Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-03-16
SONGS IN THE NIGHT.
Rev. DR.. Talmage's Sermon at the raber-
nacle.

Jubilant Exercises at the Morning Service
The Right Hand of Fellowship Extended,
to Many New Membcrs-Thousands to
Hear the Great Divine.
BROOKLYN, March 4.-Exercises at the
Tabernacle this morning were jubilant.
One hundred and twenty new members
were given the right hand of fellowship,
making the communicate membership
1.450. Thousands of strangers were pres
ent. The ten great silver tankards and the
long line of chalices made the sacramental
table very impressive.
Before the sermon the congregation, led
by cornet and organ, sang:
When earth shall pass away
In the great Judgment day,
Jesus is mine!
The Rev. L. De Witt Talmage, d. D.,
took as the subject of his DISCOURSE: "a
Song Concerning My Beloved" His text
was Isaiah V, j: Nov will sing to my
we'll beloved song Of my beloved" Dr.
Talmage said:
The most fascinating theme FOL heart
proper att6ned is the Saviour. There is
something in the morning light to suggest
Him, and something in the evening shadow
to speak His praise. The flower breathes
Hin, the star shines Him, the cascade pro-
claims Him, all the voices of nature chant
Him. Whatever is grand, bright, and
beautiful, if you only listen to it, will
speak His praise. When l come in the
summer time and pluck flower, I think
of HIM who is "the rose of Sharon and the
lily d the valley. When see in the field
n lamb, I say, "Behold the Lamb of God
that saketh away the sin of the world. !"
When, in very hot weather, come under a
projecting cliff, 1say:
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
| Let me hide myself in theei
| Over the old-fashioned pulpits there was
astounding board The voice of the min
lister rose to the sounding beard, and then
was struck back again upon the ears of the
| people. An so the ten thousand voices of
earth rising up find the heavens o
sounding board which strikes back to the
ear of all nations the praises of Christ.
The heavens tells His glory, and the earth
shows His handiwork. The Bible thrills
with one great story of redemption.
Upon blasted and faded paradise it
1t looked upon Abraham from the ram
caught in the thiclet, 1t spoke in the
bleating of the herds driven down to Je-
rusalem for sacrifice. 1t put infinite pathos
into the speech of uncouth fishermen. It
lifted Paul into the seventh Heaven; and
it broke upon the ear of st. John with the
brazen' trumpets and the doxology of the
elders, and the rushing wings of the sera-
phim.
Instead of waiting until you get sick and
worn out before you speak the praise Of
Christ, while your heart is happiest, and
your step is lightest, and your fortunes
smile, and your pathway blossoms, and
the overreaching Heavens drop upon you
their benediction, speak the praises of
Jesus.
The old Greek orators. when they saw
their audience inattentive and slumbering,
had one word with which they would rouse
them up to the greatest enthusiasm. In
the midst of their orations they would
stop and cry out "NIarathon!" and the
peoples enthusiasm would be unbounded.
borne down with sin, and though trouble
and trials and temptation may have come
upon you, and you feel hardly like look.
ing up, methinks there is one grand, royal
imperial word that ought to rouse YOU
soul to infinite rejoicing, and that word If
Jesus"
Taking the suggestion of the text, shall
speak to you of Christ, our song. I re-
mark, in the first place, that Christ ough
to be the cradle song. What our mothers
sang to us when they. put us to sleep il
|
words; but they went into the fiber of ou1
soul, and will forever be part of it. 1t is
not SO much what you formally teach your
children as what you sing to them. A
hymn has wings and can fly everywnither
One hundred and fifty years after you are
dead, and sOld Mortality" has worn out
his chisel in recruiting your name on the
tombstone, your great grandchildren will
be singing the song which this afternoon
you sing to your little ones gathered about
your knee. There is a place in Switzer-
land where, if you distinctly utter YOU
voice, there will come back ten or fifteen
distinct echoes, and every Christian song
sung by mother in the ear of her child
shall have ten thousand echoes coming
back from all the gates of Heaven. Oh, if
mothers only knew the power of this sacred
spell, how much oftener the little ones
would be gathered, and all ou1skomes
would chime with the songs Of Jest
We want some counteracting influence
upon our children. The very moment your
child steps into the street he steps into the
path of temptation. There are foul
mouthed children who would like to besoil
your little ones. It will not do to keep
your boys and girls in the house and make
them house plants; they must have fresh
air and recreation. God save your chill
tlren from the scathing, blasting, damning
influence of the streets! know of no coun-
teracting influence but the power of Chris
tan culture and example. Hold before
your little ones the pure life of Jesus;
letthat name be the word that shall exercise
evil from their hearts. Give to your in
struction all the fascination of music,
morning, noon, and night; let it be Jesus.
the cradle song. This is important if
your children grow up, but perhaps they
may not. Their pathway may be short.
Jesus may be wanting that child. Then
there will be soundless step in the dwell
ing, and the youthful pulse, will begin to
fiutter, and little hands will be lifted for
help. You cannot help. And q great
agony will pinch at your heart, and the
cradle will be empty, and the nursery will
be empty, and the world will be empty,
and your soul will be empty. No little
feet standing on the stairs. No toys scat
tered on the carpet. No quick following
from room to room. No strange and Won
dering questions. No upturned face. with
laughing blue eyes, come for u kiss; but
only grave, and a wreath of white bios
SONS on the top of it; and bitter desola-
lions, and signing at nightfall with no
one to put to bed. and wet pillow, and a
grave, and wreath of white blossoms on