Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-04-05
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
HARMONY AND MELODY LAST
SUNDAYS SUBJECT.
Strong Influence In After Years of
Hymns Heard and Committed to
Memory In Early Life--rhe Old FASH
Toned Pulpit.

copyright, 1900, by Louis llopsch.l
Text, fsalm cAyiil, IA: The Lord Is
my strength and song"
The most fascinating theme for
heart properly attuned is the Saviour.
There is something in the morning
light to suggest Him and something in
the evening shadow to speak His
praise, The flower breathes Him, the
stars shine on Him, the cascade pro-
claims Him, all the voices of nature
chant Him. Whatever Is grand. bright
and beautiful, IL you only listen to 1t,
will speak His praise. So when In the
summer time pluck flower think
OF Him who is "the Rose of Sharon
and the Lily of the Valley" When /
see in the fields lamb, say, "Be-
hold the Lamb of God that taketh
away the sin of the world" When In
very hot weather / come under a pro-
jecting cliff. l say:
Rock Of ages, cleft for me.
Let me hide myself in thee
was sounding board. The voice of
the minister rose to the sounding
board and then was struck back again
upon the ears Of the people. And so
the 10000 voices of earth rising up
una the heavens a sounding board
which strikes back to the ear Of all
nations the praises of Christ. The
heavens tell His glory, and the earth
shows His handiwork The Bible
thrills with one great story of redemp
| ton. Upon blasted and faded para
disc 1t poured light of glorious re-
storation. 1t looked upon Abraham
from the ram caught in the thicket. 1t
spoke in the bleatlng of the herds
driven down to Jerusalem for sacrifice
1t put infinite pathos into the speech
OF uncouth fishermen. 1t lifted Paul
into the third heaven, and it broke
upon the ear of st. John with the
brazen trumpets and the doxology OF
the elders and the rushing 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 lghtest and
your fortunes smile and your pathway
blossoms and the overarching heavens
drop upon you their benediction, speak
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
greatest enthusiasm. In the midst OF
their orations they would stop and cry
out Marathon" and the peoples en-
thusiasm would be unbounded. My
hearers, though you may have been
borne down with sin. and though tpou-
BILE and trials and temptation may
have come upon you, and you feel to-
day 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,
shall speak to you of Christ our Song.
l 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 soul and will for
ever be part of it. 1t is not so
much what you formally teach your
children as what you sing to them. A
hymn has wings and can fly every
whittier. One hundred and fifty years
after you are dead and "Old Mortal
| ity" has worn out his chisel recut-
ting your name on the tombstone your
| grandchildren 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 your voice,
there come back ten or fifteen distinct
echoes, and every Christian song sung
| by a mother in the ear of her child
shall have 10000 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 ones would be gathered, and all
our homes would chime with the songs
of Jesus!
| 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
would like to besoil your little ones.
1t will not do to keep you boys and
| girls in the house and make them
house plants. They must have fresh
air and recreation. God save your
children from the scathing, blasting,
| damning influence Of the street! |
know of no counteracting influence but
| the power of Christian culture and ex-
ample. Hold before your little ones
| the pure life Of Jesus. Let that name
| be the word that shall exercise evil
from their hearts. Give to your in
| struction all the fascination OF music
| morning, noon and night Let 1t be
/ Jesus, the cradle song. This Is i'm
| portant If your children grow up, but
| perhaps they may not Their pathway
/ may be short. Jesus may be wanting
| that child. Then there will be sound
| less step In the dwelling and the
youthful pulse will begin to fiutter and
| little hands will be lifted for help. You
| cannot help. And a great agony Will
| pinch at your heart, and the cradle
will be empty, and the nursery will
be empty, and your soul will be empty.
No little feet standing on the stairs.
No toys scattered on the carpet. No
| quick following from room to room. No
strange and wondering questions. No
upturned face with laughing blue eyes
come for kiss, but only a grave and
| a wreath of white blossoms on the top