The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-04-13
ALL NATURE PRAISES
CHRIST Is THE THEME OF ITS
J YfUl SONG.
Hymns Heard in Infancy Have a
Strong Influence In After Life, Says
DR.. Talmage-Infinite Music In the
Name of Jesus.

In this discourse DIR. Talmage SHOWS
how Christ brings harmony n mel
ody INTO every life that he enters;
text. Psalm cxviii, II, The Lord is my
strength and song"
The most fascinating theme for a
heart properly attuned is the Saviour.
There is something in the morning light
to suggest hin and something in the
evening shadow to speak his praise
The flower breathes him, h stars
shine him, the cascade proclaims him,
Whatever is grand, bright and beauti-
full IL you only listen to IL will speak
his praise. So when in the summer
time 1 pluck a flower 1 think OF MIN
who is 1.-The Rose of Sharon and the
Lily of the Valley When / see In
the fields a lamb, 1 say, "Behold the
Lamb of God that taketh away the sin
of the world" When in very hot wea-
ther I come under a projecting cliff, l
say:
Rock of ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee!
over the old fashioned pulpits there
was a sounding board. The voice Oh
the minister rose to n sounding ooaro
and then was struck back again upon
the ears of the people. AND so lne
10. eeo voices of earth rising up hnd the
ave a sounding board winch
strikes back to the ear of all nations
the praise of Christ. The ave tell
his glory, and the earth shows his nam
dfwOrk. The Bible thrills with N
great story of redemption Upon a
blasted and faded paradise 1t poured
a light of glory restoration. 1t looked
upon Abraham from the ram caught
in the thicket- 1t spoke in n bleaung
of the herds driven down TO Jerusalem
for sacrifice. 1t put infinite patnos
into the speech of uncouIh nsnerIneh.
1t lifted Paul into the third heaven
and il broke upon the ear st Jonn
with the brazen trumpetS and the doA
with the brazen trumpets and the dox-
ology of the elders and the rusnlng
wings of the Seraphim.
Instead of waiting until you get SICK
and worn out before you sing the
praise OF Christ, while your heart Is
happiest and your step is nghtest ana
your fortunes smile and your pathWay
blossoms ond the overarching heavens
drop upon you their Denedlctlop Spedh
the praises of Jesus.
The old Greek orators, when they
saw their audiences inattentive and
slumbering, had one word with which
they would rouse them up to the great
est enthusiasm. In the midst of their
orations they would stop and cry out
"Marathoni" and the peoples enthusl-
asm would be unbOunded. My hearers,
though you may have been born down
with sin, and though trouble and trials
and temptatiOn may have come upon
you, and you feel today hardly like
looking up methinks there is one
grand, royal imperial word that ought
to rouse your soul to infinite rejoicing,
and that word is jesus
POWER OF THE HYMN.
Taking the suggestion of the text. l
shall speak to you of Christ our Song.
I remark, in the first place, that Christ
ought to be the cradle song, What our
mothers sang TO US when they put US
to sleep is singing yet. We may have
forgotten the words; but they went
into the fiber of our sou and will for
ever be a part of it. 1t is not so much
what you formally teach your children
as what you sing to them. y hymn
has wings and can fly everywhither.
One hundred and fifty a after you
are dead and 'Old Mortality a worn
out his chisel recruiting your lame on
the tombstone your great-grandch1l-
dren will be singing the song which
last night you sang to your little ones
gathered about your knee. There is
a place in Switzerland where, If you
distinctly utter u voice, there come
back 10 or 10 distinct echoes, and
every ChristiansSong sung by a mother
in the ear of her child shall have TO-
600 echoes coming back from all the
gates of heaven. Oh, if mothers only
knew the power of this sacred spell,
how much oftener the little mes would
be gathered, and all our homes would
china with fhn SONGS of IQSnSI
We want some counteracting infiu-
ence upon our children. The very mo-
ment your child steps into the street
he steps into the path of temptation,
There are foul mouthed children who
like to besoil your little ones. 1t will
not do to keep your boys and girls In
the house and make them house plants
They must have fresh air and recrea-
ton. God save your children from the
Scathing, blasting, damning influence
Of the street; / know of no counter
acting influence but the power OF
Christian culture and example. Hold
before your little ones the pure life
of Jesus Let that name be the WORD
that shall exercise evil from theil
hearts. Give to your instruction al
the fascination of music morning, nOor
and night. Let it be Jesus, cradle song
This is important if our children grow
up, but perhaps they may not. Theil
may De snort. Jesus may Dt
wanting that child. Then there viii
be a sound1ess step in the dwelling
and the youthful pulse will begin t.
fiutter, and little hands will be lifted
for help. You cannot help. And {
great agony will pinch at your heart
and the cradle will be empty, and thu
nursery will be empty, and the world
will be empty, and your soul will b'
empty. No little feet standing on tn
stars. No toys scattered Oh tn
carpet. No quick following from room
to room. No strange and wondering
questions. No u%pturned face witt
laughing blue eyes come for a kiss
but only a grave and a wreath Of whit'
blossoms on the top of it n bite
desoFation and a signing at nightfal
with no one to put to bed. The heav'
emily Shepherd will take that lamt
safely anyhow, whether you have beer
faithful or u~nfaithful, but would i
not have e ~pleasanter if you could
have heard from those lips the praise:
of Christ? / read anything more
beautiful than this about a child's de.
---&,ro Tho onnn,,t zo;l ssot. e.rl