Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-08-03
CHILDREN'S RIGHTS.
DR.. TALMAGE ON A TOUR IN THE
WEST AND PREACHING AS HE GOES.

tions to Parents-Training In Childhood.
BROOKLYN, July 3O--Rev. Dr. Talmagc,
who is now on his vacation tour in the
west has chosen for a topic for this morn
hg, "Children's Rights" the text being
Judges XII, SO, my father if thou hast
lpened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me
According to that which hath proceeded out
If thy mouth"
Jephthah was a freebooter Early turned
but from home where he ought to have
been cared for, he consorted with rough
men and went forth to earn his living as
best he could. In those times it was CON
sidered right for n man to 90 out on indie
pendent military expeditions. Jephthah
was good man according 20 the light OF
his dark age, but through n wandering and
a predatory life he became reckless and
precipitate. The grace of God changes n
mans heart but never reverses his natural
temperament.
The Israelites wanted the Ammonites
driven out of their country, so they sent
delegation TO Jephthah, asking him TO be
,ome commander in chief of all the forces
tie might have said, You drove me out
when you had no use for me- and now yoil
ire in trouble you want me back" But he
lid not say that. He takes command Of
,he army, sends messengers to the AmmOn-
ses to tell them to vacate the country and
.etting no favorable response marshals his
roops for battle
A RASH MANS vow
Before going ont to the war .Jcphthah
makes n very solemn vow that if the Lord
will give him the victory then on his return
home whatsoever first comes out Of his
doorway he will offer in sacrifice as u
off la L
10 skirmishing on the edges of danger, no
Numbering of batteries two miles away,
but the hurting of men on the point Of
swords and spears until the ground could no
more drink the blood, and the horses reared
10 leap over the pile of bodies of the slain
In those old times opposing forces would
light until their swords were broken, and
then each one would throttle his man until
both fell, teeth to teeth, grip to grip, death
stare to death stare, until the plain was
one tumbled mass of corpses from which
the last trace of manhood had been dashed
)ut.
Jephthah wins the day. Twenty cities
ay captured at his feet Sound the victory
al through the mountains Of Gilead! Let
the trumpeters call up the survivors,
Homerard to your wives and childrenl
Homeward with your glittering treasures!
uomeward to have the applause Of an adj
hiring nation Build triumphal arches!
Swing out flags all over Mizpeh Open all
-FOUR doors to receive the captured treas
kresl Through every hall spread the ban
suet. Pile up the viands! Fill high the
tapkards The nation is redeemed, the in
raiders are routed, and the national honor
q vndicatedl
HIEza for Jephthah, the conquerorl
Jephthah, seated on prancing steed, adj
rances amid acclaiming multitudes, but
his eye IS not on the excited populace Re
membesing that he had made Il solemn
row that, returning from victorious battle.
whatsoever first came out Of the doorway
If hie home, that should he sacrificed rs a
burnt Offering, he has his anxious look
lpon the door. | wonder what spotless
Iamb what brace of doves will be thrown
upon the fires of the burnt Offering. Oh.
lorrorsl Paleness of death blanches his
check. Despair seizes his heart.
His daughter, his only child. rushes ont
:he doorway to throw herself in her fathers
arms and shower upon him more kisses
chan there We're wounds on his breast or
dents on his shield. All the triumphal
plendor vanishcs. Holding back this
child from his heaving breast and pushing
ng into the eyes of inextinguishable affec-
lion, with choked utterance, he saws:
Would God l lay stark on the bloody
plain! Ny daughter, my only child, Joy of
my home, life of my life, thou art the sac
rihce!'
4 BRAVE GIRL FATE.
The whole matter was explained to her.
This was no whining, hollow hearted Girl
hto whose eyes the father looked All the
glory of sword and shield vanished in the
presence of the valor of that girl There
nay have been tremor of the lip as Il rose
.eaf trembles in the sough Of the south
wind. There may have been the starting
Of a tear like a raindrop shook from the
inther of a water lily, but with a self sacri-
ice that man may not reach and only wom-
ms heart can compass she surrenders her
self to fire and to death. She cries out in
.he words of my text, My father, if thou
last opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do
lnto me whatsoever hath proceeded from
Thy mouth"
She bows to the knife and the blood,
which 50 often at the fathers voice had
rushed to the crimson cheek, smokes in
The fires Of the burnt Offering. No one can
tell US her name. There Is no need that
we know her name. The garlands that
Mizpeh twisted for Jephthah the warrior
nad gone into the dust, but all ages are
twisting this girls chaplet 1t is well that
ner name came not to us, for no one can
wear it. They may take the name of Deb
Drah or Abigail or Miriam, but no one in
all the ages can have the title of this daugh-
Ter Of sacrifice.
OF course this Offering was not pleasing to
the Lord, but before you hurl your denun-
,iations at Jephthah's cruelty remember
that in olden times when VOWS We're made
men thought That they must execute them,
perform them, whether they We're wicked
Or good. There We're two wrong things
about Jephthahs vow. First, he ought
never to have made it, Next having made
it, it were better broken than kept But
10 not take on pretentious airs and say, II
could not have done as Jephthah did" II
Today you were standing on the banks of
the Gauges, and you had been born in India,
rou might have been throwing your chill
tren to the crooodiles. 1t is not because we
Ire naturally any better, but because we
have more gospel light
Now, make very practical use Of this