Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1895-09-13
THE OPEN WINDOWS.
A SERMON or CHRISTIAN CHEERFUL
NESS AND ENCOURAGEMENT.

NESS AND ENCOURAGEMENT.
Rev. DR.. Taimage on Daniels Devotions
Before the window That Faced His Ma
tive Jerusalem IL The Battle with Sin
and Death-The Victory.
NEW YORK, Sept. SIN his sermon for
today Rev DIR. Talmage has chosen a
theme overlooking with Christian cheer
fulness and encouragement The subject
is "Open Windows, and the text selected
was Daniel VII 10, ellis windows being
omen in his chamber toward Jerusalem
The scouadrelly princes Of Persia urged
on by political jealousy against Daniel,
have succeeded in getting a law passed
that whatsoever prays to God shall be put
under the paws and teeth of the lions, who
arc lashing themselves in rage and hunger
up and down the stone cage or putting
their lower jaws on the ground, believing
till the earth trembles. But the le0nine
threat did not hinder the devotions Of
! Daniel, the Coeur dc Lion Of the ages His
/ enemies might as well have a law that the
sun should not draw water, or that the
( south wind should not sweep across a gar
I don Of magnolias, or that Sod should be
abolished They could not scare him with
the redhot furnaces, ind they cannot now
scare him with the lions. As soon as
Daniel hears Of this enactment he leaves
his office of secretary Of state, with its up
holstery of crimson and gold, and comes
down tho white marble steps and goes TO
his own house. He opens his window and
puts the shutters back and pulls the cur
tain aside So that he can look toward the
sacred city of Jerusalem, and then prays
Daniel His Knees.
suppose the people in the street gath
cred under and before his window and
said. "Just see that man defying the law.
He ought to be arrested. And the con
stabulary Of the city rush to the police
headquarters and report that Daniel Is on
his knees at the wide open window. You
are my prisoner, says the officer OF the
law. dropping heavy hand on the Shout
der of the kneoling Daniel As the con-
stables open the door of the cavern to
thrust in their prisoner they see tho glar-
ing ewes Of the monsters. But Daniel be-
comes the first lion tanner, and they lick
his hand and fawn at his feet, and that
night he sleeps with the shaggy name Of
wild beast for his pillow, while the king
that night, slecpless in the palace, has on
him the paw and teeth of a lion he cannot
tame-tho lion Of o remOrscful conscience.
What picture it would be for some art
list Darius, in the early dusk of morning,
not waiting for footmcn or chariot, has
teninq to the den, all flushed and nervous
and in dishabille and looking through the
crevices of the cage TO sec what had become
of his primo minister ''What, no soundP'
he says "Daniel is surely deyoured, and
the lions are sleeping after their hOrrid
meal, the bones of the poor man scattered
across the floor of the cavern With
trembling voice Darius calls out, Dan
iel!" No answer for the prophet is yet
in profound slumber But lion, more
easily awakened, advances, and with hot
breath blown through the crevice seems
angrily to demand the cause OF this inter-
ruption, and then another wild beast lifts
his name from under Daniels head, and
the prophet, waking up, comes forth to
report himself all unhurt and well.
But our text stands us at Daniel's win
dow, open toward Jerusalem. Why in
that direction open? Jerusalem was his
native land and al the pomp of his Baby
lonish successes could not make him forget
it. He came there from Jerusalem at IS
years of age and he never visited it, though
he lived to be IS years. Yet, when he
wanted to arouse tho deepest emotions and
grandost aspirations Of his heart he had /
his window open toward his native Jeru-.
salem. There are many of you today who
understand that without any exposition. /
This is getting to be nation of foreign /
ers. They have come into all occupations
and professions. They sit in all churches /
1t may be 20 years ago since you got your |
naturalization papers and you may be thor 1
oughly Americanized, but you can't forget |
the land of your birth and your warmest /
sympathies go out toward it. Your win |
dovys arc open toward Jerusalem. Your
father and mother arc buried there. 1t |
may have been a very humble homo in |
which you were born, but your memory /
often plays around it and you hope some /
day to go and see 1.-THE hill, the tree, the I
brook, the house, tho place so sacred, the /
door from which you started off with pa /
rental blessing to make your own way in |
the world, and God only knows how some /
times you have lOnged to see the familiar /
places of your childhood and how in aw-
full crises of life you would like to have /
caught a glimpse Of the old, wrinkled face |
that bent over you as you lay on the gem
tie lap 20 or 40 or 80 years ago. You may |
have on this sido Of the sea risen in for /
tune, and, like Daniel, have become great /
and may have come into properties which |
YOU never could have reached if you had .
staid there, and you may have many win
dows to your house-bay windows and /
skylight windows and windows Of consery-
atory and windows on all sides-but you |
have at least one window open toward
Jerusalem.