Connecticut western news., 1899-04-20
vow OF JEPHTHAH.
CITED AS A WARNING AGAINST PA
 RENTAL AEEDlESSNESS.

Dr. Talnaee Lodges an Earnest Pro
 Young a., the Altnr of Worldly Ann
 bition and Pride.
 Copyright 1899, by American Press Asso-
 ciation.l
 WASHINGTON April 16.-In his ser mon today Dr. Talmage lodges protest against the parental heedlessness and worldly ambition which are threatening the sacrifice of many American chil dren; text. Judges xii. 36. My father. if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth.
 Jephthah was freebooter. Early turned out from home where he ought to have been cared for, he consorted with rough men and went forth to earn his living as best he could. In those times it was considered right for man to go out on independent military ex- petitions ,Tephthah was a good man according to the light of his dark age. but through wandering and preda- tory life he became reckless and precipi- tate. The grace of God changes mans heart, but never reverses his natural temperament. The Israelites wanted the Ammonites driven ont of their country, so they sent delegation to Jephthah, asking him to become com mafder in chief of all the forces. He might have said, "You drove me out when you had no use for me, and now you are in trouble you want me back, v but he did not say that. He takes com mand of the army, sends messengers to the Ammonites to tell them to vacate the country, and, getting no favorable response. marshals his troops for battle.
 Before going out to the war Jephthah makes a very solemn vow that if the Lord will give him the victory then, on his return home, whatsoever first comes out of his doorway he will offer in sacrifice as burnt offering. The battle opens It was no skirmishing on the edges of dangers, no unlimber- ing of batteries two miles away, but the hurling of men on the point of swords and spears until the ground could no more drink the blood and the horses reared to leap over the pile of
 
 opposing forces would fight antil their swords were broken and then each one would throttle his man until they both fell, teeth to teeth, grip to grip, death stare to death stare, until the plain was one tumbled mass of corpses from which the last trace of manhood had been dashed out.
 Jephthah wins the day. Twenty cities lay captured at his feet. Sound the victory all through the mountains of Gilead. Let the trumpeters call up the survivors Homeward to your wives and children. Homeward with your glittering treasures. Homeward to have the applause of an admiring nation. Build triumphal arches. Swing out flags all over Mizpah. Open all your doors to receive the captured treasures Through every hall spread the banquet Pile up the viands. Fill high the tank ards. The nation is redeemed, the in- vaders are routed and the national hon. or is vindicated.
 Jephthah's Solemn Vow.
 Huzza for Jephthah, the conquerori Jephthah, seated on prancing steed, advances amid the acclaiming multi tudes, but his eye is not on the excited populace. Remembering that he had made 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 of the burnt oferingt
 Oh, hcrrorsl Paleness of death blanches his cheek. Despair seizes bis heart. His daughter, his only child, rushes 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 on his shield All the triumphal splendor vanishes. Hold ing back this child from his heaving breast and pushing the locks back from the fair brow and looking into the eyes of inextinguishable affection, with choked utterance he says; "Would to God lay stark on the bloody plaint My daughter, my only child, joy of my home, life of my life, thou art the sac rificei'
 The -whole matter was explained to her. This was no whining, hollow hearted girl into whose eyes the father looked. All the glory of sword and 2 shield vanished in the presence of the valor of that girl. There may have been tremor of the lip, as rose leaf trem- bles in the sough of the south wind: there may have been the starting of tear like raindxop shaken from tho anther of water lily. But with self sacrifice that man may not reach and only woman's heart can compass she surrenders herself to fire and to death. She cries out in the words of my text, My father, if thou hast or,ened thy mouth unto the Lord, do unto me what soever. hath proceeded from thy mouth. ! She bows to the knife, and the blood, which so often at the fathers voice had rnshed to the crimson cheek, smokes in the fires of the burnt offering. No one can tell us her name There is no need that we know her name. The garlands that Mizpah twisted for Jephthah the warrior have gone into the dust, but all ages are twisting this girls chaplet. It is well that her name came not to
 
 us, for no one can wear it.. They may take the name of Deborah or Abigail or Miriam, but no one in all the ages shall have the title of this daughter of sacri- flee.
 Not PIeastng to the Lord. Of course this offering was not pleas ing to the Lord, especially as a provi- sion was made in the law for such a contingency, and Jephthah might have redeemed his daughter by the payment of 30 shekels of silver. But before YOU hurl your denunciations at Jephthah's cruelty remember that in olden times. when vows were made men thought they must execute them, perform thexe, whether they were wicked or good. There were two wrong things about Jephthah' s vow. First, he ought never