Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-08-25
n " AS DEAD, YET LIVES
REV. on. TALMAGE,s SERMON ON AN
ONLY SON.

REV. Or. TAlMAGE's SERMON ON AN
ONLY SON.
Christ the Man and Christ the God The
Master of Life and Death--Thc Wonders
OF the Rcsurrection-c Christ In Season of
Sorrow.
BROOKLYN, Aug. I9.-Rev. DIR. Tai
image, Who is now in Australia ON his
round the world tour, has selected as
The subject for today's sermon through
the press An Only Son. : the text chosen
being Luke vii, 1915. Now, when he
came nigh to the gate of the city, behold
There was dead man carried out. the
lbnly son of his mother, and she was a
widow, and much people Of the city
Twas with her. And when the Lord saw
her he had compassion on her and said
llnto her, Weep not, and he came and
touched the bier, and they that bore
him stood STILL And he said, Young
Imam, say unto thee arisel And he
Ithatwas dead sat up and began to speak,
land he delivered him to his mother -
i Theetext calls US to stand at the gate
lof the city of Main. The streets are
Ia-rush with business and gayety, and
1.-The ear is deafened with the hammers
lof mechanism and the wheels Of traffic.
Work, with its thousand arms and
Thousand eyes and thousand feet, fills
Iall the street, when suddenly the crowd
lparts, and a funeral passes Between
lthe wheels of work and pleasure there
comes long procession Of mourning
people. Who is it? A trifier says: "Oh,
tits nothing but funeral. 1t may have
come up from the hospital of the city,
Tor the almshouse, or some low place of
1.-THE town" but not so, says the serious
observer.
There are so many evidences of dire
bereavement that we know at the first
lglance some one has been taken away
greatly beloved, and to cur inquiry,
ltWho is this that is carried out with so
many Offices of kindness and Affection"
THE reply comes, 1.-The only son of his
Imother, and she widow. Stand back
and let the procession pass outl Hush
lall the voices of mirth and pleasurel
Let every head be uncovered Weep
with this passing procession and let it
lbe told through all the market places
and bazaars of Main that i'll Galilee today
the sepulcher hath gathered to itself
1.-THE only son Of his mother, and She
widow. "
There arc two or three things that, i'll
my mind, give especial patbos to this
scene. The first is, he was young man
that was being carried out, 70 the aged
death becomes beautiful The old man
Ihalts and pants along the road, where
once he bounded like the roe. From the
midst of unavoidable ailments and sor-
Rows he cries out, How long, Lord,
how long?' Footsore and hardly be-
stead on the hot journey, he wants to
Iget home He sits in the church and
sings, with a tremulous voice, some
tune he sang 40 years ago and longs to
Join the better assemblage of the one
hundred and forty and four thousand
who have passed the food. How sweet
lly he sleeps the last sleepl Push back
the white locks from. the wrinkled TEN.
lpies. They will never ache again. Fold
Ithe hands over thestill heart They Will
never toll again Close gently the eyes.
Ihey VIII never weep again
But this man that am speaking of
was q young man. lie was Just putting
on the armof OF lie, and he was exult'
ing 70 think BOW his sturdy blows
would ring out above the clangor OF the
battle suppose he had young man s
hopes, young man ambitions and
young man courage. He SAID: 1t
i've many years viii feed the hungry
anu clothe the naked. In TINS city OF
Nam, where there are so many bad
young men, wll be sober and honest
and pure and magnanimous, and my
mother shall never be ashamed Ct me-
But all these prospects are blasted III
one hour There he passes lifeless i'll the
procession. Behold all that Is left on
earth of the high hearted young man of
the city OF Main.
There Is another thing that adds very
much to this scene, and that is no was
an only son. However large the family
mock may he, we never could think OF
sparlng one OF the lambs. Though they
may all have their faults, they all have
their excellencies that commend them
to the parental heart, and if it were
,peremptorily demanded of you today
that you should yield up one of your
children out of a very large family you
would be confounded, and you could
not make selection. But this was an
only son, around whom gathered all the
parental expectations. How much care
IN his educationl How much caution in
watching his habitsl He would carry
down the name to other times He
would have entire control of the family
property long after. the parents had gone
to their last reward He would stand in
society a thinker, worker, philan'
thropist, Christian. No, no. 1t is all
ended Behold him there. Breath is
gone. Llfe is extinct. The only son OF
4, a., ;,