Milford chronicle., 1892-12-09
RIZPAH ON THE ROC1
DR.. TALMAeE ON THE DEEP TRAGEDY
OF THE SONS OF SAUL.

OF The SONS Or SAOI'
The Crime OF saul Destroyed His Pos
terlty as wen as HimseIf-The Agonies
Of Bereaved DIothers-The Heroines Of
History.
BROOKLYN, Dec. 4.-This is one Of those
discourses Of DR.. Talmage delivered from
texts which no one seems to have used De-
fore. Important and practical lessons were
drawn. The opening hymn, IN which many
thousands joined, was;
Come, ye disconsolate, where'er ye languish.
The subject Of the sermon was 'Rizpah
on the Rock, the text selected belnE II
Samuel xxi, 10, "And Rizpah, the daugn-
ter Of Allah, took sackcloth and spread IL
for her upon the rock, from the beginning
of harvest until water dropped upon them
ont Of heaven, and suffered neitherthe birds
Of the air to rest on them by day nor the
beasts Of the field by night"
Tragedy that beats anything shake
snearean or Victor Hugoian. After return
inc from the Holy Land l briefly touched
upon it. but must have whole sermon
| for that scene. The explosion and flash OF
punpowder have driven nearly all the
| beasts and birds of prey from those regions,
and now the shrek Of the locomotive whls-
| lie which IS daily heard at Jerusalem Will
for many miles around clear Palestine OF
! crre1 claw and beak. But in the time oi
the text those regions were pOpulous Wltn
multitudes of jackals and lions seven
sons of Saul had been crucifed on NIL
| Riznah was mother to two and relative &c
| Ave Of the BOYS. What had these boys done
that tbey should be crucitieda Nothing
| evcent TO have a bad father and grand
father But now that the boys were dead
Il vbv not take them down from the glo
bets9 No. They are sentenced to hans
So Rizpah takes the sackcloth, rougi
shawl with which in mourning Tor ne
dead she had wrapped herself, and spread
tbat sackeloth upon the rocks near tn.
gibbets. and acts the part Of sentinel
Catching and defending the dead. 1e
every other sentinel is relieved, and atte
baing ON guard for a few hours some on
aIse faI,es his place. But Rizpah is ol
sr,ard both day and night for half a year
ono hundred aud eighty days and night
of obseouies. What nerves she must hav
had to stand thatl All, do you not know
that a mother can stand anythlngf
THE MOTHERS vIGUs.
Oh. if she might be allowed 20 hoiloW
nlace in the side of the hill and lay IN
bodies Of her children to quiet restl II !
some cavern of the mountains she mlgn
!. find for them Christian sepulturel On
= she might take them from the gihneO
d disgrace and carry them still farther ava
from the haunts of men, and Jhen ne o
, side them in the last long sleepl ENhaus
% al nature ever and anon falls into oslumbe
Ar,T.., T,vsao olra "a
. cbides herself as though she had bee
- or,,oI and leans M on the rock, shOutin
I AT wild beast glaring from the thlckeu an
| ~ ,,,,Itnrons brood wheeling in the SIX
/ Tho thrilling story of Rizpah reach
/ Oavid. and he comes forth to hide the
] 5ecencv. The corpses had been chained
: the trees. The chains are unlocked WI
ia bcrrid clank, and the skeletons are ]
r down All the seven are buried, and q
S mt IL hardly ends before you cry on
What hard thing that those seven DO
.. sbonld suffer for the crimes OF a tath
and grandfatherl Yes. But it is alwa
J so ct every one who does wrong knc
that he wars not only, as IN TINS cas-
AGAINST two generations, children al
\ ,rondcbildren, but against all the genei
tions of coming time. That Is what max
destination and uncleanness so awiul.
a rayarberates in other times. 1t may sb
= nna generation, but it is apt to come up
, the third generation, as is suggested III :
Zen Commandments, which say, " Elsitl
the iDiouities of the fathers upon the cl
mt - ,,,lt, the third and fourth generation
j. Mind YOU, it says nothing about the $
- ord generation, but mentions the third a
II the fourth. That accounts for what
sometimes see-very good parents with W
nod children. Go far enough back IN
us ancestral line and you find the source
ali tha turpitude. Visiting the imqult
- If the fathers upon the children unto
third and fourth generation" II WI
SorI died the consequences Of his lnlqu
conId have died with him it would
have been SO bad. Alas, mol LOOK on q
hin few miles out from Jerusalem
sae the chastity burdens Of those seven
ur betsnnd the wan and wasted Rizpah wal
NJ ing them. ,.ss and ali
0N bouses and the reformatory lhsUituOi
where unfortunate children are KepO
Won will find that nine out OF zen
Ss drunken or vicious parents. 1ea' u"S
dav on the streets Of our cities you
let men and women wrecked OF evll p4reh''
ON Tbev are moral cOrpses. Like Ihs 20
sons of Saul, though dead, unDurleu;
IL FOR Rizpah, who not for SIX mouths mouths
for for wears and years, has watche1 Vneln!
me cannot keep the yultnres anu Uue >
,rd ais off. .a ;,.i5ant
by pibIa story shows that attractivenes
person and elevation OF posltion are
security against trouble
r.
ois this Rizpah sitting in desolat
O-ae SanI,s favorites Her persona
t-ac+ions had won his heart. She had
oa-essed of fortune. With moti
Dride she looked on her princely ehiiu
Ent the scene changes. Behold ne
ID "a honisbmept and bereavement-hlzpa
.. ~ the rOckl ,.., hove ,
'O0N 70 scenes of royalty and wealth.
zen 1,orter at the mansions gate mas no
T. obarnping and lathered steea prln
Vii dispatch? On what tesseilatee
EPs.; 6as tbere not stood the solemn blerf
Nj der what exquisite fresco has tneis
y II been enacted tragedy Of Disaster
4 al o,,rtained couch hath heard no cry Oh
y III yVbat harp hath never trilled Win soI
trt.t lor6lv nature hath never i
a,,ainst carved pillar and made u0Vel
NJ ,roeP Gall is not less blttef
ouaffed from golden challee Vean
taken from a pewter mug 80, ~
60 attended by running footmen
I.d ls,tnvs mounted behind.
Anne Boleyn is desolate IN the Psi"
Henry VIII .a..,e,
the hypocrisy of friends. PEDRO q q
Pra1iiian diamonds shivered with /
Ioossaere. ,,sss, Stephen of England sat
rocking throne. And every mast OF
bas bsnt in the storm, and the d.
mountains of honor and fame are &C &C
with perpetual snow. Sickness VIII
tbe rosiest cheek, wrinkle the smo
brow and stiffen the sprighthest
Rizpah quits, the courtly circle ana
s1N the rock. .,,,,