Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-08-20
WAS DEAD, YET LIVES
REV. DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON ON AN
ONLY SON.

Christ the Man and Christ the God-The
Master of Life and Death-The Wonders
Sorrow.
BROOKLYN, Aug I9.-Rev. DR.. Tai
mage, VINO is now in Australia on his
round tho world tour, has selected as
the subject for today's sermon through
the press IAN Only Son, - the text chosen
being Luke vii, 1915: CHOW, when he
came nigh to the gate of the city, behold
there was a dead man carried out, the
only son of his mother, and she was a
widow, and much people of the city
was with her. And when the Lord saw
her he had compassion ON her and said
unto her, Weep not, and he came and
touched the bier, and they that bore
him stood still. And he said, Young
man, 1 say unto thee arise! And he
that was dead sat up and began to speak,
and he delivered him to his mother -
The text calls us to stand at the gate
of the city of Main. The streets are
a-rush with business and gayety, and
the ear is deafened with the hammers
of mechanism and the wheels of traffic.
Work, with it's thousand arms and
thousand eyes and thousand feet, fills
all the street. when suddenly the crowd
parts, and funeral passes. Between
the wheels of work and pleasure there
comes long procession of mourning
people. Who is it? A trifler says: ''Oh,
it's nothing but funeral 1t may have
IL 81 g ~ 49,
or the almshouse, or some low place of
the town, =" but not so, says the serious
observer.
There are so many evidences of dire
bereavement that we know at the first
glance some one has been taken away
greatly beloved, and to our inquiry,
ttWho is this that is carried out with SO
, many offices of kindness and affection?"
the reply comes, 1.-THE only son of his
mother, and she widow Stand back
and let the procession pass out! Hush
all the voices of mirth and pleasure!
Let every head be uncovered! Weep
with this passing procession and let it
be told through all the market places
and bazaars of Main that in Galilee today
the sepulcher hath gathered to itself
1.-THE only son of his mother, and she
widow
There are two or three things that, in
my mind, give especial pathos to this
scene The first is, he was young man
that was being Carried out. To the aged
death becomes beautiful. The old man
halts 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
get home. He sits in the church and
sings, with 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 flood. How sweet
1y he sleeps the last sleep! Push back
the white locks from the wrinkled tenn
Piles. They will never ache again Fold
the hands over the still heart. They will
never toll again. Close gently the eyes.
They will never weep again.
But this man that I am speaking Of
was a young man. He was just putting
on the armor of life, and he was exult-
ing to think how his sturdy blows
would ring out above the clangOr of the
battle. l suppose he had n young mans
hopes, young mans ambitions and a
young mans courage. He said: IF l
live many years, / will feed the hungry
and clothc the naked. In this city OF
Main, where there are so many bad
young men, ] will be sober and honest
and pure and magnanimous, and my
mother shall never be ashamed of me- -
But all these prospects are blasted in
hOnr There he mas secs 1IfplpSS y, 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 he was
an only son. However large the family
flock may be, we never could think of
sparing 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 a selection. But this was an
only son, around whom gathered all the
parental expectations. How much care
in his education! How much caution III
watching his habits! 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, a philan-
thropist, Christian. No. no. 1t is all
ended. Behold him there Breath is
gone. Life is extinct The only son of
his mother.
There was one other thing that added
to the pathos of this scene, and that
was his mother was a widow The