The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1888-01-26
JEPHTHAH'S DAUGHTER.
Or. TALMAGE'S THIRD SERMON TO
THE WOMEN OF AMERICA

l
-Ifrokcn Pror,.iass Of Marriage the sab
jcc. of His Disconrss-Eetroth.l Is Al
Act go solemn That t1 Break Is i. a.
Eve>l- sting Wrong.
BROOKLYN, Jan. 22-Th. Rev r De Witt
fai;nass, u. D., preached this morning tbs
third OF his .r-ies OF Sermons 70 the Wonle1
c, hnerica, With Important Hints to Men
His subject wa., ,'Tsrekeu Promises OF Mar
TisS,c.n and hi. text from Judges Il, IS: 81
have opened ::iy mouth unto the Lord, and
saunot 70 hacE,.r lie SKID:
| Gen Icp!.tf..h. the commander in chiet
Of tl.r l.r-.-.-ti-a forces, is buckling on
Tn sword IN ne determination Of the pestif
| eT~r!. h,si:.agiiics, af.d looking up TO the SKY
IL f,rs-i.lG-,s ist IL God will give him the
| v,t@oTy he VII put 10 death and sacrifice a.
!'Fsit o,.eT..Is the first thing that comes
OH, ..~s:li TIC door OK Eis homestead when he
goes tcck The hurruhing of triumph soon
Iuus along tho line CT all the companies
| regiments ard divisions OF Jephthahs army.
A wors- heater. ercrnr than Those Ainmonites
never stew cd any plaia with their carcasses
| Gen J-3hthah. fre-h from his victory, is
| now HI. way hom.. A. he comes over
| the hill a1e through the valleys the whole
| march Eo:I crcr,l for his men is a cheer but
| for him great anxiety, fer he remembers
| his to sig and burn the first thing that
| comes forth from his house to greet him after
| his victory.
| PERHAPS II shall be the old watch dog that
| shall first come out, and who could get heart
| to beat out lie life of faithful creature like
| that as he comes fowning and barking and
| frisi;ins and putting up his paw against his
| master III merry welcome after long absencef
| No. it was rot that which caIno forth to meet
| Jephtilah. Perhaps it might be young
| dove let out from its cage in the generals
home which, gaining its liberty may seem to
| rejoice in thc public sladness and futter on
| the shoulder Of the familiar head Of the
household But who could have the
heart is stay Fuch winged limo
| cent: NJ; it was not that which came
| forth to meet Jephthah. Or If may be some
good ncighbor that will rush out to greet him
after having first been in to tell the family of
| the near approach OF the general But who
could slay ncighbor who had come on the
scene to rejoice over the reunited households
No; it Vas not that which came forth to
| meet Jephthah
As he advances upon his home the door
opens and out OF it comes one vhoss appear
ance under other circumstances would have
bo5il indescribable joy, but under the
piC't+-s Of a sacrifice becomes a horror which
blaTclc- his check and paralv1es his form
. ii
CHI. -. OILY child his. daughter come. skip
pi:!-, us; - greet him, her step keeping time
to 4 ti.llrcl which she shakes and .1ntes.
Did ever { eonqneror's cheer c-d In such
bitter .ro1@, 10 wonder, Dore, in two of
his n,..s,~rc icccs, presents the scene And Han
dci Ei-I. /: re last and climactric work of
his lie 70 ,,,i: ti3is pathetic and overpoverine
circuTcl-f-tee in an oratorio, seven months
tOili:lG amid its mn estic harInonics until his
scen- q jcrhthnh's daughters sacrifice were
too .luch for rrortci vision. tn. grand old
musician wa, led blind into the orchestra for
the first rendering OF "Jephthahn All the
slOrics of victorious war are blotted out from
Jei,hthafi's memory, and his he-ner i. folded
in grief and bis sword goes back into the
scabbard WIZ doorous elnng and the muf-
ned drum takes the place OF the Gym
balls, ard the ''trernoIon the place
Of the trumpet, and ne cries out:
eAlas! my daughter. thou hast brought
me very low and thou art one of them that
trouble me; for l have opened my mouth to
the Lord, and l cannOs go back During
two month, amid the mountains without
shelter, the maiden. Who would have been at
her Wedding rnnsed With Jephthah'. daugh-
ter up and down, bcwailng her coming sac
riice.
Commentators aud theologians are in dir
and as to whether If she were slain it was
right wrong IN Jephthah to be tho enecu-
TONER discussion into which shall not be
diverted from the everma.tering considera-
ito. that We had better look ont what we
promise, better be cautious what engagement
we make, bitter that in regard to all mat
ters o. b-tro;.isl and phghtcd VOW ne feel
the responsibility, lest We have either to sac
ri:"e the truth or sacrifice an immortal
paroKysra OF Jephtheh: 81 have opened
my mouth unto the Lord, and l cannot 90
back
There il ward IN almost all the insane
AsrlIas aud a Large region III almost every
csan-tet-y that you need to visit. They are
occupied by the Hlsa and women who are tho
victims % broken promises OF marriage The
women ia those wards and III those mortuary
rec-ptaccs are in the majority, because
Holnan lives more in her affections than does
man, and laceratioH of them IN her case is
moro apt TO be deInentia and fatality In
some regions OF this land the promise of mar
rage is considered to have no soiennity or
binding force. 1t was only made in fun.
They may change their mind. The engage
ment may stand until some one more attract
i've in person opulent in estate appears on
the scene; then the rings are returned and
the Rmatory letters and all relationship
Ce1stS Anu SO tiiSie n e Ten knOuS6AU Jepn-
thah's daughter. sacrificed IN burnt offerings.
The whole subject EeSd@ to be taken out of
the realm OF comeiy Into tragedy, Xnd men
and women need to Understand that while
there are .~trN- TONS to tttv rails, ouce having
solen1iy !i-.! ed - each other heart and
hand, tie lori. and abandonment Of
that ,,ic,l..e mice the trans. re.sc, in the
sight "a Ga. li> j.rer, aHu 81 to day of
judi fl..-. VII reye;.I Is. The c..e Las Eod to
the oar: and a.. Lar. shall have thcir place
in tie LAKE, t., t bur!lei.l with Tire AID brin,-
stone.
IL IL i.la.l or woman make q promise In the
busi "a =. j. th'le any obligation to
fulfil III :; :la.i :; i noto for dys hun
dred 1!- ii. ~s!..- ~ W pGJ 81 Ii con-
tract lie % :-.-.T.ux tie building of
HOUSE. .s.:seEi.-z ~ bill OF goods,
ought i4--7 s-.-a J.. hat contract. .'Oh,
yes" $500 ci'->i. Thea l ask the
furtaer .,-lc-.ss,: i tks heart, the happi-
hess, i,le sts. A.e temporal and eternal
destiny q, woman worth as much
rs tn. So,,-e worth Ave hundred dollars.
worth ezY.nl.T. The realm of prodigacy
is filed with ,-ie,, and women as a result of
the wrong answer to that question. The
most aggrayat:.s, seupcndous and God defy
ing lie rs lie in tho shape of broken espou-
sal
But suppose a man changes his mind,
eaght he not back QUIT Not once in ten
Thousand times. What il change my mind
about lrornissory note and decline to pay
il mad suddenly nut mr. orors%rsv In such