Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-07-31

REE DR. TALAlGE'S SERMON YESIER-
DAY.
A Touching and Eloquent Discourse By The
Brooklyn Divins-Ths Story Of
Jsph.hahs Daughter.

AohuOlNllnNs ~ u - 81 ulI ous- NV IL
Talmage, who is now on his vacation
tour IN toe West, has chosen for topic
this morning. "Children's Rights" the
text being Judges q SO, MY Father, II
Thou hast opened Thy mouth unto the
Lord, do 70 me according TO that which
hath proceeded out OF Thy mouth.
JeDhthah was freebooter. Early
turned out from a home where be ought
10 have been cared for he cOhsorted
with rough men, and went forth TO earn
his living as best he could. In those
times 10 was considered right for men 70
90 out on independent military eXpedi-
lions. Jephthah was q good man accord
ing 20 the light OF his dark age, but
through a wandering and a predatory
life be became reckless and precipitate.
The grace OF God changes a mans
heart. but never reverses his natural
temperament.
The lsraeiites wanted the AmmoniteS
driven out OF their country, so they
sent delegation 70 Jephthah, asking
him TO become cOmmander-ln-chief oil
an the forces. He might have said,
'sYou 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 messengers 90 the Ammonites 70
tell them 20 vacate the country, ana
getting no favorable response, marshals
his troops for battle.
BEFORE GOING OUT TO THE WAR
Jephthah makes very solemn Vo"
that II the Lord will give him the vic
tory. then. on his return home, whatso-
ever comes first out OF his doorway be
will offer in sacrifice as a burnt Offering
The hattie Ouens. 10 was no skirmisn-
inc on the borders OF danger, no I'M
Umberipg OF batteries two miles away,
INIT the hurting Of men on the points OF
swords and spears until the ground
could no more drink the blood, and the
horses reared 70 leap over the pile or
bodies of the slain. In those old times,
opposing forces would fight until their
swords we're broken. and then each one
wouldthrottle his man until they both
fell, teeth 70 teeth, grip 20 grip, death
stare TO death-stare, until the plain was
one tumbled mass or cOrpses from which
the last trace Of manhood had been
dashed Out.
Jephthah wins the day. Twenty
cities lay captured at his feet. Sound
the victory all through the mountains
Of Gllead. Let the trumpeterS call up
thr survivors. HOmeWard 70 your
wives and children. HOmeward with
your glittering treasures. HOmeWard
20 have the applause Of an admirlng
nation. Build triumphal arches. Swing
ont flags all over Mizpeh. Open all
your doors TO receive the captured
treasures. Through every hall spread
the banquet. Pile up the yiands. FIJI
high the taEkardS. The nation Is re-
deemed, the invaders are routed, and
the national honor Is yindicated.
Huzza for Jephthah, the cOnQueror.
JeDhthah, seated on prancing steed,
advances amid acclaiming multitudes,
but his eye is not on the excited pOpu-
lace. Remembering that he had made
a solemn vow that, returning from vic
tCrious battle, whatsJeEer hrst came
-out OF the dq0rys1-s Of ms home, that
sbOuLa.1e sacAuced as a burnt-Ofering,
he.N ,isEtnxious look upon the door.
er what sp0tless lamb, what
e Of doves will be thrown upon the
Ares Of
THE BURNT OFFERING.
Oh horrors! PaleueSs of death blanches
his cheeks Despair seiZes his heart
His daughter, his only child, rushes out
the doorway 20 throw herself In her
fathers arms and shower upon him
more kisses than there were wounds on
his breast or dents on his shield. All
tie triumphal splendOr vanishes. Hold
ing back this child from his heaving
breast, and gushing the locks back
from the fair brow, and looking into
the eyesOf ineXtinguishable affection,
Mt6 chOked utterance he says: "WOuld
4od / lay stark on the bloody plain.
My daughter, my old child, Joy Of my
home, life Of my life, thou art the sac
rifcew
The whole matter was explained to
her. This was no whining, hollow
hearted girl into whose eyes the father
looked. AN the glory Of sword and
shield vanished in the presence Of the
valor of that girl There may have
been a tremor Of the lip as a rOse-leaf
trembles In the sough Of the south
wind; there may have been the starting
OF tear like rain-drOp shook from
the anther Of water-lily; but with
self-sacrilce that man may not reach,
aud only WOman's heart can compass
she surrenderS herself 20 fire ana 20
death. She cries out ia the words Of
my text, "My father, IL thou hast open
eD thy mouth unto the Lord, do unto
me whatsoever hath proceeded from
my mouth.
She bows TO the knife, and the blood,
which so often at the fathers voice had
l. I'll line al 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 MizDah twisted for Jephthah, the
warrior, had gone into the dust; but all
ages are twisting this girls chaplet. 1t
IS we'll that her name came not 20 US, /
FOR 10 one can wear it. They may take /
the name Of Deborah, or Abigail, OF /
Miriam, but 20 one 10 all the ages can |
have the title Of
THIS DAUGHTER OF SACRIFICE.
OF course this Offering was not pleas |
ing % the Lord; but before you hurl !
your Recommendations at Jephthah' cruelty /
remember that 10 Olden times, when F.
vows were made, men thought they /
must execute them, perform them, /
whether they were wicked or good. /
There were two wrong things about /
JeDhthah's vow. First, he ought never \
% havs made TO- Next, having made /
tt, 70 were better broken than kept. /
sut do not take OF pretenti0us airs and 4
ny: 81 could not have done as Jeuhthah
A." III to-day you were standing on
banks OF the Ganges and you had \
u born In India, you might have been
wing your children to the crocO-
It Is not because we are natnr-