Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-02-18
The HUSBANDS DUTY.
DIR. Talmage Tells Husbands
How to Treat Their Wives
Their Responsibility.
Some Wise Counsel Drawn from the
Ancient Incident Of Abraham
s.. and Sarah.


sermons on The Marriage Ring the subject
being sDuties Of Husbands to Wives" Be-
fore the sermon be explained the twenty-third
chapter Of Genesis, concerning Abraham's adj
miration for Sarah, her age, the only woman's
age mentioned in the Bible, implying that in
auisityeness on that subject is an impert-
nence.
The text Of the sermon was from Genesis
XIV, So: sand Isaac went out 10 mediate in
the field at the eventide, and he lifted up his
eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels we're
ceming.n Following is the sermon in full:
A bridal pageant on the backs of dromeda-
riesl The camel is called the ship Of the
desert It's swinging motion in the distance is
suggestive Of Q vessel rising and falling with
the billows Though awkward, how imposing
these creatures as they move along, whether IN
ancient or modern times, sometimes carrying
400 or 1, 200 travellers from Bagdad TO Aleppo,
or from Bassora 10 Damascus. In my text
comes q caravan We notice the noiseless step
Of the broad foot, the velocity of motion, the
gay caparison Of saddle and girth and awning,
sheltering the riders from the sun, and the hi
larity of the mounted passengers, and we cry
out: 4Who are they?" Well, Isaac has been
praying for wife, and it is time he had one,
for he is 40 years of age; and his servant, di-
rected by the Lord, has made selection Of
Rebekah; and with her companions and maid
ems, she is on her way to her new home, carry
ing with her the blessing Of all her friends.
Isaac is in the fields meditating upon his pro-
posed passage from celibacy to monogamy.
And he sees a speck against the sky, then
groups Of people, and after while he finds
that the grandest earthly blessing that ever
comes to man is approaching with the gay
caravan The drivers cry @kneel" to the
camels, and they kneel, and putting foot on the
neck of the STOPPING beast, the bride dismounts
and greets the man who was as worthy Of her
as she was worthy Of him. sand Isaac went
ont to mediate in the field ct the eventide; and
he lifted up his eyes and saw, and, behold, the
camels were coming" tl.
In this fifth discourse on sThe Marriage
Ring" having spoken Of the choice of life
time companion, l take it for granted, o man,
that your marriage was divinely arranged, and
that the camels have arrived from the right
direction, and at the right time, bringing the
one that was intended for your consort-a Re-
bekah and not q JezebeL I proceed to dis
course as to how you ought to treat your wife,
and my ambition is TO tell you more plain
truth than you ever heard in any three quarters
Of an hour in all your life.
First of all, 1 charge you realize yourrespon-
sibility in having taken her from the custody
and care and homestead in which she was once
sheltered What courage you must have had
and what confidence in yourself to say to her
practically: II will be to you more than your
father and mother, more than all the friends
you ever had or ever can have. Give up every
thing and take me- Ifeel competent to see you
through life in safety You are an immortal
being, but am competent to. defend you and
make you happy. However bright and COM
Portable home you have now, and though in
one of the rooms is the arm chair in which you
rocked, and in the garret is the cradle in which
you were hushed and the trundle- bed in which
you slept and in the sitting room are the father
and mother who have got wrinkle-faced and
stoop- p-shouldered and m-sighted in taking
care of you, yet you will do better to come with
me-" am amazed that any of us ever had
the sublimity of impudence to ask such
transfer from home assured to home con-
jectured and unbuilt
You would think me very daring and haz-
ardous adventurer if I should go down to one
of the piers on the North River, and at a time
when there was great lack Of ship captains,
and should. with no knowledge of navigation,
propose to take steamer across to Glasgow or
Havre, aud say, "All aboard! Haul in the
planks and swing out, " and, passing out into
the sea, plunge through darkness and storm
If succeeded in getting charge of one, that
would be the ship that would never be heard
Of But that is the bollness of every man that
proffers marriage. He says: Il will navigate
you through the storms, the cyclones, and the
fogs of lifetime. I will run clear Of rocks and
icebergs. have no experience
and l have no seaport but all aboard
for the voyage of lifetime. admit that
there have been ten thousand shipwrecks on
this very route, but don't hesitate! Tut, tut!
There. now, don't cry! Brides must not cry
at the wedding" .~Ai
In response to this the woman by her action
practically says: Il have but one life to live
and trust it all to you. My arm is weak, but
] will depend on the strength Of yours. Idon't
know much Of the world, but I rely on your
wisdom. Iput my body, my mind, my soul,
my time, my eternity in your keeping Imake
no reserve Even my name resign and take
yours, though mine is name that suggests all
that.was honorable in my father, and all that
was good in my mother, and all that was pleas
ant In my brothers and sisters. start with you
on journey which shall not part except at the
edge of your grave or mine. Ruth, the Moab
itess, made no more thorough self-abnegation
than make when Itake her tremendous words,
the pathoso which many centuries have not
cooled: q. cat me not to leave thee or to re-
turn from following after thee; for whittier
thou goest will go, and where thou lodgest
will lodge. Thy people shall be my people,
and thy God my God When thou diest will
die, and there will be buried The Lord do
30 to me, and more also, if aught but death
part thee and me- Side by side in life. Side
by side in the burying- ground Side by side in
heaven, Before God and man, and with my
immortal soul in the oath,I swear eternal
fidelity" T. at1e3
Now, my brother, how ought you to treat
her! Unless you are an migrate infinite you
will treat her we'll You will treat her better
than anyone in the universe except your God.
Her name will have In itmore music thanin all
that Chopin or Bach or Rheinberger composed
Her eyes, swollen with three weeks Of night
watching over child with scarlet fever, will
be to you beautiful as May morning. After
the last rose petal has dropped out Of her cheek,
after the last feather Of the ravens wing has
fallen from her hair, after across her forehead
and under her eyes and across her face there
are as many wrinkles as there are graves over