The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-03-15
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Weekly Discourses Of the Great
Brooklyn Preacher.
Subjects "a Song CONCERNING
Wy Beloved"

The most fascinating theme for a hear
properly attuned Is the Saviour. There
something in the morning light to sugges
HIM, and something in the evening shadoy
to speak His praise. The flower breathe
Him, the star shines him, the cascade pro
claims Him, all tho voices of nature chan
Him. Whatever is grand, bright AM
beautiful, if you only listen to il
will speak His praise, When
come in the summer time and pluck flower
l think Of Him who is "the Rose of Sharol
and the Lily of the Valley.n When see il
the fields a lamb, say: "Behold the Laml
OF God that taleth away the sin of tn
under projecting cliff, say:
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself In thee!
Over tho o,d-fashioned pulpits there was
sounding board, Tho voice of the minister
rose to the sounding board and then wa.
struck back again upon the ears of the people
And so the ten thousand voices of earth ris
ing up fnl tho heavens a sounding board
which strike back to the ear of all the ma
tioas the praises Of Christ The heavens tell
his cry And the earth shows his handiworlz,
Tho Bible thrills with one great story of re
demption. Upon blasted and faded para
disc is poured the light Of a glorious restora.
ton. 1t looked upon Abraham from the
,,ehi .ou5h1 III Ine unlckeU. IL spoke IN the
o'eating of the herds driven down to Jerusa-
lem for sacrifice. 1t put infinite pathos into
tac ;p ech of uncouth fishermen, 1t lifted
fau into the seventh heaven, and it broke
upon the car of st. John with the brazon
trumpets and the doxology of the elders and
the rushing wings of the seraphim.
instead OF waiting until you get sick and
worn cut before You speak tho praise of
Christ, while your heart is happiest, and your
f,,,I 4
your pathway blossoms and the overarching
heavens drop upon you their benediction,
speak the praise of Jesus
Ihe old Greek ora, ors, when they saw their
audiences innattentive and slumhering, had
one word with which they would rouse them
up to the greatest enthusiasm In the midst
Of their orations they would stop and cry out,
mMarathon., ,,:sIa,y and the peoples enthusiasm
you may have been borne down with sin, and
though trouble, and trials, and temptation
may have come upon you, and you feel hard
ly like looking u, methinks there is one
grand, royal, mp rial word that ought to
rouse your soul 10 infinite rejoicing, and that
word is 'Jesus!'
Taking the suggestion of tho text, shall
speak to you Of Christ, our song. remark,
IN the iirst 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 the words, but they
went into the fiber of our soul, and will for
ever be 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 chisel in re-
cutting your name on the tombstone, your
great grandchildren will be singing the song
winch this afternoon you sing to your little
ones gathered about your knee. There is
place in Switzerland where, il you distinctly
utter your voice, there come back ten or fif-
teen distinct echoes, and every Christian
song sung by mother in the ear of her
child shall have ten thousand echoes coming
back from all the gates of heaven. Oh, If
mothers only knew the power of this sacred
spell, how much oitener the little ones would
be gathered, and all our homes would chime
with the songs of Jesus
We want sono countaracting 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 ould like to besol your little
ones. 1t will not do to keep your BOYS and
girls in the house and make them house
plants; they must have fresh air and recrea-
tion God save your children from the
'cathing, blasting, damning influence of the
streets! know of no counteracting inlu-
ence but the power of Christian culture and
example. Hod 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 all the fascination
o. 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 beswanting that child. Then
Ihero VIII be SOMA !ess step in the dwelling,
ana the youthful pulse will begin
% 70 hut.er, and little hands will be
lifted for help You can not help.
your heart, and the cradle will be empty, and
he nursery will be empty, and tho world
VII b. empty, and your soul will be empty.
No little feet standing on the stairs No TOYS
catterei on the carpet. No quick following
rom room to room. No strange and wonder.
ng questions. No upturned face, with laugh
ng blue eyes, comes for kiss; and a sigling
1t nightfall with no one to put to bed, and a
vet pillow, and a grave, and a wreath of white
blossoms on the top Of it, The heavenly
Shepherd will take that lamb safely anyhow,
whether you have been faithful or unfaith-
u; but would it not have been pleasanter if
'ou could have heard from those lips the
,raises of Christ! | never read ANYTHING
more beautiful than this about a chiId's de-
'arture The account said: "She folded her
lands, Kissed her mother good.by, sang her
lynn, turned her face to the wall, said her
little prayer, and then died.
oh, il l could gather up in one paragraph
he last words OF the little ones who have
,one out from all these Christian circles. and
could picture the calm looks, and the folded
lands, and sweet departure, methinks it
would be grrcnd and beautiful as one of heay-
MS great doxo.ogies!
l next speak Of Christ as the old mans
ong. Quick music loses its charm for the
ged ear. Tho school girl asks for a schot-
ische or glce but her grandmother asks
or "Balermaa or the Portuguese Hymn
fifty years of trouble have tanned the spirit.
nd the keys OF the music board must have
solemn tread. Though the voice may be
renulous, SO that grandfather will not trust
IN church, sti he has the psalm book open
efore hlm, and he sings with his soul He
ums his gran tchld asleep with the same
une he sang forty years ago in the old coun.
ry meeting house. Some day the choir sings
tune so old that the young people do not
now it; but IL sta Is the tears down the
heck of the aged man, for it reminds him of
he revival sceie i'll which he participated.
nd Of the radiant faces that long since went
0 dust, and of the gray haired minister lean
ne over the pulpit, and sounding the good
idmgs of great Joy.
was one Thanksgiving day in my pulpit,
a Syracuse, N. y, and Rev. Daniel Waldo,
t ninety eight veal Of age, stood beside me,
he choir sang tuna. said 81 am sorry
hey sang that how tune; nobody seems to
now it. . L ess you, my son. said the old
IAN. II heard That seventy years ago!"
There was song to-day that touched the
life Of the aged with holy fire and kindled
,lory on their vision that our younger eye-
light cannot see. It was the song of saliva
who fed them all their lives
ong; Jesus, who wiped away their tears;
Jesus, who stood by them when all else failed
'esus, in whose name their marriage was
and whose resurrection has
,oured light upon the graves of their de- |
,arted. Blessed the Bible in which spec-
acled old age reads the promise: 81 will
lever leave you, never forsake youl" Blessed
he staff on which the worn out pilgrim tot
ers on toward the welcome Of his Redeemer!
Blessed the hymn book in which the falter-
ng tongue and the failing eyes find Jesus,
he old mans song.
Ispeak to you again of Jesus as the night |
ong. Job speaks of him who giveth songs
, the night. John Welch, the old Scotch
,inister, used to put plaid across his bed |
n cold nights, and some one asked him why |
e put that there, He said: 'Oh, some
mes in the night want to sing the praise |
Jesus, and to get down and pray; then |
ist take that plaid and wrap it around me |
, keep myself from the cold" Songs in the |
ightl Night of trouble has come down |
pom many of you. Commercial losses put |
ut one star. slanderous abuse puts out an
ther star domestic bereavement has mt ont /