Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1899-05-04
OR. 1bLMbGE'S SERMON.
PREPARED ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG
AND OLD.

Subject: "Parental Th.
Vow ofJephthah Typical of Nj uch Tha,
Is Distressing in Modern Life-Chil.
dren Sacrificed to Worldly Ambition.
TEXT: My father. if thou hast opened
thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me ne.
cording to that which hath proceeded on,
OF thy mouth-"-Judges XII. Sc.
Jephthah was "a freebooter. Early turned
out from a home where he ought to have
been cared for. he eonsorted with rough
men and went forth to earn his living as
best he could. In those times Il was con
sidered right for a man to 30 out on indie
pendent military expeditions. Jephtbah
was a good man according to the light OF
his dark age, but through a wanderin; and
predatory life he became reckless and pre-
cip1tate. The grace OF God changes n
mans heart. but never reyerses his naturai
TEN permanent. The Israelites wanted the
Ammonltes driven out of their country. SO
they sent a delegation TO Jephthah. asking
him to become commander in chief Of all
the forces. He might have said. You
drove me out when you had no use FOR me.
ana now you are IN trouble YOU want me
BACK, but he did not say that. He takes
command or the army. sends messengers to
Inc Ammonites TO tell them to vacate the
country. and getting no favorable re-
sponse, mar-hals his troops for battle.
0S'SAt S'iGS tut / - tflt WdT .JH1ntfAh
makes a very solemn VOW that If the Lord
Will give him the victory then. on his re-
turn home, whatsoever first comes our of
MS doorway be will offer in sacrifice as q
burnt Offering. The battle opens. 1t was
no shlrn.lshlng on the edges OF dangers no
Numbering OF batteries two miles away.
but the hurting of men on the points OF
swords ana spears until the ground could
no more drink the blood and the horses
reared TO leap over the pile OF bodies Of
the slain. In those old times opposing
forces would fight until their swords we're
Broken and then each one would throttle
his MAJ until they both fell. teeth to
teeth, grip to grip. death stare to death
stare, unul the plain was one tumbled
mass OF corpses from which the las; trace
Of manhood had been dashed out.
Jtphthah wins the day. Twenty Settles
lay captured at his feet. Sound the victory
all through the mountains of Gilead. Let
thetrunpeters call VI the survivors. Home
ward to your wives and children. Home
ward with your SlitterinS treasures.
HomeWard to have the applause Of an adj
mlrlng nation. Build triump'al arches.
swing out hags all over Mizpah. Open ell
your doors to receive the captured treas
ures. Through every hall spread the ban
quet. Pile up the viands. Fill high the
tankards. The nation is redeemed. the in
yaders are routed and the national honor
Is indicated.
duLAa loI Jepnthab. the cOnQuerOr.
Jephthah, seated on a prancinc steed. nd
vances amid the acclaiming multitudes
put his eye is not on the excited ~popu,ac
Remembering that he had made a solemn
VOW that, returning from victorious battle.
whatsoever first came out Of the doorway
OF his home that should be sacrificed as a
burnt Offering, he has his anxious look
upon the door. [ wonder what spotless
lamb, what brace of doves, will be thrown
| upon the fires ofthe burnt oferinc!
On, horrors. Paleness OF death blaucbes
his cheek. Despair seizes his heart. His
daughter, his only child, PUSHES out the
doorway to throw herself in her fathers
arms and shower upon him more kisses
than there were wounds on his breast or
dents Oh his shield. All the ump
s%p1endor vanishes. Holding back this child
from his heaving breast and pushing the
locks backfrom the fair brow and looking
INTO the eyes Of ineStinguishahle affection.
God lay stark on the bloody plain, NV
daughter my only child, JOY OF my home.
life Of my life, thou art the sacrificed"
Inc Whoie matter was explained to her.
This was 10 whining, hollow hearted girl
into whose eyesthe father looked. All the
glory Of sword and shield vanished in the
presence Of the valor Of that girl. There |
may have been a tromor of the lin. as = |
rose leaf trelnbies in the sough of the south
wind; there may have been the STARTING Of
a tear like a raindrOp shaken from the /,
anther Of a water lily. But with q self
sacrifice that man may rot reach and only
Woman's heart can compass she s~urrenders
herself to fire and to deatl. She cries ont
IN TIE words Of my text, "My father. if
thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord.
do unto me whatsoever hath proceeded
from thy mouth
OF course this Offering was not Pleasing
to the Lord. EST eciailv as u provision was
made in the law for such a contingency.
and Jephthah might have redeemed his
ugh by the payment Of thirty shekels
OF silver. But before you hurl your
denuDciations at Jephthah's cruelty re-
member that in olden times, when VOWS
were made. men thought they must execute
them, perform them, whether they were
wicked or good. There were two wrong
things about Jephthah's vow. First. he
ought never to have made it. Next. having
made 1t, it were better broken than kept.
But 90 not take on pretentfous airs and
say, Il could not have done as Jepbthnb
did" II in former days you had been
standing on the banks Of the Gauges and
You had been born in India, YOU might
have thrown your children to the croco-
dies. 1t is not because We are naturally
any better, but because we have more
Gospel light.
Now I make very practical use Of This
question when tel you that the sacrifice
Of JcDhthah's daughter was a type OF the
physical, mental and spiritual sacrifice q,
ten thousand children in this dav. There
are parents all unwittingly bringing 10
bear upon their children a class Of in
fuences which Will as certainly ruin them
as knife and torch destroyed Jephtbab's
daughter. While l speak. the whole
nation, without emotion and without
shame, looks upon the stupeudous sacr!-
fee.
III the frs: place, I remark that much o.
the system Of edU cation in our day is a
system OF sacrifice. When children enecd
SIX or seven hours in school and then must
spend two or three hours ia preparation
for school the next day. will YOU tell me
how much time they will have TOR sunshine
and fresh air and the obtaining Of thar ex-
uterance which Is necessary for the duties
CT coming life: No some can feel more
thankful than / do for the advancement @.
common school education. The printing
Of books appropriate for schools. the mu.-
tiplicatlon Of philosophical apparatus. the
establishment Of normal schools, whica
provide for our children teachers OF largest
caIIber, are themes on which every phj!ao-
taropist ought to be Congratulated. Bur
this herding OF great muititudes Of chill
CTen in i'll ventilated scAooir00ms end
poorly enuiDye1 halls of Instruction 10