Milford chronicle., 1888-01-27


Everlasting Wrong.
BROOKLYN, Jan. 22-The Rev I. De Witt
Talmage, D. D., preached this morning the
third Of his series Of Sermons to the Women
Of America, with Important Hints to Men. "
His subject was, Broken Promises of Mar
riage,n and his text from Judges xi, 35: Il
have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I
cannot GO back He said:
Gen. Jephthah, the commander in chief
of the Israelitish f,rces, is buckIing on
the sword for the determination of the pestif-
erous Ammonites, and looking up to the sky
he promises that if God will give him the
victory he viii put to death and sacrifice as
a burnt offering the first thing that comes
ont from tine door of his homestead when he
goes back. The hurrahing Of triumph soon
runs along the line of all the companies,
regiments and divisions of Jephthah's army.
A worse beaten enemy than those Ammonites
never strewed any plain with their carcasses.
Gen. Jephthah, fresh from his victory, is
now on his way home. As he comes over
the bill and through the valleys the whole
march homeward for his men is cheer, but
for him great anxiety, for he remembers
his vow to say and burn the first thing that
comes forth from his house TO greet him after
his victory
Perhaps it shall be the old watch dog that
shall first come out, and who could get heart
TO beat out the life of faithful creature like
that as he comes fawning and barking and
frisking and putting up his paw against his
master in merry welcome after long absencel
No; it was not that which came forth to meet
Jephthah Perhaps it might be a young
dove let out from its cage in the generals
home which, gaining its liberty, may seem to
rejoice in the public gladness and hutter on
the shoulder of the familiar head Of the
household But who could have the
heart to slay such q winged limo
cent? No; it was not that which came
forth to meet Jephthah Or it may be some
good neighbor that win 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 neighbor who had come on the
scene to rejoice over the reunited household
No; it was not that which came forth to
meet Jephthah.
As he advances upon his home the door
opens and out Of it comes one whose appear
ance under other circumstances would have
been an indescribable joy, but under the
pledge of a sacrifice becomes a horror which
blanches his cheek and paralyzes his form
and almost huPls him fat to the earth. His
child his only child, his daughter comes skip
ping out TO greet him, her step keeping time
to tinbrel which she shakes and smites
Did ever q conqueror's cheer end in such a
bitter groanl No wonder, Dore, in two Of
his masterpieces, presents the scene. And Han
del made it the last and climactric work Of
his life to put this pathetic and overpOwering
circumstance in an oratorio, seven months
toiling amid its majestic harmonies until his
eyesight gave out; and, as though the sad
scene Of Jcphthah's daughters sacrifice were
too much for mortal vision the grand old
musician was led blind into the orchestra for
the first rendering of "Jephthah.n All the
glories of victorious war are blotted out from
Jephthah's memory, and his banner is folded
in grief, and his sword goes back into the
scabbard with dolorOus clang, and the muf-
fed drum takes the place of the GYM
balls. and the "tremOlon the place
of the trumpet ard he cries OUT
1Alas! my daughter, thou hast brought
me very low and thou art one of them that
trouble me; for have opened my mouth to
the Lord, and I cannot go back During
two months amid the mountains without
shelter. the nsaidens who would have been at
her wedding ranged with Iephthah's daugh-
ter up and down, bewailing her coming sac
riiice
Commentators and theologians are in dis
puts as to whether that girl was slain or not,
and as to whether if she were slain it was
right or wrong in Jephthah TO be the execu-
tioaer. a discussion into which l shall not be
diverted from the overniastering considera-
tiol that we had better look out what we
promise better be cautious what engagement
we make, better that in regard to all mat
ters of betrothal and phghtcd VOW we feel
the responsibility, lest ave have either to sac
rifce tire truth or sacrifice an immortal
being, and We be led TO cry out with the
paroxysm of a Jephthah. - have opened
my mouth unto the Lord, and / cannot go
back"
There is one ward in almost all the insane
asvlums and large region in almost every
cemetery that you need to visit. They are
occupied by the men and women who are the
victims of broken promises of marriage. The
women in those wards and in those mortuary
receptacles are in the majority, because
woman lives more in her affections than does
man. and laceration of them in her case is
more apt to be dementia and fatality. In
some regions Of this land the promise of mar
riage is considered to have no solemnity or
binding force. 1t was only made in fun
They may change their mind. The engage
meut may stand until some one more attract
I've in person or opulent in estate appears on
the scene; then the rings are returned and
the amatory letters and al relationship
ceases. And so there are ten thousand Jeph-
thah's daughters sacrificed as burnt offerings
The whole subject needs to be taken out Of
the realm of comedy into tragedy, and men
and women need to understand that, while
there are exceptions to the rule, once having
solemnly pledged to each other heart and
hand. the forfeiture and abandonment Of
that pledge makes the transgressor in the
sight of God a prejurer, and so the day Of
Judgment will reveal it. The one has lied to
the other; and all liars shall have their place
in the lake that burneth with fire and brim-
stone.
Il man or woman make a promise in the
business world, is there any obligation to
fulfill it! II man sign a note for five hun
dred dollars, ought he to pay itl If a con-
tract be signed involving the building Of a
house or the furnishing of a bill Of goods,
ought they stand by that contract "Oh,
vesn always answered. Then ask the
further questions: Is the heart, the happi-
ness. the welfare, the temporal and eternal
destiny Of a man or woman worth as much
as the house, worth five hundred dollars,
worth anything2 The realm of prohigacy
is filed with men and women as a result Of
the wrong answer to that question. The
most aggravating, stupendous and God defy
ing lie is a lie in the shape of broken espou-
SAL
But suppose a man changes his mind,
ought he not back outi Not once in ten
thousand times. What if I change my mind
about a promissory note and decline to pay
it, and suddenly put my property in such
shaps that you could not collect your motel
W would you like thati That, you say,
ID be a fraud So is the other n fraud,
punish it God viii, certainly az you live
and just as certainly if you do not live
have known men betrothed to loving and
good womanhood resigning their engagement
and the victim went down in hasty consump-
tion, while suddenly the recreant man would
go up the aisle of a church in brilliant bridal