The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-04-05
TALMAGES SERMON.
A Discourse on Songs and the Time
and Place to Sing Them.
The Heavenly Choir and Everlasting
sons-Jesus and His Love Per-
betual Theme-stNot Unto Us,
But Unto Thy Namep'

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, in a recent
sermon ut the Brooklyn Tabernacle, took
as his subject "a Song Concerning My
Believe D." his text being:
Now will sing to my wel1-beloved a song OF
my beloved.-TI saiah, s, /.
DR.. Talmage said:
The most fascinating them me for a heart
properly attuned is the Saviour. Thers is
something in the morning light to sug.
gest Him, and something in the evening
shadow to speak His praise. The flower
brea thes Him, the star shines Him, the
cascade proclams Him, all the voices of
nature chant Him. Whatever is grand,
bright and beautiful, if you will only
listen to it, will speak His praise. When
] come in the summer time and pluck a
flower l think of Him who is ''the rose of
Sharon and the lily of the valley" When
] see in the fields lamb l say:
Behold the Lamb OF GOD, that taketh away
the sin OF the world.
When, in very hot weather, I come
under projecting cliff I say:
Rock OF ages, cleft for me, .--.E
Let me hide myself in thee.
Over the old-fashioned pulpit there was
a sounding board. The voice of the min.
lister rose to the sounding-board,a and then
was struck back again upon the ears of
the people. And so the ten thousand
VOTES of earth, rising up, find the heavens
sounding board which strikes back to
the ear of all the nations the praises of
Christ. The heavens tell His story, and
the earth shows His handiwork. The
Bible thrills with one great story of re.
demption. Upon a blasted and faded
paradise it poured the light of glorious
restoration. 1t looked upon Abraham
from the ram caught in the thicket. 1t
spoke in the bleating of the herds driven
down to Jerusalm for sacrifice. 1t put
infinite pathos into the speech of uncouth
fishermen. 1t lifted Paul into the seventh
Heaven, and broke upon the ear of ST.
j ohm with the brazen trumpets and the
doxology of the elders, and the rushing
wings of the seraphm.
Instead of waiting until you get sick
and worn out before you speak the praise
of Christ, while your heart is happiest,
and your step is Hghtest, and your fort.
unes smile, and your pathway blossoms,
and the over-arching heavens drop upon
you their benedictions, speak the praises
of Jesus.
The old Greek orators, when they saw
their audiences inattentive and slumber
ing, had one word with which they would
rouse them up to the greatest enthusiasm.
In the midst of their grafton they would
stop and cry out 'Marathon!" and the
peoples enthusiasm Won Id be unbounded.
My hearers, though you may not have
been borne down with sin, and though
trouble and trials and temptation may
have come upon you, and you feel hardly
like looking up, methinks there is one
grand, royal, imperial word that ought
to rouse your soul to infinite rejoicing,
ind that word is "Jesusl"
Taking the suggestion Of the text, l
shall speak to you of Christ, our song. ]
romnrk, in the first place, that Christ
ought to be the cradle song. What our
mothers sang to us when they put us to
sloop is singing yet. We may have for.
cotton the words, but they went into the
fibor of our soul, and will forever be a
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 every whittier. One hundred and
fifty years after you are dead, and "Old
Mortality" has worn out his chisel in re.
cutting your name son the 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 il
you distinctly utter your voice there come
back ten or fifteen distinct echoes, and
every Christian song sung by mother in
the ear of her child shall have ten thou
sand echoes coming back from all the
gates of Heaven. Oh, il mothers only knew
the power of this sacred spell, how much
oftener 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. 1t will not do to
Keep your little boys and girls in the
house and make them house plants; they
must have fresh air and recreation. God
save your children from tho scathing,
blasting, damnlng influence of the
streets l know of no counteractng in
fuence hut the power of Christian cult.
ure and example. Hold before your lit
tie ones the pure life of Jesus; let that
name be the word that shall exercise evil
from their hearts. Give to your instruc-
tion all the fascination of music, morning
noon and night; let it be Jesus, the era
die song. This is important If your chill
dren 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,
and the youthful pulse will begin to
fiutter, 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 world win be empty. and your
soul will be empty. No little feet stand
ing on the stairs. No toys scattered on
the carpet. No quick following from room
to room. No strange and wondering
questions. No upturned face, with laug b
ing blue eyes, come for kiss; but only a
grave, and a wreath Of white blossoms
on the top of it. and bitter desolation, and
assigning at nightfall with no one to put
to bed, and wet pillow, and gra We
and wreath of white blossoms on the
top Of 1t. The Heavenly Shepherd will
take that lamb safely anyhow, whether
you have been faithful or unfaithful; but
would it not have been pieasanter if you
could have heard from those lips the
praises of Christ? never read any thing
more beautiful than this about @ child's
departure. The account said: " She folded