Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-04-26
SERMONS Of THE DAY.
Preached by Rev. DR.. Talmage.

Iubject: "Parental Heedlesaness'' - The
Vow ofJephthah Typical Of Much Tha
10 Distressing in Modern Life-Chil
dren Sacrificed to Worldly Ambition.
TExr: my father. i thou hast opened
thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me ac
cordinR to that which hath proceeded Out
Of thy uth."-JudRes xi., So.
Jephthah was a 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 AZ
best he could. In those times 1t was con
pendent military expeditions. Jephthal
was good man according to the light oil
bis dark age. but through a wandering ant
predatory life he became reckless and pre-
cipttate. The grace Of God changes
mans heart, but never reverses his natura
Ammonites driven out Of their country, s,
they sent delegation to Jephthah, askinl
him to become commander in chief Of al
the forces. He might have said, "Yot
drove me out when you had no use for me
and now you are in trouble you want m,
command Of the army, sends messengers t,
the Ammonites to tell them to vacate tn,
country, and getting no favorable re
sponse, marshals his troops for battle.
Before going out to the war Jephthat
makes very solemn vow that II the Lord
will give him the victory then, on his re.
turn home. whatsoever first comes out OF
bis doorway he will offer in sacrifice as a
burnt Offering. The battle opens. 1t was
no skirmishing on the edges OF dangers, nc
uDlimbering Of batteries two miles away,
but the hurting Of men on the points OF
swords and 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 were
broken and then each one would throttle
his man until they both fell. teeth to
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 citi,s
lay captured at his feet. Sound the victory
all through the mountains OF Gilead. Let
the trumpeters call up the survivors. Home.
ward to your wives and children. Home.
ward with your glittering treasures.
aomeward to have the applause OF an ad.
mirfng nation. Build triumphal arches
Swing out flags all over Mizpah. Open all
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.
vaders are routed and the national honor
b vindicated.
Huzza for Jephthah, the conqueror
Jephthah, seated on prancing steed, ad-
vances amid the Rcclaiming multitudes
but his eye is not on the excited populace
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 spotlesf
lamb, what brace Of doves, will be thrown
upon the fires Of the burnt ofYeringl
Oh, horrorsi Paleness OF death blanchef
bis cheek. Despair seizes his heart. Hi
daughter. his only child, rushas out tht
doorway to throw herself in her fathers
han there were wounds on his breast OF
1ents on his shield. All the triumphal
| sl,lendor vanishes. Holding back this child
rom his heaving breast and pushing the
locks back from the fair brow and looking
into the eyes Of inextinguishable affection,
God lay stark on the bloody plain! My
daughter. nv onlv child, Joy Of my home,
life Of my life, thou art the sacriflcel''
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 shield vanished in the
presence of the valor of that girl. There
may have been q tremor Of the lip, as a
rose leaf trembles in the sough of the south
wind; there may have been the starting OF
\ tear like a raindrop shaken from the
lnther Of a water lily. But with a sell
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, II
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, esq ecially as provision was
made In the law for such a contingency
and Jephthah might have redeemed bis
laughter by the payment Of thirty shekels
Df silver. But before you hurl your
ienunciations at Jephthah's cruelty re-
member that in olden times, when VOWS
we're made. men thought they must execute
wicked or good. There were two wrong
things about Jephtbah's VOW. First, he
ought never to have made 1t. Next, having
made 1t, 1t were better broken than kept.
But do not take on pretentious airs and
say, 81 could not have done as Jephthah
standing on the banks Of the Ganges and
you had been born in India, you might
have thrown your children to the croco.
lilies. It u not because We are naturally
any better, but because We have more
Gospel light.
Nov make very practical use Of this
81 Jsphthah's daughter was a type Of the
physical, mental and spiritual sacrifice Of
ten thousand children In this day. There
are parents all unwittingly bringing to
bear upon their children q class OF In.
auences which will as certainly ruin them
a. knife and torch destroyed Jephthah's
daughter. While I speak. the whole
nation, without emotion and without
shame, looks upon the stupendous sacri-
ace.
In the first place, remark that much
the system Of edu cation In our day is
system OF sacrifice. When children spenc
six or even hours in school and then mus
spend two or three hours in preparation
for school the next day, will you tell mt
how much time they will have Tor sunshine
and fresh air and the obtaining OF that ex.
uberance which is necessary for the dutie.
Of coming life7 No one can feel NOR.
thankful than do for the advancement o.
common school education. The printing
Of books appropriate for schools, the mui
tiplication of philosophical apparatus, thu
establishment of normal schools, which
provide for our children teachers OF Iarges
caliber, are themes on which every philan
thropist ought to be congratulated. Blu
this herding OF great multitudes OF chill
dren in Ill ventilated schoolrooms ant
poorly equipped halls of instruction
making many Of the places Of knowledg'
In this country a huge holocaust. Politici
in many Of the cities gets into educationa
0u6II0 anu Wull0 Suo SWO pOhtiCoi pdKtlO
are scrabbling for the honors Jephthah'
daughter perishes. 1t is SO much so tha
there are many schools in the country to
day which are preparing tens of thousand
of invalid men and women for the future
SO that, in many places, by the time tn
ehild's education Is finished the child
fnishedi In many places. in many citie
OF the country, there are large appropria
tions for everything else and cheerful ap
propriations, but as soon as the appropria
tion is to bs made for the educational o
moral interests OF the city We are struc
through with an economy that is we'll mig
the death of Us.
You may hatter your pride by forcini
your child to know more than any othe
children, but you are making a sacrifice
that child II by the additions to its intelli
gence you are making a subtraction frou
Its future. The child will go away from
such maltreatment with no. exuber.
ance to fight the battle Of life. Such chill.
iren may get along very well wniie you
ake care Of them, but, when you are old