Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1895-12-06
TALMAGE'S SERMON
INTERESTING THEME BN THE
WARRINGTON PREACHER.
Subject: "DavId aud AbsaIOm."

criticism. From the crown OF his head To
the sole OF his foot there was not a single
blemish. The Bible SAYS that he had such a
luxuriant shock Of hair that when once
year IL was shorn. what was cut OF weighed
over three pounds. But Notwithstanding all
his brilliancy Of appearance he was bad
boy. and broke his fathers heart. he was
plotting to get the throne OF Israel He had
marshaled an armyto overthrow his fathers
government. The day Of battle had come.
The conflict was begun. David. the father,
sat between the gates OF the palace waiting
for the tidings OF the conflict. Oh, how
rapidly his heart beat with emotion.
The two great questions were to be decid-
ed-the safety Of his boy and the continu-
ance of the throne Of Israel After whilea
servant, standing on the top OF the house.
looks of and sees some one running. He ~
coming with great speed, and the man on
the top of the house announces the coming
OF the messenger. and the father watches
and waits. aud as soon as the messenger
from the field OF battle comes within hailtng
distance the father cries out. Is il ques-
ton in regard TO the establishment OF his
throne? Does he say: "Have the armies OF
Israel been victorious? Am TO continue in
nv imperial authority? Have l overthrowb
my enemies?" oh. no! There is one ques-
ton that springs from his heart to the lip,
/ and springs from the lip into the ear OF the
] DeEWtHttO anu btuuSltu hltSsFuEtI hSluE
| from the battleneld-the question, 'Is the
| young man Absalom sate?" When it was
! told to David, the king, that. though his ar
| mics had been victorious. his son had been
| slain. the father turned his back upon the
| congratulations of the nation and went up
| the stairs of his palace. his heart breaking as
| he went wringng his hands sometimes and
| then again pressing them against his temples
\ as though he would press them in, crying:
o tgn AbsatNDni EOnl m som MOuld 10
| God had died for thee. o Absalom! my
SOM my son."
| Nv friends, the question which David, the
! king, asked in regard to his son is the ques-
tion that resounds to-day in the hearts OF
| hundreds Of parents. Yea, there are great
multitude OF young men who know that the
/ question of the text is appropriate when
asked in regard to them. They know the
temptations by which they are surrounded.
| They see so many who started life with as
| good resolutions as they have who have
| fallen in the path, and they are ready to
| hear me ask the question OF my text, "ls the
young man Absalom safe?" The fact is that
this life is full of peril. He who undertakes
1t without the grace of God and a proper un-
derstanding Of the conflict into which he is
going must certainly be defeated Just look
off upon society to-day. Look at the ship
wreck of men for whom fair things We're
| promised and who started life with every adj
vantage. Look at those who have dropped
from high social position and from great for
tune, disGraced for time, disgraced for eter-
nifty. All who sacrifice their integrity come
to overthrow. Take a dishonest dollar and
bury it in the center Of the earth, and keep
all the rocks Of the mountain on top of il;
Their cover these rocks with all the diamonds
of Golconda, and all the silver OF Nevada,
and all the gold of California and Australia.
and put on the top Of these all banking and
moneyed institutions. and they cannot keep
down that one dishonest dollar. That one .iis-
honest dollar in the center Of the earth will
begin to heave and rock and upturn itself un-
til it comes tothe resurrection of damnation.
Gas the partridge sitteth on eggs and
hatcheth them not so he that getteth riches
and not by right shall leave them in the
midst of his days, and at his end shall be a
fool"
Now, what are the safeguards Of young
men2 The first safeguard Of which want
to speak is a love of home. There are those
who have no idea of the pleasures that con-
centrate around that word "home' Per
haps your early abode was Swallowed with
vice or poverty Harsh words and petulance
and scOwling may have destroyed all the
sanctitv of that spot. Love. kindness and
self sacrifice. which have built their affairs in
so many abodes, were strangers in your
fathers house. God pity you, young man
this audience can look back to a spot that
they can never forget. 1t NAV have been Il
lowly roof, but you cannot think OF 1t now
without dash Of emotion. You have seen
nothing on earth that so stirred your soul
A stranger passing along that place might
see nothing remarkable about it; but, oh! how
much it means to you. Fresco on palace
wall does not mean 50 much to you as those
rough hewn rafters. Parks and bowers and
trees on fashionable watering place or coun'
try seat do not mean so much to you as thai
brook that ran in front of the plain farm
house and singing under the weeping will
lows. The barred gateway swung open by
porter in full dress does not mean as much
to you as that swing gate, your sister on one
side of it and you on the other. she gone tif-
teen years ago into glory; that scene coming
back TO you to-day, as You swept backward
and forward on the gate singing the songs
of your childhood. But there are those here
who have their second dwelling place. II Il
your adopted home. That is also sacred
forever. There you established the first
family altar. There your children wer,
born. In that room tapped the wing Of the
death angel Under that roof, when your
work is DONE you expect to lie down and
die. There is only one word in all the Ian
guage that can convey your idea of tha
| place, and that word is home"
Now, let me say that l never knew a mai
who was faithful to his early and adoptet
home who was given over at the same tim
to any gross form of wickedness. II VOL
find more enjoyment in the club room. ii
the literary society, in the art salon, thai
you do in these unpretendng home pleas
ures, you are on the road to ruin. Thoug
you may be cut off from your early asso
eiates, and though you may be separate,
from all your kindred. young man, Is Their
not a room somewhere that you can cal
your own? Though it be the fourth stor
Of third-class boarding house, into tina
room gather books. pictures and harp
Hang your mothers portrait over tn
mantel. Bid unholy mirth stand back from
that threshold. Consecrate some spot i
that room with the knee of PRAYER. By tn
memory of other days, a fathers counsel,
mothers love and u sisters confidence, cal
It home.
Another safeguard for these young men
industrious habits. There are grea
many people trying to make their wa
through the world With their wits instead G
by honest toll. There is young man VIII
comes from the country to the city. Fl
fails twice before he is as old az his fathe
was when he first saw the spires of the grea
town. He is seated in his room at rent {
$4,000 year, waiting for the banks to d,
- clare their dividends and the stocks to ri
up. After awhile he gets impatient.
tries to improve mis- penmanship by maxim
copy plates of other merchants signature
Never mind-all is right in business. Ate
awhile he has his estate. Now IL the tin
Tor him 10 retire to the country, amid tn
focks and the herds. to culture the domesti
virtues.
Now the young men who were his schoo
mates in boyhood will come, and with the
OK teams draw him logs, and with their hal
, hands will help to heave up the castle. Tht
- is no fancy sketch; it is everyday life.
d. should not wonder if there were a rotte
y beam in that palace. I should not wondt
IL God should mite him with dire sickness
and pour into his cupa bitter draft that wi
thrill him with unbearable agony. shoul