The Forrest City times., 1891-07-24
sTHE VACANT CHAIR"
DR. TALMAGE BREACHES IN
 LAKESIDE. OHIO.
Multitudcs Gather to Hear His Thrilling Sermon Taken from the Text-ThOu Shalt Be Missed Be. cause Thy Seat will Do Empty.

Hext-TnOu Snat hs0 misseu Hse,
 cause Thy Seat will Do Empty.
 LAKESIDE, O., July 19th.--For many years peoplc have gathered in multi tudes at this season of the year for a great outdoor Assembly. The grounds are a short sail from Sandusky The place is beautiful beyond description. Dr. Talmage prea ched this morning in this delightful place to a vast multitude His subject was the Vacant Caair," and his text, 1 Samuel 20, IS: ''rhou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty"
 Set on the table the cutlery and the chased silver-ware of the palace, for King Saul will give state dinner to- day. A distinguished place is kept at the table for his son-in law, a cele- brated warrior, David by name. The guests, jeweled and plumed, come in and take their places. When people are invited to kings banquet, they covers are lifted from the feast, Saul looks around and finds vacant seat at the table. He says within himself, per haps audibly, "What does this mean? Where is my son-in-law? Where is David, the great warrior? I invited him. I expected him. What! vacant chair at the Kings banquet?" The fact was that David, the warrior, had been seated for the last time at his father m 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. Ills seat was empty That one vacant chair spoke louder than all the occupied chairs at the ban quet.
 But your fathers chair was 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 vacant now for some time. The furniture dealer would not give you fifty cents for it, but it is throne of influence in your domestic circle. I saw in the French palace, and in the throne room, the chair that Napoleon used to oc- cupy It was beautiful chair, bat the most significant part of itwas the letter "N' embroidered into the back of the chair in purple and gold. And your fathers old chair sits in the throne room of your heart, and your affections have embroidered into the back of that chair in purple and gold the letter ''F." Have all the pray CTS of that old chair been answered.? Have all the counsels of that old chair been practiced? Speak out! old arm chair. History tells us of an old man whose three sons were victors in the Olympic games, and when they came back, these three sons, with their garlands, put them on the fathers brow, and the old man was so rejoiced at the victories of his three children that he fell dead in their arms. And are you, oh man, going to bring wreath of joy and Christian usefulness and put it on your fathers brow, or the vacant chair, or on the memory of the one departed? Speak out! old armchair. With refer ence to your father the words of my text have been fulfilled 'Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty"
 go little further on in your house, and find the mothers chair. It is very apt to be rocking g-chair. She had so many cares and troubles to soothe that it must have rockers. I remember it well. It was an old chair, and the rockers were almost worn out, for I was the youngest, and the chair had rocked the whole family. It made creaking noise as it moved; but there was music in the sound That old chair has stopped rocking for a good many years. It may be set up in the loft or the garret, but it holds queenly power yet When at midnight you went into that grogshop to get the intoxicating draught, did you not hear voice that said My son, why go in there?" And louder than the bolster ous encore of the place of sinful amuse- ment, voice saying, My son, what do you do here?" And when Y u went into the house of aban- donment, voice saying, s'What would here?" And you were provoked with yourself, and you charged yourself with superstition and fanaticism and your head got hot with your own thoughts, and you went home and you went to bed, and no sooner had you touched the bed than voice said:
  what is the matter? This: You are too near your mothers rocking-c g-chair.
 ''Oh, pshaw,' you say. "There's nothing in that; I'm five hundred miles off from where vas born I'm three thousand miles of from the church whose bell was the first music ever heard" Icannot help tpat; you are too near your mother $ rocbing-chair "Oh," you say, ''there can't be any thing in that; that chair has been va cant great while." cannot help that; it is all the mightier for that; it is omnipotent. that vacant mot ler's chair. It whispers; it speaks; 1t weeps; it carols; it prays; it thunders. A young man went off, and broke his mothers heart, and while he was away from home his mother died, and the telegraph brought the son, and he came into the room where she lay and looked upon her face, and he cried out: ''Oh, mother! mother! what your life could not do your death shall effect. This moment give my heart to God And he kept his promise, Another victory for vacant chair. With reference to your mother, the words of my text were fulfilled: ''Thou shalt be missed, because they seat will be empty"
 I go on little further, and I come to tho invalid's chair. What! How long have you been sick? 70! I have been sick ten, twenty, thirty years" Is it possible? What story of endur- ance. There are in many of the fami- lies of my congregation these invalid chairs. The occupants of them think they are doing no good in the world; but that invalid's chair is the mighty nulnit from which they have