The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-09-05
REV, DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: can Only Son."

and she was 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, say
unto thee arise! And he that was dead sat
mp and began to speak. and He delivered
him to his mother."-Luke vii, 1915.
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
q funeral. It may have come up from the
hospital of the city. or the almshouse, or
some low place of the town" but not 80, says
the serious observer.
There are 50 many evidences OF dire be-
reayement 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 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 bazaars
Of Main that in Galilee to-day the sepulcher
hath gathered to itself "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 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 immed1-
cable ailments and sorrows he cries out.
show long, Lord, how long" Footsore
and hardly oestead on the hot journey, ne
wants to get home. He sits in the church
and sings, with tremulous voice, some tune
lie sang forty years ago and longs to join the
better assemplage Of the one hundred and
forty and four thousand who have passed
the flood. How 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
Z eyes. They will never weep again.
But this man that am speaking OF was
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. suppose he had
q ayoung mans hopes, young mans ambi-
tons and young mans courage. he said:
ssIf 7 live many years, will feed the hungry
and clothe the naked. In this city OF Main,
: where there are 80 many bad young men,
: will be sober and honest and pure and mag
unanimous, and my mother shall never be
ashamed Of me-" But all these prospects
J, are blasted in one hour. There he passes
ufeless in the procession. Behold al 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 ts he was an
only sen. However large the family flock
may be, we never could think Of spartng one
OF the lambs. Though they may all have
their faults, they all have their exceuencies
that commend them to the parental heart,
and II It were peremptorily demanded Of you
to-day that you should yield up one OF your
children out Of very large family you
make selection. But this was an only son,
around whom gathered all the parental ex-
pectations. How much care IN his educa-
Hon! How much caution in 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 thinker, worker, u phil
anthropist. Christian. No, no. It Is all
ended. Behold him there. Breath 1s gone.
Life is extinct. The only son Of his mother.
There was one thing that added to the
pathos ofthis scene, and that was his mother
. was 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, and this was
the only light left. suppose she often said.
/. looking at him, "There are only two OF u.s."
Z Oh, It Is grand thing to see young man
step out In life and say to his mother;
sDon't be down hearted. will, as far as
possible. take fathers place, and as long as
[ live you shall never want anything" 1t ts
" not always that way. Sometimes the young
people get tired OF the old people. They
sav 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.
ipS beneath the table. The old father was
. very old, and his hand shook, so they said,
tsYou shall no more sit with US at hetoble."
And so they gave him a place In the corner,
where, day by day, he ate out OF an earthen
bowl-everything put into that bowl. One
day his hand trembled so much he dropped
Il, and 1t broke, and the son, seated at the
elegant table in mldhoor, said to his wife.
sNow we'll get father wooden bowl, and
that he can't break" So wooden bowl
was obtained, and every day old grand
father ate out Of that, sitting in the corner.
Z One day, while the elegant young man and
: his wife were seated st their table, with
3 chased silver and all the luxuries, and their
little son sat upon the floor, they saw the
Lad whiting, aud they said "My son, what
are you doing there With that knife2"
! "Oh," said he, 'T-Im making trough for
my father and mother to est out of'when
they get oldr'
But this young man OF the text was not
i 49, laI~ 49, xhok
school. I can tell !. 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 that
form already enfeebled with age. VIII he
do II? No. In one hour that promise Of
help and companionship is gone. There Is
sworld Of anguish in that one short phrase,
"The only son Of his mother, and she q
widow"
Now, my friends, it was upon this scene
that Christ broke. He came in without any
introduction. He stopped the procession.
BE had only two utterances to make-the
one to the mourning mother, the other TO
the dead. He cried our to the mourning
one, sweep lot" and then; touching the
bier on which the son lay, He cried out,
"Young man, say unto thee arise J! ana
ne that was dead sat up.
I learn two or three things from this sub
n ject, and first that Christ was man. You
4 see now that sorrow played upon all the
! chords Of His heart. think that we forget
this too often. Christ was r man more Ger.
/ tainly than you are. for He was a perfect
/ man. No sailor ever slept in ships ham.
L mock more soundly than Christ slept in that
/ boat on Gennesaret. In every nerve and
b muscle and bone and fiber Of HIS body, IN
every emotion and affection OF His heart. In
every action and decision Of His mind BE
was man.