The Penn's Grove record., 1894-08-24
REV. DIR. TALNAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIyINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.


man carried our, the only son OF MS mOtner,
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, l say
unto thee arisei inc he that was dead sat
up and began to speak, and He delivered
him to his mother. Luke vii, 12-15.
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 its thousand
arms and thousand eyes and thousand feet,
fills all the street, when suddenly the crowd
parts, and a funeral passes. Between the
wheels of work and pleasure there comes a
long procession Of mourning people. Who
is it2 A trifier says "Oh. it's nothing but
a funeral. 1t may have CONF up from the
hospital of the city. or the almshouse, or
some low place of the town, - but not so, says
the serious observer.
There are so many evidences OF dire be-
reavement that we know at the first glance
some one has been taken away greatly be-
loved, and to our inquiry, "Who is this that
is carried out with so many Offices Of kind
ness and affection?" the reply comes, THE
only son OF his mother, and she a 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 1t be told
through all the market places and bazaar5
of Main that in Galilee to-day the sepulcher
hath gathered to itself ''the only son Of his
mother, and she a widow"
There are two or three things that, In my
mind, give especial pathos to this scene.
The first ia, he was a young man that was
being carried out, To the aged death be-
comes beautiful. The old man halts and
pants along the road, where once he bound-
ed like the roe. From the midst of immedi-
cable ailments and sorrows he cries out.
"How long, Lord. how longm Footsore
and hardly pestead on the hot journey, he
wants to get home. He sits in the church
and sings, with a tremulous voice, some tune
he sang forty years ago and longs to join the
better assemplage of tho one hundred and
forty and four Thousand who have passed
the flood. o sweetly he sleeps the last
sleep! Push back the white locks from the
wrinkled temples. 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 l an speaking OF was a
young man. He was Just putting on the
armor of life, and he was exulting to think
how his sturdy blows would ring out above
the clangor of the battle. Isuppose he had
a young mans hopes. a young mans ambi-
tons and a young mans courage. He said
''If l live many years, l will feedthe hungry
and clothe the naked. In this city of Main,
where there are SO many bal young men, I
will be sober and honest and pure and mag
unanimous, and my mother shall never be
ashamed OF me-" But all these prospects
are blasted In n hour. There he passes
lifeless in the procession. Behold all that Is
left on earth OF the high hearted young man
Of the city Of Main.
Thara Ia anothpr thing that ndda 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 ono
OF the lambs. Though they may all have
their faults, they all have their exceEencies
that commend them to the parental heart,
and II 1t were p~eremptorily demanded of YOU
Today that you should yield up one OF y '1r
children out Of a very large family yJu
would be COMPOUNDED and you could not
make a selection. But this was an only SON,
around whom gathered all the parental ex-
pectations. How much care in his educa-
tionl 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
stand In society q thinker, a worker, u phil.
anthropist, q 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 thing that added to the
pathos ofthis scene, andthat was his mother
was a widow. The main hope OF that home
had been broken, and now he was come up
to be the staff. The chief light OF the house.
hold has been extinguished, n this was
the only light left. I suppose she often said,
looking at him, "There are only two OF u.s."
oh, II is a grand thing TO see a young man
step out In life and say to his mother ;
'Don't be down hearted. I will, as far as
possible, take fathers place. and rs Long US
| live you shall never want anything" 1t Is
not always that way. Sometimes the young
people get tired OF the old people. They
saw they are queer that they have SO many
ailments, and they sometimes wish them out
Of the way. A young man and his wife SAT
at the table, their little son on the floor play
ing beneath the table. The old father was
very old, and bis hand shook. SO they said
"You shall no more sit with us at thetable.
And so they gave him a place in the corner
where, day by day, he ate out OF an earthei
bowl-everything put into that bowl. On;
day his hand trembled so much no dropped
II, and 1t broke, and tho son. seated at tn'
elegant table In midloor, said to hls vile
"Now we'll get father q wooden bowl, and
that he can't break" So a wooden bowl
was obtained, and every day old grand
father ate out of that, sitting in the corner;
One day, while the elegant young mar and
his wife were seated at their table, with
chased silver and all the ~luxurles, and their
little son sat upon the floor, they saw the
lad whiting, and they said "My son, what
are you doing there with that knliet
sob" said he, 'H-I'm making a trough Tor
my father and mother to eat out OF when
they get old?
\. But this young man OF the text was not
ofthat character. He did not belong to that
school. I can tell 4. from the way they
mourned over him, He was to be the com
panion OF his mother. He was to be his
mothers protector. He would return now
some of the kindness he had received In the
DAYS of childhood and boyhood. Aye, he
would with his strong hand uphold maj
form already enfeebled with age. VIII ne
do it2 No. In one hour that promise OF
help and c~ompanionship is gone. I1efe ~
srThe only son OF his mother, and she
widow"
Nov, my friends, it was upon this scene
that Christ broke. He cam In without any
introduction. He stopped the procession
He had only two utterances 10 make-tht
one to the mourning mother, the other tC
the dead. He cried out to the mourning
one. HWeep not" and then, touching the
bier on which the son lay, He cried out
''Young man, I say unto thee arise!' An'
he that was dead sat up.
l learn two or three things from this sub
ject, and first that Christ was q man. lo'
see how that sorrow played upon all tn
chords Of His heart. I think that we forge
this too often. Christ was a man more Ger
tainly than you are. for He was a perfee
man. No sailor ever slept in ships ham
mock more soundly than Christ slept in tina
boat on Gennesaret. In every nerve anC
muscle and bone and fiber Of HIS body, II
every emotion and affection OF His heart. IL
every action and decision Of His mind HI
was q man.
Helooked of upon the sea just as you lool
of upon the waters. He went into Martina
house just as you 60 into a cottage. HI
breathed hard when He was tired, just al
you do when you are exhausted. He fell
after sleeping out a night in the storm JUS
like you do when you have been exposed &c
a tempest. 1t was Just as humiliating fol
Him to beg bread as 1t would be for you to
become a pauper. He felt Just as much in.
suited by being sold for thirty pieces of sill
yer as you would II you were sold for the
price OF a dog. From the crown of the head
10 the sole Of the foot He was a man. When
the thorns were twisted for His brow, they
hurt Him Just as much as they hurt your
brow II they were twisted for IL. He took
not on Him the nature OF angels. He tool
on Him the seed of abraham. "Ecoe Homo
behold the mani
nnN AsaA u. It, Ii