The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-02-02
TALMAGE'S SERMON,
The Weekly Discourse of the Great
Brooklyn Preacher
Subjects "Brolxen Promises of
Marriage"


Marriage"
TEXT: "Ihare opened nv mouth unto tn
Lord, and fcaanol 90 obdck."-Judges xi., IS
General Jephthah. the COMMANDMENTS chic
OF the Israelitish forces, is buckling on tn
sword for the determination Of the pestifer
gus Ammonites, and looking up to the SIX,
ne promises that il God will give him tn
victory he will put to death and sacrifice a
q burnt Offering the first thing that come
OUT from the door of his homestead when h,
goes back. The hurrahing Of triumph soor
runs along the line Of all the companies
regiments and divisions of Jephthahs army
A worse beaten enemy than those Ammonite
never strewed any plain with their carcasses
General Jephthah, fresh from the victory, il
now on his way home, As hs comes over th,
NIL and through the valleys the whole march
homewafd for his men Is a cheer, but TO,
MIN greater anxiety, for he remembers hi.
vow to slay and burn the first thing tha,
comes forth from his house to greet him aftef
his victory.
Perhaps it shall be the old watch dog that
shall first come out, and who could get heart
to beat cut the life of faithful creature like
snat as he comes fawning and barking and
irlsking and putting up his paw against his
master in merry welcome after long absence!
No; It was not that which came forth to meet
Jephthah. Perhaps it might be young
dove let out from its cage in the Generals
nome which, gaining its liberty, may seem to
rejoice in the public gladness and futter on
tne shoulder OF, the familiar head of the
household. But who could have the
heart to slay such winged limo.
cent? No; it was not that which came forth
70 meet Jephthah. Or it may be some
good neighbor that will rush out to greet him
nIter 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; 1t 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 sacrifice becomes horror which
blanches his cheek and paralyzes his form
and almost hurls him fiat to the earth. His
child, his only child, his daughter, comes skip
ping out to greet him, her step keeping time
to timbrel which she shakes and smites
Did ever conqueror's cheer end in such a
bitter groan2 No wonder Dore in two of
his masterpieces presents the scene And Han.
del made it the last and climacteric work of
MS life to put this pathetic and overpowering
circumstance in an oratorio, seven months
toillng amid its majestic harmones until his
eyesight gave out; and, as though the sad
scene of Jephthah's daughters sacrifice were
musician was led blind into the orchestra for
the first rendering of "Jephthahn 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 NUT
ned drum takes the place of the GYM
balls, and the ''tremolo' the place
of the, trumpet, and he cries out "Alas!
my daughter, thou hast brought me
very low, and thou art one Of them that
trouble mes for have opened my mouth to
the Lord, and / cannot 20 back During
TWO months amid the mountains without
shelter, the maidens who would have been at
her wedding ranged with Jephthah's daugh-
ter Ter up and down, bewalling her coming sac
Commentators and theologans are In dis
pute 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-
TONER, question into which shall not be
diverted from the overmastering considera-
tion that we rad better look out what we
promise, better be cautions what engagement
we make, better that in regard to all mat
ters OF betrothal and plighted vow we feel
'lnce tne truth or sacrifice an immortal
being, and we be led to cry out with the
paroxysm OF Jephthah: II have opened
my mouth unto the Lord, and cannot 90
There is one ward in almost all the insane
yiums 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 casa ia
more apt to be dementia and fatality. In
some regions Of this and the promise Of mar
rage Is considered to have no so.emuitv or
Dnlndng force. 1t was only made in fun.
lney may change their mind. The engage
nent may stand until some one more attrac-
i've in person or opulent in estate appears on
ne scene; then the rings are returned and
he amatory letters and all Relationship
leases. And SO there are ten thousand Jeph.
hah's daughters sacrificed as burnt offerings
he whole subject needs to be taken out of
ne realm OF comedy into tragedy, and men
md women need to understand that, while
mere are exceptions to the rule, once having
o.emnly pledged to each other heart and
,and, the forfeiture and abandonment Of
nat pledge makes the transgressor in the
lght OF sod perjurer, and so the day Of
Judgment will reveal it, The one has lied to
he other; and all liars shall have their place
the lake that burneth with fire and brim-
tone.
II man or woman make promise in the
BUSINESS world, is there any obligation to
ulhll itl II man sign note for five hun
req dollars, ought he to pay its If a con-
ract be signed involving the building of a
ouse or the furnishing Of a bill of Goods.
ught they stand by that contracti "Oh,
es," all will answer. Then 1 ask the
urther questions: Is the heart, the happi.
ess: the welfare, the temporal and eternal
estlny OF man or woman worth as much
S the house, worth five hundred dollars.
'orth anythingf The realm of profligacy
niied with men and women as a result of
he wrong answer to that question. Tho
most aggravating, stupendous and God de-
ying lie is lie in the shape of a broken
spousal.
But suppose man changes his mind,
ught he not back outl Perhaps here and |
here may be case. but not once in ten
housand times. What If l change my mind |
bout promissory note and decline to nav |
. and suddenly put my property in such |
nape that you could not collect your notel |
low would you like thatl That, YOU saw.
'euld be fraud. So is the other a frand. |
nd punish it God will, certainly as you live,
nd Just as certainly if you do not live. 1 |
ave known men betrothed to loving and
ood womanhood resigning their engagement
nd the victim went down in hasty consump- |
on while suddenly the recreant man would |
o up the aisle Of chnrch in brilliant bridal |
arty, and the two promised II will' with a |
'lemnity that seemed insurance of alifetime |
appiness. But the simple fact was, that
as the first act of Shakespearean drama en- |
tied, Tanning the Shrew." He found out |
hen too late that he had not married into |
le family of the 'Gracesn but into the fam
y of the "Furies" To the day of his death |
le murder of his first betrothal followed |
i'm.
The Bible extols one who ''sweareth to his |
wn hurt and changeth not" That is, when |
ou make promise keep it at all hazards.
here may be cases where deception has been |
sed at the time of engagement, and extraor-
mary circumstances where the promise is
OF binding, but in nine hundred and ninety-
Inc cases out Of a thousand engagement is
binding as marriage. Robert Burns with
II his faults well knew the force of a marital
Engagement. In obedience to some rust;c
lea he, standing on one side of the brook
Iyr, and Mary Campbell on the other. they
athed their hands In the water and then
ut them on the boards of the Bible. makino
aeir pledges Of fidelity. On the cover of the
I'D Testament of that book to this day. IN
lobert Burns's handwriting, may be found
be words: "Leviticus, xix, 10: Ye shall not |
wear by my name falsely; am the Lord.n