Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1886-10-02
DR.. TALMAGgS SERMON
THE EMPTY PLACE

ilverware Of the palace, for King Saul win
give State dinner to-day. A distinguished
place is kept at the table Tor his so1-in.law. q
celebrated warrior. David by name The
guests, jeweled and plumed. come in and
lake their places. When PEOPLE are invited
70 Kings banquet they are very apt to go.
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-laws Where IS David.
The great warrior I invitsa him ex-
peeted him What A vacant chair at
Kings banquet -
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
loaxed David to 20 and occupy that place at
The table. saying to David in the words Of
my text: Thou shalt be missed, because
lay seat will be empty
The prediction was fulfilled David was
missed His seat was empty. That one va
sant chair spoke louder than all the occupied
ehairs at the banquet In slnost every
house the articles of furniture take living
personality. That piCture-a stranger would
aot sse anything remarkable either in its de-
sign or execution, but it is more to You than
all the pictures of the Louvre and the Lux
ernbourg. You remember who bought it and
who admired it. And that hymn-book-you
remember who sang out of it, And that
cradle-you remember who rocked it. And
that ible-you remember who read out of
il. And that bed-yor remember who slept
n IT. And that room-yOa remember who
lied In 1t. But there IS nothing in al your
house so eloquent and SO mlghty-voiced as
the vacant chair. / suppose that before Saul
and his guests got up from this banquet there
vas great clattsr OF winepItcheTs, but al
that racket was drowned out by the voice
that came up from the vacant chair at the
able. Many have gazed and wept at John
Quincy Adams vacant chair in the House of
Representative, and at Mr.. Wilson's vacant
chair in the Vice Presidency. and at Henry
Clays vacant chair in the American Senate
and at Prince AlbartSvacant chair in Wind
sor Castle, and at Thlerss vacantchair in the
councllS OF the French nation. but all these
chairs are unimportant to You as compared
with tns vacant chairs in your own house
mold Have these chairs any lesson for YOU
70 learns Arc weany better men and women
than when they first addressed us.
y. First: Ipoint out to you the fathers
vacant chair. Old men slwayS 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 ani they come
INTO the room. YOU jump up suddenly AMI
say: Here. father, here's your CHAIR The
probability is it is an armchair, for he is
not so strong ms no once was. and he neelS
. little uphOlding. His hair is little frosty,
his gums little depressed. for in his early
days there was not much dentistry. PerhaTs
cane chair and Old-fashiOned apparel for
though you may have suggested some i'm
provement, father does not " ant any of your
nonsense. Grandfather never had much ad-
miration for new-fangie1 notions. / sat at
the table of one Of my pariShioneTS in a
former congregation. an aged man was at
the table and his son was pre- iiing, and the
Rather somewhat abruptly addressed the
son aud said. MY son. don't now try to
show of because the minister is heres> Nour
father never liked any new customs or man
ners, he preferred the cid way of doing
things, and he never looked Sohappv as when
with his eyes closed he sat in the armchairin
the corner. From wrinkled brow to the tin
Of the slippers, what placidity, The wave
OF the past years of his life broke at the foot
If that chair. Perhaps, sometimes. he was a
little impatient, and sometimes told the same
story twlce, but over that old chsir how
many blessed memories h0verr hope Won
did not crowd that old chair. and that il 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 a. 10
make over all his property to his children
with the understanding that they are to take
care of him. haveseen in such cases chillren
crowd the old mans chair to the door. and
then crowd it clear into the street. and then
crowd II into the p0OrhOuSe. and keep on
arowding it until the old man fell out of it
into his grave
But your fathers chair was q Sacred Mace
The child IN used to climb up on the rurgs
OF 1t for goodnight kiss The longer he
stayed the better you liked IT. But thstchair
has been vacant now for some time The
furniture dealer would not give YOU fifty
cents for 1T, but it is q throne Of influence in
Jour domestic circle ] saw in the French
palace and in the throne room the chair that
Napoleon used to Oocupy. 1t was beauti-
ful chair, but the most significant part Of il
was the letter an 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 ST 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 cells US of an old man whose three sons
were v1ctors in the Olympic games and when
sney came lack, these three sons. with their
garlands, and put them on their fathers
brow, the old man was so seioicei at the vic
tories Of his three children that he fell dad
IN their arms And are you, o man. going
TO bring wreath of Joy and Christian use
fulneSs and put 1t on to your fathers brow.
or on TIE vacant chair. or on the memory Of
the one departed. Sreak out. old arm chair
With reference to your father. the words of
my text have been fulfilled: Thou shalt be
missed, because thy seSt will be empty"
Ill go little further on in your house
10 be rocking-e chair She had 50 many
cares and troubles to soOtne that il must
have rockers. / remember il well II was
an old chair, and the rockers were almost
worn out, for / was the Youngest. and the
chair had rocket the whole family Il made
creaking noise as il moved. but there was
music in the sound II was Just high enough
% allow Us children u nut our heads into
her lap. That was the hank where We de-
oosited all our hurts and worries Oh. what
aehair that was II was different from the
father's chair, il Was entirely different You
asks me how; cannot tell. hut we all felt
was different. Perhaps there was about
his chair more gentleneSs. more tender
1ess, more grief when We had done
wrong. When we were wayward father
colded, but mother cried Il wac
very wakeful chair. In the sick DAYS Of
children other chars could not keep awake;
hat chair always kept awake. kept easily
wake That chair lnew all the old lula
sles and all those w0r1less songs which
mothers sing to their sick chiliren-songs in
which all pity and compassion and sympa-
hetic influences are combined That I'D
.hair has stopped rocking for q good many
years. II may be set up in the loft or the
garrett, but it holds a queenly power vet
When at midnight you went into that grog-
hop TO getthe intoxicating draught, did you
got hear a voice that sad my son, why 20
n thereH And lou Ter than the boisterous
moore Of the pla of wicked amusement, a
foie saving. NY son what do vns. havSaff