Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-07-24
REV. DR.. TALMAGH.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun
day Sermon.
Subject: "Thc Vacant Chair"

Set on the table the cutlery and the chased
silverware of the palace, for King Saul viii
give a state dinner to-day. distinguished
place is kept at the table for his son-in-law,
celebrated warrior, David by name. The
guests, jeweled and plume1, come in and
take their places When people are invited
to kings banquet they are very apt to 20.
But before the covers are lifted from the
feast Saul looks around and finds a vacant
seat at the table. He says within
himself, perhaps audibly, What does
this meany Where is my sOn-in-lawy
Where is David, the great war
riorg / invited him. l expected him. What
a vacant chair at the kings banquetr The
fact was that David, the warrior, had
been seated for the last time Mt his father
in-law's table. The day before Jonathan
place at the table, saying to David in the
words Of my text Thou shalt be missed,
because thy seat will be empty" The pre-
diction was fulfilled. David was missed.
His seat was empty. That one vacant chair
spoke louder than all the occupied chairs at
the banquet.
In almost every house the articles of fur
niture take a 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
INe IlCuNTt anu tile Luxembourg. lou re-
member who bought it, and vino admired
it. And that hymn book-you remem-
Ter 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 il. And that roon-you remember
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 great clatter 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's vacant chair in the house Of
representatives, aud at Wilson's vacant
chair in the vice-presidency. and at Henry
Clay's vacant chair in the American senate,
and at Prince Albert's vacant chair in Wind
sor castle, and at Theirs vacant chair in the
councils OF the French nation. But all these
chairs are unimportant 20 you as compared
with the vacant chairs in your own household.
Have these chairs any lesson for us to learn;
Are we any better men and women than
when they first addressedus,
First point out 10 you the fathers va
cant chair Old men always like to sit in
the same place and in the same chair
They somehow feel more at home, and some
times when you are in their place aud they
come into the room you jump up sud
denly and say. Here. father, here's your
chair" The probability is it is an arm
chair, for he is not so strong as he once
was, and he needs little upholding. His
bar is a little frosty, his gums a little de-
preset, for in his early days there was not
much dentistry. Perhaps cane chair and
old fashioned apparel, for though you may
have suggested some Improvement, father
does not want any Of your nonsense. Grand
father never had much admiration for new
tangled notions.
sat at the table of one OF my parishiOn
ers in former congregation; an aged man
was al the table and the son was presiding.
and the father somewhat abruptly addressed
the son and said, "My SOD, don't try now to
show Off because the minister is here"
Your father never liked any new customs
or manners. he preferred the old way OF
doing things. and he never looket SO
happy as when with his eyes closed, he sat
in the armchair in the corner. From
the wrnklel brow 10 the tip OF the slippers,
what placiiity. The wave OF the past years
Of bis life broke at the foot Of that chair.
Perhaps sometimes he was a little lmp1-
tient. and sometimes told the same story
twice: but over that old chair how many
blessed memories hover. / 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, especially 1t he mas been 50
unwise as 70 make over all his property TO
his children with the understanding thaJ
they are to take care OF Kim. have seen III
such cases children crowd the old mans
chair 10 the door, and then crowd 1t clear
into the street. and then crowd 1t into the
poor house and keep on crOwiins it until
the old man fell out of it into his grave.
But your fathers chair was sacred place.
The children used to climb up on the rungs
IF II for a good night kiss and the longer no
STAYED the better you liked it. But that
chair has been vacant now for some tlme'
The furniture dealer would not give you
fifty cents for it, but il is throne OF lnfu-
eEce in your domestic circle saw IN the
French palace. and in the throne room, the
chair that Napoleon used 10 occupy;
II was a beautiful chair, but the most
SIGNIFICANT part Of it was the letter
~ embroidered into the back Of the chair
in purple and gold. And your fathers OLD
chair sits in the throne room OF your hear1'
and your affections have embrolded INTO tne
hack of that old chair in purple and gold tne
letter ..Fn Have all tne prayers OF that
old chair been answered. Have all Ins
counsels Of that old chair been practceo!
Speak out OH armchair:
History tells us OF an old man whose tnres
sons acre 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 relOcel at the VIC
tories Of his three children that he fell deaf
in their arms. And are you,oh man. going TO
bringa wreath OF Joy and Christian usefulness
and put it on your fathers brow, or on the
vacant chair. or on the memory of the one
departedy Speak out. old armchair. with
reference 10 your father. the words OF my
text have been fulfilled. Thou shalt be
missed. because thy seat will be empty.
| 90 little further on in your house and
I find the mothers chair. II is very apt to
he rocking chair. She had so many
cares and troubles to soothe that 1t must
have lockers. / remember it well, 1t was
en- old chair. and the rockers were almost
worn out, for ! was the youngest, and the
ctair had rocked the whole family. IL
made a creakng noise as 1t moved, but
there was music in the sound. lt was just
high enough to allow us children 10 put our
heads into her lap. That was the bank
where we deposited all our hurts and wor-
ries. All what a chair that was. 1t was
different from the fathers chair; II was en-
tirely different. You ask me how? can
not tell: but we all felt it. was different
Perhaps there was about this chair more
gentleness more tenderness moro griet
when we had done wrong. When Wa were
hayward father scol1ei, hnt mother criei.
1t was very wakeful chair. In the
sick days of children other chairs
could not keep awake; that chair always
kept awake-llept easily awake. Tue char
knew all the old lullabie5 AMI all taos
wordless songs which mothers sing n their
sick children-songs in WIN ch all pity AMI
compassion and sympathetic influence are
combined
That old chair has stopped rocking for
gooi many years. 1t may be set up in the
loft or the garrett. but it holds queenIy
power yet. When at midnight you went
into that grog shop to get the intoxicating
draught, did you not hear voice that slld.
MY son, why 20 in there? Aud louder
than the boisterous encore OF TIE place OF
sinful amusement, a voice saying, Ny
son, what do you DO hereY And when
You went into the house of abandonment
voice saying, What would your mother
do if she knew you were hereY And you
were provoked with yourself, aud you
charged yourself with superstition and Ia