The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1891-07-30
THE VACANT CHAIR.
Rev. T..DeWitt Talmage Discourses
at Lakeside, o.
The Vacant Chairs in the Household,
which Speak Louder than Others
Their Tender Associations and
tho Lessons They Teach.

visit to Lakeside, o., before a vast null
titude of people. His text was:
Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will
be empty.-sanuel Xxx. IS.
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, a celebrat-
ed warrior, David by name. The guests,
jeweled and plumed, come in and take
their places. When people are invited
to kings banquet, they were very apt
to go. But before the covers are lifted
from the feast, Saul looks and finds a
vacant seat at the table. He says with
in himself, perhaps audibly: "What
does this mean? Where is my son-in-
law? Where is David, the great
warrior. / invited him. l 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-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 predic-
ton 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
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
the Luxemburg. 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
1t. And that bcd-you remember who
slept in it. And that room-you re-
mem ber 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 va
cant chair at the table. Millions have
gazed and wept at John Quincy Adams
vacant chair in the house of represent
atives, and at Henry Wilson's vacant
chair in the vice presidency, and at
Henry Clay's vacant chair in the Amer
lean 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 rnimportant to you as compared
with the vacant chairs in your own
household. Have these chairs any les
son for us to learn? Are we any bet
ter men and women than when they
first addressed us?
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 al
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 proba-
bility Is it is an armchair, for he is not
SO strong as he once was, and he needs
little upholding. His hair is little
frosty, his gums little depressed, fol
in his early days there was not much
dentistry. Perhaps a cane chair and
old-fashioned apparel, for though
you may have suggested some improve
ment, father does not want any of your
nonsense. 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
abruptly addressed the son and said;
"My son, don't now try to show off be-
cause the minister is here" Your
father never liked any new customs OF
manners; he preferred the old way
of doing things, and he never looked
SO happy as when, with his eyes
closed, he sat i'll the armchair in the
corner. From the wrinkled brow to
the tip of the slippers, what placidity!
The wave of the past years of his life
broke at the foot of that chair. Per-
haps, sometimes he was a little i'm
patient, and sometimes he told the same
story twice; but over that old chair how
MANY blessed memories hover! i 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 il
he has been so unwise as to make over
all his property to his children, 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
poor house, and keep on crowd1ng 1t
until the old man fell out OF it into his
grave.
But your fathers chair was a sacred
place. The children used to climb up
on the rungs of it for goodnight kiss,
and the longer he stayed the better you
liked it. But that chair has been va
can't now for some time. The furniture
dealer would not give you fifty cents
for il. bat it is a throne Of influence in
in your domestic circle. ! saw in the
French palace, and in the throne room,
the chair that Napoleon used to occupy.
II was a 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 IA
theirs old chair sits in the throne room
of your heart, and you affections have
embroidered into the back of that chair
in purple and gold the letter "F. "
Have all the prayers of that old chair
been answered? Have all the counsels
~ that old chair been practiced? Speak