Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-09-06
DAVID NOT IN HIS SEAT.
TALMAGE PICTURES A MEMOIR
ABLE BIBLICAL FEAST.

BROOKLYN TABERNACLE, sept o'-AH
Rev. DR.. T. De Witt Talmage's text to-
dav was |. Samuel, Xxx. IS: Thou shalt
be missed, because thy seat VIII De
empty" Following is the sermon In tull:
Set on the table the cutlery and chased
silverware of the palace, for hlng
Saul will give a state dinner today. A
distinguished place is kept at the table
for his son-in-law, celebrated warrior,
David by name. The guests, jeweled and
plumed. come in and take their places.
When people are Invited TO a Kings BAN
uuet 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. BE says within himself, or per-
hans audibly: "Wnat does this mean?
Where is nv son-in-law? Where is David,
the great WARRIOR L invited him. l eX-
pected him. What? A vacant chair at
a Kings banquet The fact was that
David the warrior had been seated for the
last time at his fatheT-in-law's table. The
day before Jonathan had coaXed David TO
90 and occupy that place at the table,
saving to David in the words of my text:
"Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat
will be empty"
The prediction was fulfilled. David was
missed. His seat was empty. That one
vacant chair spoke louder than all the oc-
cupied chairs at the banquet. In almost
every house the articles of furniture
take a living personality. That pic
ture-a stranger would not see anything
remarkable in its design or eXecu-
ton, but it IS more to you
than all the pictures of the Louvre and
the Luxembourg. You remember who
bought it and who admired it, And that
HYMN book-you remember who sang out
OF il. And that cradle-yOu remember
who rocked 1t. And that Bible-you re-
member who read out of it. And that bed
you remember who slept in It, And that
rooln-you remember who died in it. But
there IS nothing In all your house 80 elo-
quent and so mighty-volced as the vacant
chair. | suppose that before Saul and his
guests got up from this banquet there
was a great clatter Divine 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 vacant chair in the
House of Representatives, and at MIR.
Wilson's vacant chair in the Vice Presi-
dency, and at Henry Clay's vacant chair
In the American Senate, and at Prince
Alberps vacant chair nj Windsor Castle,
and at Theirs vacant chair in the cOun-
ellis of the French nation; but all these
chairs are unlmportant to you as COM
pared with the vacant chairs in your own
household. Have these chars any les
sons for you to learn? Are we any bet
ter men and women than when they first
addressed US.
l. First, point out to you the fathers
vacant chair. odd 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" The probability is it
is an armchair, for he is not so strong as
he once was, and he needs little uphold
ing. His hair is little frosty, mis- gums
a little depressed, for in his early days
there was not much dentistry. Perhaps
q cane char and old-fashiOned apparel,
for, though you may have suggested some
improvement, father does not want
any of your nonsense. Grandfather
never had much admiration for
new-fangled notions. l sat at the
table of one OF my practitioners in a
former congregation, an aged man was
at the table and his son was presiding,
and the father somewhat abruptly ad-
dressed the son and said: my son,
don't now try TO show off because the
minister is herel" Your father never
liked any new customs or manners, be
preferred the old way ofdoing things, and
be never looked so 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 of that chair. Perhaps, some
times, he was a little impatient, and
sometimes tcld the same story
twice; but over that old chair how many
blessed memories hoveri / 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 II he has been so unwise
as 10 make over all his property to his
children with the understanding that
they are 10 take care of him. l have seen
in such cases children crowd the old
mans chair to the door, and then crowd
1t clear into the street, and then crowd it
into the poor house, and keep on crowd
ing it until the old man fell out OF it into
his grave.
But your fathers chair was a sacred
place. The children used to climb up on
the rungs Of 1t for a goodnight kiss, and
the longer he stayed the better you liked
IL. But that chair has been vacant now
for some time. The furniture dealer
would not give you 80 cents for it, but il
Is a throne of influence in your domestic
circle. / saw in the French palace and
in the throne room the chair that Napo
leon used to occupy. 1t was beautiful
chair, but the most significant part of II
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, anC
your affections have embroidered into the
back of that chair in purple and gold tbs
letter 81" Have all the prayers of thai
old chair been answered.? Have all the
counsels OF that old chair been practiced
Speak out, cid armchair! History tells
us of an old man whose three sons were
victors in the Olympic games, and wher
shey came back, these three sons. with
their garlands, and put them on theil
father's brow, the old man was so re
loiced at the victories of his three chill
dren that he fell dead In their arms
And are you, o man, going 10 bring {
wreath OF joy and Christian usefulness
and pat 1t on to your fathers brow, or OF
the vacant chair, or on the memory OF thu
one departed? Speak out, old armchair
With reference to your father, the words
OF my text have been fulfilled: "Thor
shalt be missed, because thy seat will bC
empty
ii. 20 little further on in your house
and find the mothers chair. 1t is very
Rptto be a rocking chair. She had Sc
many cares and troubles TO soothe that i
must have rockers. l remember 1t well
1t was an ola chair, and the rockers were
almost worn out, for l was the youngest
and tue chair had rocked the whole fami
II IL made a prpakinv noiGn a q n rnnvod