Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-03-10

Before the sermon the congregation, led by
cornet and organ, sang:
When earth shall pass away,
In the great Judgment day,
Jesus is,minel
The Rev T. De Witt Talmage, D. D., took
las the subject of his DISCOURSE: ga Song
Concerning NY Beloved His text was
tsIsaiah.y, / :."Now will l sing to my we'll be-
Flowed a song of my beloved" DR.. Talmage
said:
Tho most fascinating theme for heart
properly attuncd is tho Saviour. There is
something in the morning light to suggest
him, and something in tho evening shadow
to speak his praise. The flower breathes
him, the star shines him, tho cascade
proclaims him, all the voices Of ma
turc chant him. Whatever is grand,
bright and beautiful, if you only listen
to it, will speak his praise. When 1
come in the summer time and pluck flower,
! think of him who is ''the Rose of Sharon
and tho Lily Of the Valley" When l see in
the fields lamb, say, behold the, Lamb
of God that takoth away the sin of the
world.n When, in very hot weather, come
under projecting cliff, 1 say:
ROCK OF Ages, cleiL LOT me,
Let me hide myself In theel
Over tho old-fashioned pulpits there was q
sounding board Tho voice Of the minister
rose to tho sounding board and then was
struck back again upon the ears of the people.
And so the ten thousand voices of earth ris-
ing up find the heavens a sounding board,
which strikes back to the ear of all the ma
lions the praises of Christ The heavens tell
| his glory and the earth shows his handiwork.
The Bible thrills with one great story Of re-
demption. Upon blasted and fuded para
disc it poured tho light of glorious rcstora-
ton. 1t looked upon Abraham from the
ram caught in the thicket 1t spoke in the
bleating of tho herds driven down to Jerusa-
lem for sacrifice. 1t put infinite pathos into
the speech of uncouth fishermen. 1t lifted
Paul into the seventh heaven, and it broke
upon the ear of st. John with tho brazen
trumpets and the doxology of the elders and
tho rushing wings Of the seraphim.
Instead of waiting until You get sick and
worn out before you speak the praise of
Christ, while your heart is happiest, aud your
step is highest, and your fortunes smile, and
your pathway blossoms, and tho overarching
heavens drop upon you their benediction,
speak the praises of Jesus
The old Greek orators, when they saw their
audiences inattentive and sumbering, had
one word with which they would rouse them
ND to the greatest enthusiasm. In the midst
of their orations they would stop and cry out,
"Marathonl" and the peoples enthusiasm
would be unbounded My hearers, though
you may hove boon borne down with sin, and
though trouble, and trials, and temptation
may have come upon you, and you feel hardly
like looking up, 1nethinl1s there is one grand,
royal, imperial word that ought to rouse your
soul to infinite rejoicing, and that word is
sJesusln
Taking tho suggestion Of the text, shall
speak to you of Christ, our soug. Iremark,
in the first place, that Christ ought to be the
cradle song. What our mothers sang to us
when they put us to sleep is singing yet. We
may have forgotten tho words; but they
went into tho fiber Of our SOUL and will for
ever be q 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 everywhither. One hundred and
fifty years after you are dead, and "Old
Mortality" has worn out his chjsel in re-
cutting your name on tho tombstone, your
great grandchildren will be singing the song
which this afternoon you sing to your little
ones gathered about your knee. There is
place in Switzerland where, if you distinctly
utter your voice, there come back ten or fif-
teen distinct echoes, and every Christian
song sung by mother in tho ear of her child
shall have ten thousand echoes coming back
from all tho gates of heaven. Oh, if mothers
ONLY know the power of this sacred spell, how
much oftencr the little ones would be
gathered, and all our homes would chime
with the songs Of Jesus!
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. Il will not doto keep your boys and
girls in tho house and make them house
plants; they must have fresh air and recrca-
ton. God save your children from tho
scathing, blasting, damning influence of th"
streets! know Of no counteracting infu-
cnce but the power of Christian culture and
example. Hold before your little ones the
pure life of Jesus; let that name be the word
that shall exercise evil from their hearts.
Give to Your instruction oil 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 q soundless step in the DWELLING
md the youthful pulse will begin
to 1utter, and little hands will be
lifted for help. You can not help
And great agony will pinch at
your heart, and the cradle will be empty, and
tho nursery will be empty, and the world
will be empty, and your soul will be empty
No littlo feet standing on the stairs. No toys
scattered on tho carpet. No quick following
from room to room. No strange and wonder
ing questions. No upturned face, with laugh
ing blue eyes, come for kiss; but only a
grave, and wreath of white blossoms on the
top of it; and bitter dcsolation, and signing
at nightfall with no one to put to bed, and q
wet pillow, and a grave, and wreath of white
blossoms on the top of it. The heavenly
Shepherd will take that lamb safely anyhow,
whether you have been faithful or unfaitf-
full; but would it not have been pleasanter If
you could have heard from those lips the
praises of Christi never read anything
more beautiful than this about child's de-
norture Tho account said. "She folded her