The free press., 1895-12-12
REV. DIX. TALMAGE.
rErs EMINENT DIvINE's SUNDAY
SERMON.
Subject: "David and Absalom."

TEXT: rs the young man AoSalom safer
III Samuel xviii, 29.
The heart of David. the father, wa:
wrapped up in his boy Absalom. He was g
splendid boy, judged by the rules of worldly
criticism. From the crown OF his head tc
the sole of his foo. there was not single
| blemish. The Bible says that he had such O
luxuriant shock of hair that when once q
year it was shorn, what was cut of weighed
! over three pounds. But Notwithstanding al
his brilliancy OF appearance he was a bad
boy. and broke his fathers heart. He was
plotting to get the throne of Israel. He had
marshaled an army to overthrow his fathers s
| 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 we're to be decid-
ed-the safety OF his boy and the continu-
ance of the throne of Israel. After while a
servant, standing on the top of the house.
| looks off and sees some one running. He is
| 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 and as soon as the messenger
from the field of battle comes within hailing
distance the father cries out. Is it ques-
ton in regard to the establishment of his
throne? Does he say: "Have the armies of
Israel been victorious? Am to continue in
my imperial authority? Have overthrown
my enemies?" oh. no! There is one ques-
tion that springs from his heart to the lip,
and springs from the lip into the ear of the
besweated and bedusted messenger flying
from the battlefeld-the question, SIS the
Young man Absalom safe?" 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
4 %l.1 H., nIoa hna hrna y nG
be went, wringing his hands sometimes and
then again pressing them against his temples
as though he would press them in. crying:
80 Absalom. my son! my son Would to
God / had died for thee. o Absalom! my
son! my sonl'
My 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, SIS the
young man Absalom safe?" The fact is that
this life is full of peril. He who undertakes
it without the grace of God and 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 were
promised and who started life with every ad-
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 dishonest dollar and
bury il in the center of the earth, and keep
all the rocks of the mountain on top of it:
ther 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 ,.is-
honest dollar in the center of the earth will
begin to heave and rock and upturn itself un-
til it comes to the resurrection of damnation.
"As 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
men? 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 shadowed 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 altars in
so many abodes, were strangers in your
fathers house. God pity you, young man,
you never had home. But multitude in
this audience can look back to spot that
they can never forget. 1t may have been IL
lowy roof. but you cannot think of it 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 so 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 that
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 fif-
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. 1t is
your adopted home. That is also sacred
forever. There you established the first
family altar. There your children were
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 that
place&pQd that word is 'home."
NoW8t me say that 1 never knew a man
who was faithful to his early and adopted
home who was given over at the same time
to any gross form of wickedness. If you
find more enjoyment in the club room, in
the literary society, in the art salon, than
you do in these unpretending home pleas
ures, you are on the road to ruin. Though
you may be cut off from your early asso-
ciates. and though you may be separated
from all your kindred. young man, is there
! not room somewhere that you can call
your own2 Though it be the fourth story
of third-class boarding house, into that
room gather books, pictures and harp.
Hang your mothers portrait over the
mantel. Bid unholy mirth stand back from
that threshold. Consecrate some spot in
that room with the knee of prayer. By the
memory of other days, a fathers counsel, a
mothers love and q sisters confidence, call
it home. - GfA
Another safeguard for these young nfe&ds
industrious habits There are great
many people trying to make their way
through the world with their wits instead OF
by honest toll. There is young man who
comes from the country to the city. He
fails twice before he is as old as his father
was when he first saw the spires of the great