Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-09-20
REV. DR. TALMAGE
The Eminent New York Divine's Sun e
day Sermon.
Subject: "Open Windows"

| 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 the devotions of Daniel, the
CPnr de Lion OF the ages. His enemies
might as we'll have a 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 s,are 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.
Isuppose 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"
Gays the officer of the law, dropping
heavy hand on the shoulder OF the kneeling
Daniel. AS the constables open the door OF
the cavern to thrust in their prisoner they
see the glazing eyes of the monsters. But
Daniel becomes 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, sleepless in the palace, has on
him the paw and teeth of lion he cannot
tame-the lion of a rcmorseful 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 crevices of
the cage to see what had become of his prime
minister. "What, no soundm he saws.
"Daniel is surely fevcured, and the lions are
sleeping after their horrid meal. the bones
ofthe 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-
recion 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 il, though he
lived to be eighty-fve 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
getting to be Nation of foreigners. They
h0x sxNto All e.
sions. 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 go oat toward it.
Your windows are open toward Jerusalem.
Your father and mother are buried there.
II may have been very humble home in
which you were born, but your memory o.
ten plays around it, aud you hope some day
to go and see 1.-THE hill he tree. the brook,
the house. the place so sacred, the door from
which you started off with parental blessing
10 make your own way in the worlG-aDd
God only knows how sometimes you have
longed to see the familiar places of your
childhood, and how in awful crises of life you
would like to have caught glimpse ofthe old
wrinkled face that bent over you as you lay
on the gentle lap twenty or forty or fifty
years ago. You may have on this side Of the
sea risen in fortune, and like Daniel have
become great and may have come into pros
perities which you never could have reached
II you had staid there, and you may have
many windows to your house-bay windows
and skyllght windows and windows OF con-
servatory and windows on all sides-but you
have at least one window open toward Jeru-
salem.
When the foreign steamer comes to the
wharf, you see the long line Of sailors, with
shouldered mailbags, coming down the
plaDks, carrying as many letters as you
might suppose to be enough for years
correspondence, and this repeated again and
again during the week. Multitudes of them
are letters from home. and at all the post
offices of the land people will 60 to the win
dow and anxiously ask for them, hundreds
of thousands of persons finding that win
dow of foreign mails the open window
toward Jerusalem. Messages that say:
'When are you coming home to see us2
Brother has gone into the army. Sister is
dead. Father and mother are getting very
feeble. We are having great struggle to
get on here. Would you adv Sc us to come
to you, or will you come to us? All join in
love and hope 10 meet you, if not in this
world, then in better Goodby."
Yes. yes. In all these cities and amid the
Towering Western prairies and on the slopes
of the Pacific and amid the Sierras and on
the banks Of the lagoon and on the ranches
OF Texas there is an uncOunt9d multitude
who this hour stand and sit and knee with
their windows open toward Jerusalem.
Some Of these people played on the heather
of the Scottish hills; some of them were
driven out by Irish famine; some of
them in early life drilled in the German
army; some Of them were accustomed at
Lyons or Marseiles or Paris to see on
the street Victor Hugo and Gambetta;
some chased the chamois among the Alpine
precipices; some plucke1 the ripe clusters
from Italian vineyard; some lifted their
faces under the midnight sun of Norway. 1t
is no dishonor to our land that they renem-
Der the place of their nativity. Miscreants
would they be if, while they have some of
their windows open to take in the free air
and the sunlight Of an atmosphere which no
kingly despot has ever breathed, they forgot
sometimes to open the window toward
Jerusalem.
No wonder that the son OF the Swiss. when
far away from home, hearing the National
air of his country sung, the MALAY OF home
sickness comes on him so powerfully as to
cause his death. You have the example Of
heroic Daniel of my text for keeping early
memories fresh. Forget not the old folks at
home. Write often, and il you have sur
plus Of means and they are poor make prac-
teal contribution, and rejoice that America
Is bound to all the world by ties OF sanguin-
ity rs in no otter Nation. Who can doubt
put 1t is appointed for the evangelizaton OF
other lands! What stirring. melting, Cos
pelzing theory that all the doors OF other
Nations are open toward us. while our win
dows are open toward theml