Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-09-24
pR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
TIE EMPTY PLACE.


celebrated warrior, David by name The
guests, jewelel AID rlumed come in aud
take their PAGES, When eJpie are invited
to King banquet they are very at to 60
But before the covers are lifted from the
feast, Saul looks around and finds vacant
seat at the table. He says within himself, or
perhaps audibly: What does this mean
Where is my son-in-lawl Where is David
the great warrior | invited him. | ex-
pectel him, What A vacant chair at
King 8 banquet n
The fact was that David the warrior had
been seated for the last time at his father in
laws table. The day before Jonathan had
coaxed David to go and occupy that place at
the table, saying to David in the words of
my text: Thou shalt BE- missed, because
thy seat will he empty"
The prediction was fulfilled. David was
missed. His seat was empty. That one va
cant chair SD. Ike louder than all the occupied
chairs at tbs banquet. In almost every
house the arti les of furniture take living
personality. That pil ture-a stranger would
not see anything roma, kable either in its de-
sign or execution, but it is more to you than
all the pictures OF the Louvre and the Lux
embourg. You remember who bought it and
who admired it. And that hymn-booll-yo
remember who sang out of it. And that
cradle-yOu remember who rocked it. And
that Bible-you remember who read out of
it. And that bed-you remember who slept
IN 1t. And that roOm--you remember who
died in it. But there is nothing in all your
house SO eloquent and 50 mighty-voi ed as
the vacant chair. suppose that before Saul
and his guests got up from this banquet there
was great clattar Of wine-pitchers, but all
that racket was drowned out by the voice
that came up from the vacant chair at the
table. Many have gazed and wept at John
Quincy Adams va ant chair in the House of
representatives and at Mr.. Wilson's vacant
chair in the Nice-Presidency, and at Henry
Clay'S vacant chair in the American Senate,
and at Prince Albart'S vacant chair in Wind
scr Castle, and at Thiers's vacant chair in the
councils of the French nation; but all these
chairs are unimportant to you as compared
with the vacant chairs in your own house
hold Have these chairs any lesson for you
to learnt Are we any etter men and women
than when they first addressed us;
l. First: point out to you the fathers
vacant chair. Old men always like to sit in
the same place and in the same chair. They
somehow feel more at home, and sometimes
when You are in their place and they come
into the room, you jump up suddenly and
say: Here, father, here's your chair.n The
probability is it is an armchair, for he is
not SO strong as ne once was, and lie needs
little upholding. His hair is little frosty,
his gums little depressed for in his early
days there was not much dentistry. Perhaps
a cane chair and old-fashioned apparel, for
though you may have suggested some i'm
provement, father does not want any of your
nonsense. Grandfat her never had much ad-
m1ration for new-fangie1 notions sat at
the table of one of my parishioners in a
former congregation; an aged man was at
the table and his son was pre- iding, and the
father somewhat abruptly addressed the
son and said; MY son, don't now try to
show off because the minister is heren Your
father never liked any new customs or man
ners; he preferred the cid way of doing
things, and he never looked 50 happy as when
with his eyes closed he sat in the armchair in
the corner. From wrinkled brow to the tip
OF the slippers, what placidity The wave
OF the past years of his life broke at the foot
ef that chair. Perhaps, sometimes he was a
little impatient, and sometimes told the same
story twlce; but over that old chair how
many blessed memories hover! | hope you
did not crowd that old chair, and that it did
not get very much in the way. Sometimes
the old mans chair gets very much in the
way, especially if he has been so unwise as to
make over all his property to his children
with the understanding that they are to take
care OF him. have seen in such cases children
crowd the old mans chair to the door, and
then crowd it clear into the street, and then
crowd it into the poorhouse, and keep on
crowding it until the old man fell out of it
into his grave.
But your fathers chair was sacred place.
fhe children used to climb up on the rungs
of it for goodnight kiss The longer he
sta ed the better you liked it. But that chair
has been vacant now for some tine. The
furniture dealer would not give you fifty
cents for it, but it is throne of influence in
your domestic circle. | saw in the French
palace and in the throne room the chair that
NAPOLEON used to occupy. 1t was beauti
ful chair, hut the most significant part of il
was the letter IN" embroidered into the
back of the chair in purple and gold. And
your fathers old chair sits in the throne
room of your heart, and your affections have
embroidered into the lack of that chair in
purple and gold the letter "F.n Have all
the prayers Of that old chair been answered
Have all the counsels Of that old chair been
practiced! Speak out, old armchair His.
tory tells us OF an old man whose three sons
were victors in the Olympic games, and when
they came lack, these three SOUS with their
garlands, and put them on thoir fathers
brow, the old man was SO 'eioiced at the vic
tories of his three children that he fell de al
in their arms And are you, o man, going
to bring wreath of Joy and Christian use
fulnesS and put it on to your fathers brow,
or on tie vacant chair, or on the memory oi
the one departedl Speak out, old arm chair
they wanted you to, and would give the
world if you had never thrust pang
through their dear old hearts God pity the
young man who has brought disgrace on his
1athers namel God pity the young man
who has broken his mothers heart! Better
If he had never been born; better if in the
first hour of his life, instead of being laid
against the warm bosom of maternal tender
ness, he had been coffined and sepulchred.
There is no balm powerful enough to heal
the heart of one who has brought parents to
a sorrowful grave, and who wanders about
through the dismal cemetery, rending the
hair an gringing the hands and crying
'Motherl Motherl" Oh that to-day by all
the memories of the past and by all the hopes
of the future, you would yield your heart to
God May your fathers God and YOU
mothers God be VoIr God forevaTI
gone from the house, and gone from the field,
and gone from the neighborhood Cry as
loud for forgiveness as you may over the
mound in the churchyard, they will not
take out the white lock of hair that
was cut from your mothers brow just
before they buried her, and you will
take the cane with which your father
used to walk, and you will think and
think and wish that you had done Just as
word home to my parents that had gained
the victory" And the proudest and most
brilliant moment in your life will be the mo.
ment when you can send word to your parents
that you have conquered your evil habits by
the grace of God, and become eternal victor.
Oh, despise not parental anxiety! The time
will come when you will have neither father
nor mothers and you will 60 around the place
where they used to watch you, and fiud Them
Another victory for the vacant chair. With
reference to your mother the words of my
;ext were fulfilled: "Thou shalt be missed,
iecause thy seat will be empty"
Some one said to a Grecian General:
"What was the proudest moment in your
lfes" He thought moment and said: "The
proudest moment in my life was when l sent
a great while" cannot help that; it is all
the mightier for that; it is omnipotent, that
vacant mothers chair. 1t whispers; il
ctAnn lrs. II Il