News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-07-23
THE TABERNACLE PULPIT.
DEPARTED VOICES CALL.

The Influence of Empty Chairs-Father's,
Mothers, Baby's: All Urge the Living
to Lead Better and NobIer Lives-A
Powerful Appeal.
LAKESIDE, o., July 19.-For many
years people have, gathered in multi
tudes at this season of the year for a
great outdoor assembly. The grounds
are short sail from Sandusky. The
place beautiful beyond description.
DR. Talmage preached this morning in
this delightful place to vast multi
tude. His subject was the Vacant
Chair" and his text, l Samuel Xxx, Is,
Thou shalt be missed, because thy
seat will be empty"
Set on the table the cutlery and the
chased silverware of the palace, for
King Saul will give a state dinner to-
day. A distinguished place is kept at
the table for his son-in-law, cele-
brated warrior, David by name. The
guests, jeweled and plumed, come in
and take their places. When people
are invited to a kings banquet they
are very apt to go. But before the
covers are lifted from the feast Saul
looks around and finds a vacant seat at
the table. He says within himself, per-
haps audibly, ''What does this mean2
Where is my son-in-law2 Where is
David, the great warrior9 l invited
him. 1 expected him. Whatl a vacant
chair at the kings banquet
The fact was that David, the warrior,
had been seated for the last time at his
father-in-law's table The day before
Jonathan had coaxed David to go and
occupy that place at the table, saying
to David in the words of my text,
Thou shalt be missed, because thy
seat will be empty" The prediction
was fulfilled David was missed. His
seat was empty. That one vacant chair
spoke louder than all the occupied
chairs at the banquet.
THE VACANT CHAIR.
In almost every house the articles of
furniture take living personality.
That picture-a stranger would not see
anything remarkable either in its design
or execution, but it is more to you than
all the pictures of the Louvre and the
Luxembourg. You remember who
bought it and who admired it. And
that hymn book-you remember who
sang out of it. And that cradle-you
remember who rocked it. And that
Bible-you remember who read out of
it. And that bed-you remember who
slept in it. And that room-you re-
member who died in it. But there is
nothing in all your house SO eloquent
and SO mighty voiced as the vacant
chair.
/ suppose that before Saul and his
guests got up from this banquet there
was a great chatter of wine pitchers,
but all that racket was drowned out by
the voice that came up from the vacant
chair at the table. Millions have gazed
and wept at John Quincy Adams
vacant chair in the house of represen-
tatives, and at Henry Wilson's vacant
chair in the vice presidency, and at
Henry Clay's vacant chair in the Ameri
can senate, and at Prince Albert's va
cant chair in Windsor castle, and at
Theirs vacant chair in the councils of
the French nation; but all these chairs
are unimportant TO you as compared
with the vacant chairs in your own
household. Have these chairs any les
sons for US to learn2 Are we any bet
ter men and women than when they
first addressed us2
First 1 point out to you the fathers
vacant chair Old men always like to
sit in the same place and in the same
chair. They somehow feel more at
home, and sometimes when you are in
their place and they come into the
room, you jump up suddenly and say,
Here, father, here's your chair" The
probability is. it is an armchair, for he
is not so strong as he once was, and he
needs little unfolding. His hair is a
little frosty, his gums little depressed,
for in his early days there was not much
dentistry. Perhaps a cane chair and
old fashioned apparel, for though you
may have suggested some improvement,
father does not want any of your non
sense. Grandfather never had much
admiration for new tangled notions.
sat at the table of one of my parish
toner's in a former congregation; an
aged man was at the table, and the son
was presiding, and the father some
what abruptly addressed the son and
said, MY son, don't now try to show
off because the minister is herel'
Your father never liked any new
customs or manners; he preferred the
old way of doing things, and he never
looked so happy as when with his eyes
closed he sat in the armchair in the
corner From the wrinkled brow to
the tip of the slippers, what placidityl
The wave of the past years of his life
broke at the foot of that chair Per
haps sometimes he was a little impa-
tient, and sometimes told the same
story twice; but over that old chair
how many blessed memories hoverl l
hope you did not crowd that old chair,
and that it did not get very much in
the way. Sometimes the old mans
chair gets very much in the way, espe
cialIy if he has been SO unwise as to
make over all his property to his chill
dren with the understanding that they
are to take care of him. have seen in
such cases children crowd the old mans
chair to the door, and then crowd it
clear into the street, and then crowd it
into the poorhouse, and keep on crowd
ing it until the old man fell out of it
into his grave.
SACRED PLACE.
But your fathers chair was a sacred |
place. The children used to climb up |
on the rungs of it for good night kiss. |
and the longer he stayed the better you
liked it. But that chair has been va
cant now for some time. The furniture |
dealer would not give you fifty cents for
it, but it is a throne of influence in your
domestic circle. l saw in the French
palace, and in the throne room, the
chair that Napoleon used to occupy. |
1t was beautiful chair, but the most
significant part of it was the letter IN"
embroidered into the back of the chair
in purple and gold. And your fathers
old chair sits in the throne Eoom of
your heart, and your affections have
embroidered into the back of the chair
in purple and gold the letter 'F."
Have all the prayers of that old chair
been answered. Have all the counsels
of that old chair been practiced2 Speak
out! old armchair.
History tells us of an old man whose
three sons were victors in the Olympic
games; and when they came back, these