The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-09-17
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
A Heart-Reaching Discourse oD
'The Vacant Chair"

4 Subject That Embraces Every Home
The Chairs Made Vacant by Absence
and Death .ssThou shalt be Missed
Besaess Thy Sect VIII 10 Empty"
Rev. +. Dewitt Talmage preached hi.
first sermon on his return from bis sum
NOR jaunt, in the Brooklyn Tabernacle
frsm the following text:
Thou shaft be missed, because thy seat viii
be empty.-f Samuel, xx, 10.
Set on the table the cutlery and chased
silverware Of the palace, for King Sau
will give a state dinner to-day. A distin'
guished place is kept at the table for hi,
Son-in-law, a celebrated warrior, David
by name. The guests, jeweled and
plumed, come in and take their places
When people are invited to kings BAN
quet they are very apt to go. But before
the covers are lifted from the feast Sau
looks around and finds a vacant seat a
the table. He says within himself, or per-
haps audibly:
"What does this means Where Is my
son-in-law? Where is David, the grea
warrior? invited him. I expected him
What? A vacant chair at a kings ban
quet~
The fact was that David, the warrior
had been seated for the last time Mt his
father-in.law's table. The day before
Jonathan had coaxed David to go and &C.
cupy that place at the table, saying te
David in the words Of my text:
Thou shalt be missed. because thy seat viii
be empty.
The prediction was fulfilled. David wa.
missed. His seat was empty. That one
cupied chairs at the banquet. In almost
every house the articles of furniture take
a living personality. That pi.ture-a
stranger would not see any til ing remark.
able either in its design or execution, but
it Is more to you than all the pictures o.
the Louvre and the Luxembourg. You re.
member who bought it and who admired
it. And that hymn-book-.you remember
who sang out of it. And that cradle-yor
remember who rocked it. And that Bible
you remember who read but of 1t. And
that bed-you remember who slept in it.
And that roOm-you remember who died
in it. But there is nothing in all yom
house so eloquent and so mighty voiced
as the vacant chair. Isuppose that before
Saul and his guests got up from this ban
quet there was great clatter of wine.
pitchers, but all that racket was drowned
out by the voice that came up from tn.
vacant chair at the table. Many havs
gazed and wept at john Quincy Adams
vacant chair i'm the House of Representa-.
tives. and at Mr.. Wilson's vacant chair in
the Vice-Presidency, AMI at Henry Clay's
vacant chair in the American Senate
and at Prince Albert's vacant chair in
Windsor Castle, and at Theris' vacan,
chair in the councils Of the French nation;
but all these chairs are unirnportant to you
as compared with the vacant chairs in
your own household. Have these chairs
any lessons for you to learn? Are we any
better men and women tLan when they
first addressed U.S..
1. 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 some.
times when you are in their place and
they come into tho room you jump up
suddenly and say:
"Here. father: here's your chair.o
The probability Is It 10 All arm chair, for
he is not so strong a. he once was, and he
needs a little upholding. His hair Is q lit
tie frosty, his gums little depressed, for
IL, h; a rlv Il o,, tho ara ,vo. MT v,,oh <lo,,
tistry. Perhaps cane chair and old.
fashioned apparel, for, though you may
have suggested some improvements,
father does not want any of your non.
sense. Grandfather never had much ad-
miration for new-fangled notions. sat
at the table of one OF my Pensioners in q
former congregation; an aged man was at
the table and his son was presiding, and
the father somewhat abruptly addressed
the son, and said:
"My son, don't now try to show of BE-
cause the minister Is here"
Your father never liked any new Gus.
toms or manners; he preferred the old
way of doing things, and he never looked
so happy as when with his eyes closed, he
sat i'm the arm. chair in the corner. From
wrinkled brow to the tip OF the slippers.
what plecidityl The wave Of the past
years Of his life broke at the foot Of that
chair. Perhaps, sometimes, he was lit
tie impatient, and sometimes told the
same story twice; 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 il he ha,
been so unwise as to make over all his
property to his children with the under.
standing 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, aud then
crowd it into the poor house, and keep or
crowding it until the old man fell out of il
into his grave.
But your fathers chair was a sacred
place. The children used to climb up on
the rungs of it for a good night kiss, and
the longer he staid the better you liked it.
But tat chair has been vacant now for
some time. The furniture dealer would
not give you fifty cents for it, but it is a
throne Of influence in your domestic cir.
Gle.
saw In the French palace and in
the throne room the chair that
Napoleon used to occupy. 1t was a beau
tiful chair, but the most significant part OF
It 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 At.
fections have embroidered into the back
of that chair in purple and gold the letter
ST." Have all the prayers Of that old
chair been answered.? Have all the cou n
sells Of that old chair been answered:
Speak out, old arm chair! History tells
ns Of an old man whOse three sons were