The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-07-22
TALMAGE AT LAKESIDE.
The Eloquent Divine breaches at
the Assembly Grounds.
His Theme the Vacant Chair at the BAN
quet Given by King saul-The Va
cant Chairs of the Household and
Their Influence for Good.

discourse was as follows:
Set on the table the cutlery and the
chased silverware of the palace, for
King Saul will give state dinner to-
day. A distinguished place is kept at
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 a kings banquet, they are
very apt to go. But before the covers
are lifted from the feast, Saul looks
around and finds vacant seat at the
table. He says within himself, perhaps
audibly: "What does this mean? Where
is my son-in-law2 Where is David, the
great WARRIOR l invited him. ex-
pected him. What! vacant chair at
the kings banquetp' The fact was that
David, the warrior, had been seated for
the last time at his father. in-law's ta-
BILE. 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. The one
vacant chair spoke louder than all the
occupied chairs at the banquet
In almost every house the articles Of
furniture take a living personality.
That picture--a stranger would not see
anything remarkable either in its de-
sign or execution, but It is more to you
than all the pictures Of the Louvre and
Luxembourg, You remember who
bought II, 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 II. And that room-you remem-
Der who died in II. 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 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 weptat John Quincy Adams vacant
chair in the house Of representatives
and at Henry 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
Windsor castle, and at Theirs vacant
chair in the councils Of the French ma
tion; but all these chairs are unimpor-
tant toyou 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 addressed us2
First ] 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, 1t is an armchair, for he
Is not 30 strong as he once was, and he
needs little upholding His hair is a
little frosty, his gums little depressed,
for in 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 nom
sense. Grandfather never had much
admiration for new-fangled notions. /
sat at the table Of one Of my parishion-
ers in former congregation; an aged
man was at the table, and the son was
presiding, and the father somewhat alb
ruptly addressed the SON. and said:
my son, don't now try 10 show off be-
cause the minister Is herep 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 placidityi The wave Of
the past years Of his life broke ut the
foot OF that chair. Perhaps, sometimes
he was little impatient, and sometimes
told the same story twice; but over that
old chair how many blessed memories
hoverl / hope you did not crowd that
old chair, and that IL did not get very
much In the way. Sometimes an ole
mans chair gets very much in the way
especially II he has been so unwise al
TO make over all his property TO hi
children, with the understanding tha
they are to take care of him- have
seen In such cases children crowd III,
old mans chair to the door, and ther
crowd II clear into the street. and ther
crowd II into the poorhouse, and keeI
on erowding II until the old man fel
out Of II into his grave.
But your fathers chair was sacret
place. The children used 10 climb nj
on the rungs Of II for goodnight kiss
and the longer he stayed the better 20,
liked IL But that chair has been vacan'
now for some time The furniture deal
err would give you fifty cents for II, bu
II Is throne Of influence In your do
nestle circle. saw In the French pal
ace, and In the throne room, the ehaii
that Napoleon used to occupy. II wa
beautiful chair, but the most signifi
cant part OF II was the letter IN" EN-
broidered into the back OF the chair II
purple and gold And yorr fathers ole
chair sits In the throne room Of you
heart, and your affections have embroid
cred into the back Of that chair in pur
pie and gold the letter "F." Have al
the prayers of that old chair been an
swered? Have all the counsels Of tha'
old chair been practiced? Speak out