Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-04-19
DIR. TALMAGES. SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE eY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
4li Nature Joins In Singing His Praises-
Everything Bright and Beautiful Sug-
Eests Hiln-POwer of the Hymn as h
Cradle Song is Remark able.

lCopyTlRnt lsuu.
WASHINGTON, D. Gin this discourse DR.
Talmage shows how Cnrist brings harmony
md melody into every life that He enters;
ext, Psalm cxviii., 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
o speak His praise. The flower breathes
Him, the stars shine Him, the cascade
)roclaims Him, all the voices of nature
liant Him. Whatever is grand, bright
and beautiful, II YOU only listen to it, will
speak His praise. So, when in the summer
line pluck a flower, think OF Him who
IS '.the Rose Of Sharon and the Lilly of the
Valley" When I see In the 6elds lamb,
| say, "Behold the Lamb of God that
:aketh away the sin OF the world" When,
IN very hot weather, I come under a pro-
lecting cliff, say:
Rock of ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee!
Over the old fashioned pulpirs there was
sounding board. The voice OF the minis
ter rosa to the sounding board and then
was struck back again upon the ears OF the
people. And so the 200 voices OF earth
rising up find the heavens u sounding board
which strikes back to the ear OF all the ma
tions the praises Of Christ The. heavens
tell his glory, and the earth shows his
handiwork. The Bible thrills with one
great story OF redemption. Upon blasted
and faded paradise 1t poured the light OF
glorious restoration. II looked upon Abra-
ham from the ram caught in the thicket.
It spoke In the bleating OF the herds driven
iown 20 Jerusalem for sacrifice. 1t put In
Unite pathos into the speech Of uncouth
fishermen. 1t lif.ed Paul into the third
heaven, and 1t broke upon the ear of St.
John with the brazen trumpets and the
ioxology of the elders and the rushing
wings OF the seraphlm.
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 lightest aud 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 slumber-
Ing, had one word with which they would
reuse them up to the greatest enthusiasm.
In the midst OF their orations they would
stop and cry out "Marathoni' and the
peoples enthusiasm would be unbounded.
My hearers, though you may have been
borne down with sin anu though trouble
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."
speak to you of Christ our Song. 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 forever be part OF it. 1t Is not so
much what you formally teach your chill
dren as what you sing to them. hymn
has wings and can fly everywhither. One
hundred and fifty years after you are dead
and "Old Mortality has worn out his
chisei recuttipg your name on the tomb
stone your great-graudchildren will be
singing the song which last night you sang
to your little ones gathered about your
knee. There Is place In Switzerland
where, II you distinctly utter your voice,
there come back ten or fifteen distinct
echoes, and every Christian song sung by II
mother In the ear OF her child shall have
10, 900 echoes coming back from all the
gates OF heaven. Oh. II mothers only know
the power OF this sacred spell how much
oftener the little ones would be gathered
Il I'D all our homes would chime with the
songs of Jesus!
We want some eounteracting influence
upon our children. Thevery moment your
child steps into the street he steps into the
path OF temptation. There are foul
mouthed children who would like to be-
soil 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 recreation. God save your
children from the scuthing, blasting,
damping influence OF the street, l know
of no counteracting 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 their hearts. Give
to your instruction all the fascination Of
music morning, noon and night. Let 1t be
,IeSls tha prutilA This Ia imD0r-
tant IL your children grow up, but per-
maps they may not. Their pathway
may be short. Jesus may be wanting
that child. Then there will be a sound
less step in the dwelling, and the
youthful pulse will begin to flutter, and the
little hands will be lifted for help. You
cannot help. And great agony will pinch
at your heart, and the cradle will be emp
ty, and the nursery will be empty. and the
world will bc 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 up
turned face, with laughing blue eyes, come
for Il kiss, but only grave and wreath
OF white blossoms on the top OF 1t and Bit
ter desoation and signing ut nightfall, t,
with no one to put to he'd. The heavenly
Shepherd will take that lamb safely, any
how, whether you have been faithful or un-
faithful. But would It not have been
pleasanter 10 you could have heard from
those lips the praises OF Christ? I never
read anything more beautiful than this
about n child's departure. The account
said, "She folded her hands, kissed her
mother good-by. sang her hymn, turned
her fnce to the wall, sail her little prayer
and then died"
speak to you again OF Jesus as the
night song. Job speaks OF Him who giveth
songs in the night. John Welch, the old
Scotch minister used to put plaid across
his bed on cold nights, and some one asked
him why he put it there. He snid: "Oh,
sometimes in the night want to sing the
praise Of Jesus and to get down and pray;
then l just take that plaid and wrap it
around me to keep me from the cold"
Songs in the night! Night OF trouble has
come down upon many OF you. CONNER
cinl losses put out one star, slandcrous
abuse puts out another star. Domestic
bereavement has put out thousand lights,
and gloom has been added to gloom and
chill to chill and sting to sting, and one
midnight has seemed to borrow the fold
from another midnight to wrap itself in
more unbearable darkness, but Christ has
spoken peace to your heart, and You sing.
Jesus, lover OF my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the bilows near me roll,