Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-10-01
THE VACANT CHAIR.
Rev. DIR. T. Dewitt Talmage
Talks Entertainingly About
'"The Empty Place."
seThOu Shalt Be Missed Because Thy
Seat Will BE Vacant.''

Seat Will BE yacant.''
Rev. L. De Witt Talmage preached an
able discourse from the text:
"Thou shalt he missed because thy seat will
be empty. II Samuel, Xxx. Is.
The following is the sermon in full:
Set on the table the cutlery and chased
silverware of the palace, for King Saul will
give q state dinner to-day. 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 the people
are invited to kings banquet they are
very apt to 60. 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- law?
Where is David, the great warrior? I in
vited him. I expected him. What? A
vacant chair ut 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 coa1ed David to go and occupy that
place at the table, saying to David in the
words Of my text: "Thou shalt be missed,
OcCduso tuy seat VIII De empty.
The prediction was fulfilled. David was
missed. His seat was empty. That one
vacant chair spoke louder than all the
every house the articles of furniture take
living personality. That picture-a stranger
would not see anything remarkable either
in its design or execution, 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 it. And that cradle-you remember who
rocked it. And that Bible-you remember
who read out of it. And that bed-you re-
member who slept in it. And that room
you remember who died in it. But there
is nothing in all your house SO eloquent
and so mighty-voiced rs the vacant chair.
1 suppose that before Saul and his guests
got up from this banquet there was great
clatter of wine-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 Rep
resentatives, and at Mr.. Wilson's vacant
chair in the Vice Presidency, and at Henry
Clay's vacant chair in the American Senate,
and at Prince Alberts vacant chair in
w luuSUl ShSl1C, huO Ill 4u1c1o N0CiuI
in the Councils of the French nation; but
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 than when they first adj
dressed us?
l. First, 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 ut 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
arm chair, for he is not SO strong as he
once was, and he needs little upholding.
His hair is little frosty, his gums little
depressed, for in his early days there was
not much dentistry. Perhaps q cane chair
and old fashioned apparel, for, though
you may have suggested some improve
ment, father does not want any of your
nonsense. Grandfather never had much
at the table of one of my Practitioners in a
former congregations; an aged man was at
the table, and his son was presiding, and
the father somewhat abruptly addressed
the son and said: "NTy son, don't now try
to show off because the minister is here!"
Your father never liked any new customs
or manners; he preferred the old way of
doing things, and he 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 ut the foot of that
chair. Perhaps, sometimes, he was little
impatient, and sometimes told the same
story twice; but over that old chair how
MANY blessed memories hover! Ihope you
did not crowd that old chair, and that it
did not get very much in the way. Some
times the old mans chair gets very much
in the way, especially if he has been SO I'M
wise as to make over all his property to his
children with the understanding that they
are to take care of him. have seen III
such cases children crowd the old mans
chair to the door, and then crowd it clean
into the street, and then crowd it into the
poor house, and keep on crowding it un-
til the old man fell ont Of it into his grave.
But YOUR fathers chair was sacred
place. The children used to climb up OH
the rungs of it for a od-night kiss, and
the longer he stald the better you liked it
But that chair has been vacant now fol
some time. The furniture dealer would
not give You so cents for it, but it is q
throne of influence in Your domestic circle
I saw in the French palace and in the
throne-room the chair that Napoleon USED
to occupy. 1t was a beautiful chair, bu
the most significant part of the chair was
the letter an" embroidered into the bach
of the chair in purple and gold. And YOU
fathers old chair sits in the throne-roon
of your heart, and yonr affections have EN-
broidered into the back of that chair il
purple and gold the letter Of" Have al
the prayers of that old chairbeen answered:
Have all the counsels Of that chair beer
practiced? Speak out, old arm chair
History tells us of an old man whose three
sons were victors in the Olympic games
and when they came back, these three sons
with their garlands. and put them on thei
/, fathers brow, the old man was so rejoicet
| ut the victories Of his three children, tina
/ he fell dead in their arms. And are you
! O man, going to bring a wreath OF JOY ant
! Christian usefulness and put it on you
| fathers brow. or on the vacant chair, or OF
| the memory Of the one departed? Sreal
| out, old armchair! With reference to you
! father, the words Of my text have been full
| filled: Thou shalt be missed. because tn.
seat will be empty"
| 2. 90 little further on i'll Your house
/ and 1 find the mothers chair. 1t IS Yer,
| apt to be rocking chair. She hat
| SO many cares and troubles to sooth'
that it must have rockers. 1 re
| member IL we'll It was an ole