The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-08-04
DUTIES OF PARENTS.
DR.. TAlMAGE SETS FORTH THE DAM
GERS THREATENING THE YOUNG.

GERS THREATENING THE YOUNG.
The Sacrifice OF Jephthah's Daughter Was
but Type of Millions Of Child Sacrifices
by Unwise Training or Cruel Neglect by
Parents.
BROOKLYN, July 30,--Rev. DR., Tai
mage, who is now on his vacation tour
IN the west, has chosen for topic for
this morning, "Children's Rights" the
text being Judges XII SO, my father,
If thou hast opened thy mouth unto the
Lord, do to me according to that which
hath proceeded out of thy mouth"
Jephthah was 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 man
to go out on independent military expe-
ditions. Jephthah was good man ac-
cording to the light Of his dark age, but
through wandering and predatory
life he became reckless and precipitate.
The grace of God changes mans heart,
but never reverses his natural tempera-
ment.
THE WILD COMMANDER.
The Israelites wanted the Ammonites
driven out of their country, so they sent
delegation to Jephthah, asking him to
bacn,na co,nmon1ar ~, cb;aP nf oil tba
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 messengers
to the Ammonites to tell them to vacate
the country, and getting no favorable
response marshals his troops for battle.
Before going out to the war Jephthah
makes q 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 sacri-
fee as burnt offering. The battle
opens. 1t was no skirmishing on the
edges of danger, no Numbering of bat
teries 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 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. Twelve cities
lay captured at his feet. Sound the vic
tory all through the mountains of
Gilead. Let the trumpeters call up the
survivors. Homeward to your wives and
children. Homeward with your gilt
tering treasures Homeward to have
the applause of an admiring 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 tankards.
The nation is redeemed, the invaders
are routed, and the national honor is
INDICATED.
THE RETURN IN TRIUMPH.
Huzza for Jephthah, the conqueror
Jephthah, seated on a prancing steed
advances amid acclaiming multitudes
but his eye is not on the excited popu-
lace. Remembering that he had made 8
solemn vow that, returning from vic
torious battle, whatsoever first came out
Of the doorway of his home, that should
he sacrifice as a 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 Pale
ness of death blanches his cheek. De
spair seizes lis heart. His daughter, hi.
only child, rllshes out the doorway tt
throw herself in her fathers arms ant
shower upon him more kisses than there
were wounds on his breast or dents OF
his shield. All the triumphal splendol
vanishes. Holding back his child from
his heaving breast and pushing the lock-
back from the fair brow and looking in
to the eyes of inextinguishable affection
with choked utterance he says; "Woult
God I lay stark on the bloody plain. M,
daughter, my only child, joy of m.
home, life of my life, thou art the sacri
feel"
The whole matter was explained t,
her. This was no whining, hollow heart
| ed girl into whose eyes the father looked
All the glory of sword and shield van
ished in the presence of the yalor of tina
| girl. There may have been a tremor o
! the lip as rose leaf trembles in the sougl
of the south wind, there may have BEEF
the starting of tear like a raindro
shook from the anther of water lily
but with self sacrifice that man ma,
not reach and only woman's heart cal
compass she surrenders herself to fir
and to death. She cries out in the word
of my text, my father, if thou has
opened thy mouth unto the Lord, d
/ unto me whatsoever hath proceeded fror
thy mouth"
THE MAIDENS HERoIsM.
She bows to the knife, and the bloc
| which SO often at the fathers voice ha
rushed to the crimson cheek smokes i
the fires Of the burnt offering. No on
can tell us her name. There is no nee
that we know her name. The garland
that Mispeh twisted for Jephthah, tn
warrior, had gone into the dust, but a
ages are twisting this girls chaplet. ]
is well that her name came not to US, fo
no one can wear it. They may take tn
name of Deborah or Abigail or Miriam
but no one in all the ages can have tn
title of this daughter Of sacrifice.
Of course this offering was not plea
ing to the Lord; but before you hui
your denunciations at Jephthah's cruelt.
remember that in olden times, whe
vows were made, men thought they mui
execute them, perform them, whethe
they were wicked or good. There wei
two wrong things about Jephthah's WOW
First, he oaght never to have made /
Next, having made it, it were bettt
broken than kept. But do not take Q
r,etentious airs and say, II could ne
have done as Jephthah did," If toda
you were standing on the banks of til