehud entered the sum-
mer house and said to King Eglon that he
had secret errand with him. Immediately
all the attendants were waived out of
THE ROYAL PRESENCE.
King Eglon rises up to receive the messen-
ger. Ehud, the left-handed man, puts his
left hand to his right side, pulls out dagger
and thrusts EgIon through until the haft
went in after the blade. Eglon falls. Ehud
comes forth to blow trumpet of right
amidst the mountains of Ephraim; as a
great host is marshaled, proud Moab submits
to the conquerer and Israel is free. So, o
Lord, let all Thine enemies perish! So, O
Lord, let all Thy friends triumph!
Belshazzar sits at the feast, the mighty men
of Babylon sitting all around him. Wit
sparkles like the wine and the wine like the
wit. Music rolls up among the chaudelie !;
the chandeliers flash down on the decanters
The breath of hanging gardens floats in on
the night air; the voice of revelry floats out.
Amidst wreaths and tapestry and folded
ban ners a finger writes. The march of q
host is heard on the stairs. Laughter catches
in the throat. A thousand hearts stop beat
ing. The blow is struck. The blood on the
floor is richer hued than the wine on the
table. The kingdom has departed. Bel
shazzar was 40 worse perhaps than hundreds
of people in Babylon, but his position slew
him. Oh, be content with just such a posi-
ton as God has placed you in. 1t may not
be said of us ''He was a great general" or
''He was mighty in worldly attain nments," :"
but this thing may be said of you and me :
''He was a good citizen, a faithful Christian,
a friend of Jesus" and that in the last day
will be
THE HIGHEST OF ALL EULoGIUMs.
l learn from this subject that death comes
to the summer house. Eglon did not ex-
pect to die in that fine place amidst all the
into the window; in the tinkle and dash of
the fountains; in the sound Of thousand
leaves futing on one tree-branch; inEthe cool
out of the kings locks-there was nothing
that spoke of death, but there he died. In
the winter when the snow is a shroud and
the wind is dirge, it is easy to think of our
mortality, but when the weather is pleasant
and all our surroundings are agreeable, how
difficult it is for US to appreciate the truth
that We are mortal, and yet my text teaches
that death does sometimes come to the sum-
Ta ie lind nd ha
leaves. He Is deaf aud cannot hear the
fountains. Oh, If Death would ask us
for victims. We could point him
to hundreds Of people who would rejoice to
have him come. Push back the door of that
hovel. Look at that little child, cold and
sick and hungry. 1t has never heard the
name of God but in blasphemy. Parents
intoxicated, staggering around its straw bed
o, Death, there Is a mark for theel Up with
it into the light! Before those little feet
stumble on life's pathway,
GIVE THEM REST.
Here is an aged man. He has done his
work He has done it gloriously. The COM
panions of his youth all gone, his children
dead, he longs to be at rest, apd wearily the
days and the nights pass. He SAYS: "Come,
Lord Jesus, come quickly" o, Death, there
is q mark for thee. Take from him the staff
and give him the sceptre; up with
him into the light where eyes never
grow dim and the hair whiteus not,
through the long years of eternity. All,
Death viii not do that! Death turns back
from the straw bed and from the aged man
ready for the skies and comes to the summer
house. What doest thou here, thou bony.
ghastly monster, amidst this waving grass
and under this sunlight sitting through the
tree-branchesl Children are at play. How
quickly their feet go, and their locks toss in
the wind. Father and mother stand at the
side Of the room enjoying their glee. 1t does
not seem possible that the wolf should ever
break into that fold and carry of lamb.
Meanwhile an old archer stands looking
through the thicket. He points his arrow at
the brightest of the group-he is a & sure
ma-ksmsn; /; the bow bends, the arrow speeds
Hush, nowl The quick feet have stopped
aud the locks toss no more in the wind.
Laughter has gone out Of the hall. Death in
the summer housel
Here is father in mid-life; his coming
home ST night is
The SIGNAL FOR NTRTH.
The children rush to the door and there are
books on the evening stand and the hours
pass away on glad feet There is nothing
wanting in that house. Religion is there
and sacrifices on the altar morning and
night. You look in that household aud say:
Il cannot think of anything happier. 1 do
not really believe the world is so sad 4 place
Is some people describe it to be.' The
scene changes Father is sick The doors
must be kept shut The deaih-wztch chirps
dolsfuily OF the hearth The children whis-
per aud walk softly where once they romped
Passing the house late at night you see the
quick gianeing Of lights from room to room.
II is al o-eri Death in the summer-house!
Here Is an aged mOther-aged, but not in
i'm Nnll thinE Iii II