The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-05-06
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
thirteenth Discourse Of the Series
on 1.-THE Marriage Ring"

on "The Marriage Ring"
The Trials of Modern Housekeeping-The
Weight Of Responsibility Attending
Forced Economy and the Pangs
of Non-Appreciation.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, having re-
turned from his Western trip, occupied
the pulpit Of the Brooklyn Tabernacle for
the delivery of his thirteenth discourse OF
the "Marriage Ring" series, the subject of
which was "The Trials of Housekeeping"
and the text:
Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister
hath left me to serve alone? Bid her, there
fore, that she help me.-Luke x, 49,
Yonder is beautiful village homestead.
The man of the house is dead, and his
widow is taking care of the premises.
This is the widow Martha of Bethany.
Yes. will show you also the pet of the
household. This is Mary, the younger sis
ter, with book under her arm, and her
face having no appearance of anxiety and
perturbation. Company has come. Christ
stands, outside the door, and, of course,
there lie good deal Of excitement inside
the door. The disarranged furniture is
hastily put aside, and the hair is brushed
back, and the dresses are adjusted as we'll
rs in SO short time Mary and Martha can
attend to these matters. They did not
keep Christ standing at the door until they
were newly appareled or until they had
deliberately arranged their tresses, then
coming out with their affected surprise
as though they had not heard the
two or three previous knock
ings, saying: "Why, is that you"
No. They were ladies, and were always
presentable, although they may not have
always had on their best, for none of US
always have on our best; if we did, our
best would not be worth having on. They
throw open the door and greet Christ.
They say: "Good morning. Master; come
in, and be seated" Christ did not come
alone; He had group of friends with
Him, and such an influx of city visitors
would throw any country home into
perturbation. suppose also the walk from
the city had been good appetizer. The
kitchen department that day was a very
important department, and suppose
that Martha had no sooner greeted the
guests than she fed to that room. Mary
had no anxiety about household affairs.
She had full confidence that Martha could
get up the best dinner in Bethany. She
seemed to say: "Now let us have d.
vision Of labor. Martha, you cook, and I'll
sit down and be good" So you have often
seen great diff erence between two sisters.
There is Martha, hard working, painstak-
ing, good manager, ever inventive of
some new pastry, or discovering some
thing in the art of cooking and housekeep-
ing. There is Mary, also, fond of CONVEX
sation, literary, SO engaged in deep ques-
tions Of ethics she has no time to attend to
the questions of household welfare. 1t is
Roon. Mary is in the parlor with Christ
Martha is in the kitchen. 1t would have
been better If they had divided the work
and then they could have divided the op.
pcrtunity OF listening to Jesus; but Mary
monopolizes Christ while Martha swelters
at the fire. It was very important thing
that they should have good dinner thai
day. Christ was hungry, and he did moi
often have luxurious entertainm emit
Alas, mel If the duty had devolved upor
Mary, what repast that would have
been. But something went wrong in thu
kitchen. Perhaps the fire would not burn
or the bread would not bake, or Marths
scalded her hand, or something was burned
black that ought to have been made brown
and Martha lost her patience, and for.
getting the proprieties of the occasion
with besweated brow, and, perhaps, will
pitcher in one hand and tongs il
the other, she rushes out of TIN
Kitchen into the presence of Christ
saying Lord, dost thou not car
that my sister hath left me to serv,
aloner Christ scolded not word. II II
were scolding. should rather have hi.
scolding than ANYBODY else's blessing
There was nothing acerb. He knew Marth,
had almost worked herself to death to ge
him something to eat, and so he throws
world Of tenderness into his information q
he seems to say: my dear woman, do no
worry; let the dinner go; sit down on thi
ottoman beside Mary, your younger sister
Martha, Martha, thou art careful and trou
bled about many things, but one thing i
needful." As Martha throws open tina
Kitchen door, look in and see grea
many household perplexities and ankle
ties.
First, there is the trial of non-apprecia
ton. That is what made Martha so ma,
with Mary. The younger sister had nj
estimate Of her older sisters fatigues. A
now. men bothered with the anxieties o
tho store, and Office, and shop, or comm,
from the Stock Exchange, they say whel
they get home: "Oh, you ought to be il
our factory little while; you ought t,
have to manage eight, or ten, or invent,
subordinates, and then you would know
what trouble and anxiety are!n Oh, sir
the wife and the mother has to conduct a
tho same time university, clothing es
adjustment, restaurant, laundry,
library, while she is health officer, polio
and president Of her realm. Sh
must do . thousand things, and d
them web, in order to keep thing
going smoothly; and so her brail
and her nerves are taxed to the utmost
know there are housekeepers VIII
are so fortunate that they can sit in al
armchair in the library, or lie on the be
lated pillow, and throw of all the car
upon sub0rdinates who, having larR
os1d 49,