The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-08-02
"CHILDREN'S RIGHTS" /"
The Subject of a Vacation Sermon
by Rev. DR.. Talmage.
Lessons Drawn from the Sacrifice of Jeph
thah's Daughter--The Various Ways
In Which Children are Sacrificed
In These Days by Parents
and Teachers.

hcVs Dr. lhlIudRc, WHO ID uOW Ou hio
vacation tour in the west, chose for the
topic of his last sermon "Children's
! Rights" the text being: Judges XII, SO
my father, if thou hast opened thy
mouth unto the Lord, do to me accord
ing to that which hath proceeded out
of thy mouth"
Jephthah was q freebooter. Early
turned out 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 considered right for a man
to go out on independent military ex'
peditions. Jephthah was good man
according to the light of his dark age,
but through wandering and preda-
tory life he became reckless and pre-
cipitate. The grace Of God changes
mans heart, but never reverses his
natural temperament.
The Israelites wanted the Ammonites
| driven out of their country, so they
sent a delegation to Jephthah, asking
him to become their commander-in-
chief of all the forces. He might have
said you drove me out when you had
no use for me, and now you are in
trouble you want me back;' but he did
not say that He takes command OF
the army, sends mess ssengers to the Am
monites to tell them to vacate the
country, and, getting no favorable re-
sponse, marshals his troops for battle.
Before going out to war, Jephthah
makes 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 burnt offering. The
battle opens, 1t was no skirmishing
on the edges of danger, no unlimber'
ing of batteries two miles away, but
the hurting of men on the point Of
sword and spears until the ground
could no more drink the blood, and
the horses reared to leap over the pile
Of bodies of the slain. In those old
times opposing forces would fight until
their swords were broken, and then
each one would throttle his man until
they 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 out
Jephthah wins the day. Twenty cit.
les lay captured at his feet. Sound the
victory all through the mountains ol
Gilead. Let the trumpeters call up the
survivors. Homeward to your wives
| II al unit
glittering treasures. Homeward tc
have the applause of an admiring ma
ton. Build triumphal arches. Swing
out flags all over Mizpeh. Open NJ
your doors to receive the captured
treasure. Through every hall spread
the banquet. Pile up the viands FIJI
high the tankards The nation is re
deemed, the invaders are routed, anC
the national honor is vinkicated.
EHuzza for Jephthah the conqueror
Jephthah, seated on prancing steed
advances amid acclaiming multitudes
but his eye is not on the excited popu
lace. Remembering that he had mad,
solemn VOW that, returni ng from vic
torious battle, whatsoever first cam
out Of the doorway OF his home, tina
) should be sacrificed as burnt offering
he has his anxious look upon the door
] wonder what spotless lamb, wha
: brace of doves will be thrown upon tn,
fires Of the burnt Offering. o horrors
Paleness of death blanches his cheek
Despair seizes his heart. His daughter
his only child, rushes out of the door
way TO throw herself in her father
arms and shower upon him more kisse
than there were wounds on his breas
or dents on his shield. All the trium
phal splendor vanishes. Holding bacl
: this child from his heaving breast, ant
pushing the locks back from the fai
brow, and looking into the eyes of in
extinguishable affection, with choket
utterance he says, Would God la!
stark on the bloody plain. My daugh
ter, my only child, joy of my home, lif'
Of my life, thou art the sacrifce!'
. The whole matter was explained u
her. This was no whining, hollow
hearted girl into whose eyes the fathei
looked All the glory of sword anC
shield vanished in the presence OF thu
valor OF that girl. There may hav,
been tremor of the lips as roselea
!, trembles in the sough of the soutl
: wind; there may have been the starting
G OF tear like raindrop shook from
!. the anther Of water-lily; but with I
!. self-sacrifice that man may not reach
and only woman's heart can compass
" she surrenders herself to fire and II
= death. She cries out in the words o
my text, "My father, il thou has
Z opened thy mouth unto the Lord, d.
; unto me whatsoever hath proceeded
: from thy mouth"
She bows TO the knife, and the blood
which so often at the fathers voic
J has rushed to the crimson cheek, smoke
in the fires Of the burnt-offering. N,
one can tell US her name. There Is n,
need that we know her name. TIL
garlands that Mizpeh twisted for Jeph
thah the warrior had gone into tn
dust; but all ages are twisting thi
girls chaplet. II Is we'll that he
name came not TO us, for no one cal
wear it. They make take the name o
Deborah, or Abigail, or Miriam, but n
one in all the ages can have the title o
this daughter Of sacrifice.
OF course this Offering was not pleas
ing 10 the Lord but before you hur
your denunciations at Jephthah's cruel
~ remember that In olden times, whei
vows were made, men thought the
must execute them, perform them
whether they were wicked or good
"a There were two wrong things abou
q Jephthah's vow. First he ought nsve