Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1888-02-03
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Fhs Weekly DisCourses of the Great
Brooklyn Preacher.
Subjects 'SBrOI<en Promises of
Marriage.'

TEXT: "IhdUe opened my mouth unto the
Lord, and cdnno, 90 back. Judges xL, IS.
General Jephthah, the commander-in-chief
OF the lsraelitish forces, Is buckling on the
sword for the determination of the pestifer-
Gus AmRonites, and looking up to the sky
he promises that if God will give him the
victory he will put to death and sacrifice as
burnt offering the first thing that comes
out from the 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.
General Jephthah, fresh from the victory, is
now on his way home. AS he comes over the
hill and through the valleys the whole march
homeward for his men is q cheer, but for
him greater anxiety, for he remembers his
VOW to slay 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 a faithful creature like
that as he comes fawning and barking and
fr1sking and putting up his paw against his
master in merry welcome after long abSencei
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
the shoulder of the familiar head of the
household. But who could have the
heart to slay such a winged inno
cent' No; it was not that which came forth
to meet Jephthah Or it may be some
good neighbor 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 STAY 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 h:~ror 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 conquerors cheer end in such a
bitter groanl No wonder bore in two of
his masterpieces presents the scene And Han
del made it the last and climacteric work OF
his life to put this pathetic and overpowecing
circumstance in an oratorio, seven months
toiling amid its majestic harmonies until his
eyesight gave out; and, as though the sad
scene of Jephthah'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." All the
glories Of victorious war are blotted ouU from
Jephthah's memory and his banner is folded
in grief, and his sword goes Eafk into the
scabbard with dolorous clang and the NUT
fled drum takes the place of the GYM
balls, and tie "tremolo" the place
of the trumpet, and he cries OUT "Alasl
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 1 cannot go back" During
two months amid the mountains without
shelter, the maidens who would have been at
her wedding ranged with Jephthahs daugh-
ter up and down. bewallng her coming sac
rifice
Commentators and theologians are in dis
pute as to whether that girl was slain or not,
and as to whether if she were slain it was
right OF wrong in Jephthah to be the eXecu-
toner, question into which | shall not be
diverted from the oyermaster.ng considera-
tion that we lad better look out what we
promise, better be cautions what engagement
we make, better that in regard to all mat
ters of be.rothal and plightad vow we feel
the responsibility, lest we have either to sac
riiice the truth or sacrifice an immortal
being, and we be led to cry out with the
paroxysm of a Jephthah: 81 have opened
my mouth unto the Lord, and l cannot go
back"
There is one ward in almost all the insane
asylums 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 aiority, because
woman lives more in her affections than does
man, and laceration of them III her case is
more apt TO be a dementia and fatality In
some regions Of this and the promise of mar
rage is considered to have no solemnity or
binding force. 1t was only made in fun
W. IL. Al.a.
mcnt may stand until some one more attrac-
tive in person or opulent in estate appears on
the scene; then the rings are returned and
the amatory letters and all 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 perjurer, 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.
If man or woman make promise in the
business world, is there any obligation to
fulfill it' If a man sign a note for five hun
dred dollars, ought he to pay it, If con-
| tract be signed involving the building of q
house or the furnishing of bill Of goods,
ought they stand by that contract ooh,
yes" all will answer. Then l ask the
further questions: Is the heart, the happi,
ness, the welfare, the temporal and eternal
| destiny of man or woman worth as much
as the house, worth five hundred dollars
| worth anything? 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 de-
flying lie is lie in the shape of broken
espousal.
But suppose a man changes his mind
ought he not back out! Perhaps here and
there may be case, but not once in ter
about a promissory note and decline to pay
it, and suddenly put my property in such
shape that you could not collect your note
How would you like thatl That, you say
weuld be fraud. So is the other fraud
and punish it God will certainly as you live
and just as certainly if you do not live
| have known men betrothed to loving anC
good womanhood resigning their engagement
and the victim went down in hasty consump
ton, while suddenly tho recreant man would
go up the aisle of chnrch in a brilliant brida
party, and the two promised 81 will' with
solemnity that seemed insurance of alifetim
happiness. But the simple fact was that
WuS ULS III % uCb VI q ohdheSpedI6du uTdIlld EN-
titled, Tanning the Shrewn He found on
when too late that he had not married int,
the family of the ''Graces" but into the fam
lily of the "Furies." To the day of his dealt
the murder of his first betrothal folowet
him.
The Bible extols one who ''sweareth to hi
own hurt and changeth not" That is, whel
you make promise keep it at all hazards
There may be cases where deception has BEEF
used at the time of engagement, and extraor
binary circumstances where the promise j
not binding but in nine hundred and ninety
nine cases out of thousand engagement
as binding as marriage. Robert Burns wit
all his faults well knew the force of marita
engagement. In Obedience to some rusti