The free press., 1895-09-19
REV, DR.. TALMAGE.
THIS EMINENT DIvINE's SUNDAY
SERMON.
Subject: "Open Windows"

The scoundrelly princes of Persia, urged
on by political jealousy against Daniel, have
succeeded in getting law passed that who
-soever prays to God shall be put under the
paws and teeth of the lions who are 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 leonine threat did
not hinder tho devotions of Daniel, the
CGur de Lion of the ages. His enemies
might as well have law that the sun should
not draw water, or that the south wind
should not sweep across a garden of mag
nolios, or that God should be abolished.
They could not scare him with the red hot
furnaces, and they cannot now scare him
with the lions. As soon as Daniel hears of
this enactment he leaves his office of secre-
tary of state, with its upholstery of crimson
and gold, and comes down the white marble
steps and goes to his own house. He opens
his window and puts the shutters back and
pulls the curtain aside so that he can look
toward the sacred city of Jerusalem and
then prays.
1 suppose the people in the street gathered
under and before his window and said:
Just see that man defying the law. He
ought to be arrested" And the constabulary
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 a
heavy hand on the shoulder of the kneeling
Daniel. As the cOnStaDles open the door of
the cavern to thrust in their prisoner they
see the glaring eyes of the monsters. But
Daniel becomes the first lion tamer and
they lick his hand and fawn at his feet and
that night he sleeps with the shaggy name
of q wild beast for his pillow, while the king
that night, sleepless in the palace, has on
him the paw and teeth of lion he cannot
tame-the lion of q emorseful conscience
What picture it would be for some artist!
Darius in the early dusk of morning not
waiting for footmen or chariot, fastening to
the den, all flushed and nervous and in dis
habille, and looking through the creyices of
the cage to see what had become of his prime
minister. ''What, no sound" he saws.
"Daniel is surely devoured, 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: 'Daniel?" 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
Interruption, and then another wild beast
lifts his name from under Daniels head, and
the prophet, waking up, comes forth to re-
port himself all unhurt and well.
But our text stands us at Daniels window.
opened toward Jerusalem. Why in that di-
rection open? Jerusalem was his native |
land, and all the pomp of his Babylonish sue |
cesses could not make him forget it. He
came there from Jerusalem at eighteen years
of age, and he never visited it, though he
lived to be eighty-flve years. Yet when he |
wanted to arouse the deepest emotions and |
grandest aspirations of his heart he had his |
window open toward his native Jerusalem.
There are many of you to-day who under
stand that without any exposition. This is |
,ynft inn t,, hn ,f
have come into all occupations and profess
sons They sit in all churches. 1t may
be twenty years ago since you
got your naturalization papers, and |
You may be thoroughly Americanized, but
you can't forget the land of your birth, and |
your warmest sympathies so out toward it.
Your windows are open toward Jerusalem. |
Your father and me .aer are buried there. |
1t may have been Il very humble home in |
which you were born, but your memory Of
ten plays around it, and you hope some day |
to so and see 1.-THE hill, the tree, the brook,
the house. the place so sacred. the door from |
which you started off with parental blessing |
to make your own way in the world--and |
God only knows how sometimes you have |
longed to see the familiar places of your
and how in awful crises of life YOU |
would liketo have caught Il glimpse ofthe old
wrinkled face that bent over you as you lay
on the gentle lap twenty or forty or fifty
yeels ago lou may nave on on thlS slae OF the
eea lI9en III Ilune, anu iiho Dailiei nave
,, pecoile SIeaI anu may nave come INTO pros
pell'te9 W,lcIi YOU never coulu nave reached
IL II, you nau s'alu .here, anu you may nave
many WINDOWS 70 your h9use-pay WINDOWS
anu skyllsnt WINDOWS ana WI WINDOWS oil con
seryatory ana WINDOWS on all sldes-put you
nave Ut least one "lhdoW open toward Jeru-
sa,em.
Nheh tne foreign steamer comes 10 the
Whari, you see the long line OF sailors, with
shouluereu mallpa9s, coming down the
Piahks, CARRYING as many letters as you
might suppose TO pc enough Tor u year
Correspondence, ana this repeated again and
again during the week. Multitudes OF them
are letters from nome. ana at All the post
0ihces Oh lhe iahu people VIII go 10 the VIM
dow ana aINlousiy ask lor men, hundreds
OF thousands OF persons ilhdihS that win
dow oil Iorelgn mails tne open window
toWaru oerusaieih' hes9"Ses that say;
~When are you coming nome TO see us!
Brother mas gone into tne army. Sister Is
aead' Father ana mother are getting very
IeeDle' we are haVihS great struggle TO
Set on mere. would you ADVISE US TO come
10 you, or WIZ you come 10 usr All JON IN
love ana nope TO meet you, II not III this