Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-04-23
II family births generation after gen.


can imagine this mighty man of war
impulsively and hass.ly saying 20
God, If | only may he honore,l among
my people will give To thee as burnt
Offering the first person that comes
out of my house to welcome me-" But
when his beautiful daughter. ROBBED in
white. was being bound To stake.
among the fagots piled around her
beautiful limbs. and when the trcsscs
of her hair floating in the winds were
eaten up by the hot. Missing flames.
and when her dying shrek was heard
above the wailings of the muliitutlcs
that surrounded her funeral pyre. do
You believe the death of his only child
could in any way make Jephthah hap
pier because the disgrace of his birth
was forever wiped out: Instead of
Jcphthah being the head of his family.
now. 10y the death Of his only child. he
was the last of his race. | can imag-
Inc how man reared in poverty and
one who knew the cravings of hunger
might long for unlimited wealth aye.
and he ready to make almost any sac
rifice to achieve wealth but when
wealth must lie purchased nj the price
of his own life's blood is that wealth
worth the struggle and the death:
The Divine Sacrifice.
THAT is magnificent business
block" | say I" you. THAT property
must he worth u great deal of money"
Yes you answer. n fine property.
That property was built with flesh and
blood. The man who owned il is now
dead from ovcrwOrk." Yes. that is the
sad commentary upon the methods by
which scores and scores of our great
fortunes were gathered The men who
made them were the men V no were
not allowed TO live long enough to on
JOY them. oh. my brother. like .Ieph-
than. are you so anxious to achieve
temporal success THAT you are willing
to sacrifice your hearts life I'm order To
win il:
But though 1T is common custom To
regard Jephthah as one of the widest
characters of the Bibie"-as DR. Rlaikie
once saba rough. needless man.
alike rash in vowing and heartless in
fulfilling" yet by the burning pyre
built by this mans sin we see in the
characters in all history. The father
represents the man OF the world. the
man of ambition. and in one sense the
man OF selfish ambition and the man
OF sin. The daughter represents. in
humble sense. the type Of Jesus. as she
died for sin in which she was not II
participant. The one character signi-
fies eternal disgrace. The other char
acter represents daughters sacrif-
cial blood flowing to wipe out that dis
grace. Upon the gloom of Jephthah's
painful history an ethereal brightness
shines. What can be more beautiful"
once said Dr. Wiseman. more wonder
brought up among bandits and far
from the tabernacle OF God. thus freely
Offering herself as thank offering for
the victories OF Israel: And who can
fail to see in the story of the meek and
self sacrificing maiden marvellous
and mysterious adumbration of n bet
ter sacrifice OF another soul of an only
child. perfectly free and voluntary. and
OF virgin holiness and heavenly purity.
the sacrifice OF Christ. who gave his
spotless soul To death for our sakes."
In this sweet story of the lovely maid
en- dying for her fathers sins can you
not. . man. learn the lesson of how
Christ died that you might live: Will
you not accept that divine sacrifice as
an atonement for your sins:
RenOunce Sin.
The human and divine sacrifices Of