Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-04-02


Eests Him-PoSver of the Hymn as a
Cradle Song.
WASHINGTON, April lin this dis
course DR.. Talmage shows how Christ
brings harmony and melody into ev-
cry life that he enters; text, Psalm
cxviii, A. 1.-The Lord is my strength
and song"
The most fascinating theme for Il
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 him, the cascade prOclaims
him. all the voices of nature chant
him. Whatever is grand, bright and
beautiful, if you only listen to it, will
speak his praise. So, when in the sum-
mer time l pluck a flower, / think of
him who is the Rose of Sharon and
the Lily of the Valley" When 1 see in
the fields a lamb, l say, Behold the
Lamb of God that taketh away the sin
of the world" When, in very hot
weather, 1 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 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 find
the heavens a sounding board which
strikes back TO the ear of all the ma
lions the praises of Christ. The heav-
ems tell his glory, and the earth shows
his handiwork. The Bible thrills with
one great story of redemption. Upon
q blasted and faded paradise it poured
the light of glorious restoration. 1t
looked upon Abraham from the ram
caught in the thicket. 1t spoke in the
bleating of the herds driven down to
Jerusalem for sacrifice. 1t put in
finite pathos into the speech of I'M
couth fishermen. 1t lifted Paul into
the third heaven, and it broke upon the
gar of st. John with the brazen trump
cts 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 lightest 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 great
est enthusiasm. In the midst of their
Drations they would stop and cry out
'Marathonr' and the peoples enthu-
siasm would be unbounded. My hear
ers, though you may have been borne
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 'Jesusr'
The Cradle Song.
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 in
to the fiber of our soul and will for
ever be part of it. 1t is not so much
what you formally teach your children
rs 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
put his chisel recruiting your name on
the tombstone your great-grandchil-
1ren 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 dis
tinctly utter your voice, there come
back 10 or ID distinct echoes, and ev-
cry Christian song sung by mother
in the ear of her child shall have TO-
300 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-
ance upon our children. The very mo-
ment your child steps into the street
be 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 your boys and
girls in the house and make them
aouse plants. They must have fresh
air and recreation. God save your
children from the scathing, blasting,
tanning influence of the street, l
know of no coupteracting influence but
the power of Christian culture and eX-
ample. Hold before your little ones
he 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 it be