The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-04-06
DR. TALMAGES.. SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE sYThe NOTED
DIVINE.
All Nature Joins in singing His Praises
Everything Bright aud Beautiful >ug-
gests Him-Power OF tho Hymn ss a
Cradle song is Remarkable.
tcoPyrieht i.al

rAlmAge shows how Christ brings harmony
and melody into every lite tha, lie eaters;
text. Psalm cxviii., "a. The Lord l. my
strength and song
The mos, fascinating theme for heart
properly at;uned Is the saviour. There +
something IN the morning light 70 suggest
Hin and something In the evening shadow
to speak His praise. The aower breathes
Hin, the stars shine Him. the cascade
proclaims Him. all the voices ot nature
chant Him. Whatever IL grand. bright
and beautiful. II you only listen 10 IL, will
speak His praise. SO. when In tho summer
time pluck tower, thlnk OF Hin who
Is "the Rose OF sharon and the Lily OF the
Valley" When I see in the aelis a lamb,
| say. Behold tue Lamb OF God that
taketh away the sin OF the wo rid" When,
in very hot weather. come Jude, pro-
iecting elf, say;
Rock OF ages. cleft for me.
Let ms hide myself in Thee,
over the old fashioned pulpits there was
a sounding board. The voice OF the minis
ter rose 20 the sounding board and then
was struck back again Upon the ears OF the
people. And so the 10 900 voices ol earth
rising up Ind the heavens q 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
bandiwork. The Bible thrills with one
great story OF redemption. Upon a blasted
and faded paradise II poured the light OF
glorious restoration. Ii looked upon Ahra-
ham from tho ram caught In the thicket.
IL spoke In the bleating OF the herds driven
down 20 Jerusalem for sacrifice. II put In.
finite pathos into the speech OF uncouth
fishermen. Ii lif:ed Paul !nto the third
heaven, and IL broke upon the ear OF 81.
John with the braZen trumpcts aud the
doxology OF the elders and tho 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 II lightest and your fortunes
smile aud your pathway blossoms and the
overarchtug heavens drop uponyou their
benediction, speak the praises OF Jesus.
The old Greek orators. when they saw
their audiences inattentive aud 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 aud cry out "Marathon" and tho
peoples enthusiasm would be unbounded.
My hearers, though you may have been
borne down with sin ami though trouble
and trials aud temptation may have come
upon you and you feel to-day hardly like
looking up, methinks there ~ Que grand,
royal, Imperial wor1 that ought 10 rouse
your soul 10 inhnitc rejoicing, and that
word IL Jesus"
Taking the suggestion OF tae text shall
speak to you OF Christ our Song. | remark,
Ia the first place, TINT Christ ought TO be
the cradle song. What our mothers sang
TO US when they ppt us to sleep II singing
yet We may have forgotten the words,
but they went into the lber OF our soul and
will forever be a part OF IL. II Is not 80
much what you formally teach your chill.
dren as what you sing to them. A hymn
has wings and can hy everywhither. One
hundred and atty years after you are dead
and "0ld Mortality" has worn out his
chlsel recuttiug your name on tho tomb.
stone your great-grandchildren will be
singing tho song which last night you sRng
TO your littlo ones gathered about your
knee. There Is place In Switzerland
where, IL 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
10 900 echoes coming bnck from all the
gates OF heaven. Oh. IL mothers only knew
the power OF this sacred spell how much
oftener the little ones would bn gathered
ald all our homes would chime With the
songs OF Jesus!
We want some counteracting influence
upon our children. The very IN momeut your
child steps Into the street he steps into the
path OF temptation. There arc foul
mouthed children who would like to be-
soil your little ones. II will not do to
keep your boys and girls Ia the house and
make them house plants. They must have
fresh air aud recreation. God save your
children from the scathing. blasting,
damuing influence ot the street, / know
OF no counteracting Influence but the
power OF Christian culture and example.
Hold before your little ones tho pure llte
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 II be
H.. D.. l..
tant II your children grow up, but per-
haps 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 futter. and the
little hands will be liited for help. You
cannot help. And great agony viii pinch
ut your heart, and the cradle will be emp
~. and tho nursery will be empty. and the
world 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 questioss. No up
turned face, with laughing blue eyes, come
for kiss, but only grave and wreath
of white blossoms on the top OF II and Bit
ter desolation and a slyhlng ut nightfall,
with no one to put 20 bed. The heavenly
Shepherd will take that lamb safely, any
how, whether you have been faithful or un-
faithful. But would Il not have been
pleasanter 10 you could have heard from
those lips the praises % Christi | never
read anything more beautiful than this
about chlids departure. The account
said, "She folded her hands, kissed her
mother gOod-by, sang her hymn, turned
her face TO the wall, satI her little prayer
and then died"
speak TO you agaio % Jesus as the
night song. Job speaks % n I'm who giyeth
L. .Ns.N.N -. - - a
scotch minister used 10 put plaid across
his bed on cold nights. aud some one asked
him why he put Il there. Ho said: "Ob.
sometimes IN the night | want TO sing the
praise OF Jesus and u got down and pray;
then | just take thdt plaid and wrap II
around me TO keep me from tho cold"
Songs In the night Night o, trouble has
come down upon mauy OF you. Conner
clal losses put out one star, slanderous
abuse puts out another star. Domestic
bereavement has put out a thousand lights,
and gloom has been added 20 gloom aud
chill TO chill and sting 20 sting, and one
midnight has seemed 20 borrow the fold
from another midnight 20 wrap itself Ia
more unbearAble darkness, bot Christ has
spoken peace 20 your heart. and you sing.
Jesus. lover Of my soul.
Let me 30 Thy bosom fy.
While the b.llOv- near ms roll,
While the tsm pest still j. ilga.
Hide me, o ny saviour. Hl1s
TIL the storm o. lie II pass,
Safe into the haven gglie:
Ob, receive my soul at last.
Songs 10 the aigLti Songs 90 the night
For the sick. who have no one % turn the
hot pillow no one % put the taper ola the
stand. no one % put Tee on tbs TEN ple- or
pour out the soothing anogyne or utter
one cheerful wOrf-yet soBgs ia the night
FOr ths poor. WHO iteezs in the vintsrs
COLI and swelter IN She summers heat and
MUNICH toe BARI cfgst- thai bleed the sore
gums and SILVER guder blankets that