Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-08-11
REV. DR.. TAlMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIyINE'S Sun.
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT: CHrLDRES's RIGHTS"

putnam W ~ u lfrtb0OtPF. EaFlY tuTnnf
out from a home where he ought 10 hav,
been cared for, he consorted with rough mel
and went forth to earn his living AS best h,
could. In those times it was considerci
rght Tor man To go ont on independent
military expeditions. Jephthah was a 200,
man according to the light OF his dark ags
but through wandering and predatory lit
he became reckless and preripitate Tn,
grace OF God changes a mans heart, bu
never reyerses his natural temperament.
The lsraelites wanted the Ammonites
driven out OF their country. so they sent
delegation to Jephthah. asking him to be-
come commander-in-chief OF all the forces
He might have said, 'You drove me ou
when you had no use for me, and now yot
are In trouble you want me back, " but he did
not say that. He takes command Of IN,
army, sends messengers 10 the Ammontes tc
tell them to vacate the country. and gettins
no favorable response marshals his troops
for battle
Before going out to the war Jephthah
makes a very solemn VOW that II the Lord
will give him the victory then on his return
home whatsoever first comes out Of his door
way he will offer in sacrifice as a burnt Of
fering. The battle opens. II was no skir.
mishing on the edges OF danger. no unlim.
bering OF batteries two miles away, but the
hurting ol men on the points OF swords and
spears until the ground could no more drink
the blood and the horses reared 10 leap over
the piles OF bodies OF the slain. In those
old times opposing forces would fight until
their swords We're broken and then each on,
would throttle his man until they both fell
teeth to teeth, grip to grip. death stare 10
death stare. until the plain was one tumbled
mass OF corpses from which the last trace o.
manhood had been dashed out
Jephthah wins the DAY. Twelve cities lay
captured ut his feet. Sound the victory al
through the mountains OF Gisead. Let the
trumpeters call up the survivors, Home
ward 10 YOUR wives and children Home
wari with your clitteHnS treasures. Home.
ward to have the applause OF an admirine
Nation. Build triumphal arches Swing out
flags all over Mizpeh. Open all your doors
to receive the captured treasures. Through
every hall spread the banquet. Pile up the
viands. Fill high the tankaris The Nation
Is redeemed, the invaders are routed, and the
National honor Is vindicated.
HuIZa for Jephthah, the conqueror Jeph-
thah. seated on a prancing steed. advances
amid acclalming muitituies. but his eye Is
| not on the excited populace. Remembering
that he had made solemn VOW that. return
Ing from victorious battle. whatsoever irst
' came out OF the doorway of his home. that
| should he sacrifice as burnt Offering. he
| has his anxious look upon the door. | won
| der what spotless lamb. what brace OF doves,
| will be thrown upon the fires OF the burnt
| offering. Oh, horrors Paleness OF death
| blAnches his cheek. Despair seizes his
| heart His aughter, his only child, rushes
| out the doorway TO 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 the triumphal
| splendor vanishes. Holding back his child
| from his heaving breast and pushing the
! locks back from the fair brow and looking
| into the eyes OF inextinguishaLle affection,
with chokei utterance he says Would
God | lay stark on the bloody plain. My
daughter, my only child. Joy Of my home,
| life OF my life. thou art the sacrifice ~
| The whole matter was explained to her
| This was no whining, hollow hearted girl
into whose eyes the father looked. All the
| glory Of sword and shield vanished in the
| presence Of the yalor Of that girl There
may hay" been a tremor OF the lip A. a rose
| lealtremnlrs in the sOuSh OF the south wind,
/ there may have been the starting of a tear
Ike a ralnirop shook from the anther OF a
water lily. but with self sacrifice that man
may not reach aud only woman's heart can
| compass she surren ters herself to fire and 10
death. She cries out In the words OF my
text. MY father, II thou hast opeued thy
mouth unto the Lord, do unto me whatso-
ever hath proceeded from thy mouth
She bows to the knife, and the blood which
So often at the fathers voice had rushed 10
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 garlanis that Mzpeh twisted for
Jephthah, the warrior, had gene into the
dust but all ages are twisting the girls
chaplet II is well that her name came not
to Us. for no one can wear IL. They may
| ta.lg. h.. ~ n.AlA nr
Miriam, hut no one in all the ages can have
the title Of this daughter Of sacrifice.
or course this Offering WAS not pleasing &c
the Lord but before you hurl your denuncia.
tions at Jephthah's cruelty, remember thai
In olien times when VOWS were made, men
thought they must execute them, perform
shem, whether they were wicked or good.
There were two wrong things about Jeph'
lhah's vow. First, he ought never to have
made it. Next. having made II, II were better
broken than kept. But do not take on pre-
tentious airs and say, II could not have done
as Jephthah did" II fto-dayyou were stand
ing on the banks OF the Ganges and you had
been horn In India. you might hnve been
throwing your children to the crocodiles. II
is not because we are naturally any better
but because we have more gospel light.
Now, make very practical use OF tht
question when l tell you that the sacrifice o
Jephthahs daughter was type OF the physi
cal mental and spiritual sacrifice OF 0,00t
children in this day. There are parents al
unwittingly bringing to bear upon their chill
dren class OF influences which will as Ger
tainly ruin them as knife and torch destroye,
Japhthah's daughter. While | speak, tn
whole Nation without emotion and withou
shame looks upon the stupendous sacrifice
In the lrst place, l remark that much o
the system OF education in our day Is sys
TEN OF sacritice. When children spend si'
or seven hours a day In school, and theI
must spend two or three hours In prepara
tion for school the next day, will you tell m
how much time they will have for SUNSHINE
md fresh air and the obtaining Of that exu
berance which Is necessary for the duties @
coming ltfe2
No one can feel more thankful than | d
for the advancement OF common school edu
cation. The printing OF books appropriat
for schools. the multiplication Of philosoph
ical apparatus, the establishment OF norms
schools, which providefor our children teach
ers OF largest caliber, are themes on whic
every philanthropist ought to be congratuat
ed But this herding OF great multitudes {
children in III ventilated school-rooms an
p0orly equipped halls OF instruction Is max
Ing many OF the places OF knowledge in thi
country huge holocausts.
Politics In many OF the cities gets into et
ucational affairs, and while the two politic'
parties are scrabbling for the honors Jepl
thah's daughter perishes. 1t is so much 1
hat there are many schools in the country Z
day which are preparing tens OF Thousand
of Invalid men and women for the future, q
that in many places by the the time th
childs education is finished the child Is FL
ished In many places, in many cities 9th
country, there are large appropriations 70
eysrything else and cheerful appropriation!
but as soon as the appropriation is to !
made for the educational or moral interest {
the city we are struck through with an ecoI
omy that Is well nigh the death OF Us.
In connection with this | mention what
might call the cramming system of the CON
mon schools and many OF the academies
children OF delicate brain compelled to task
that might appall mature intellect, chi
dren going down to school with a strap {
! books half ga high as themselves. The fas