Is the Young Man Absalom Safe? / A Sermon Preached in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Stoke Bishop, on Sunday, July 19th, 1885

The sermon expounds a biblical episode in which a monarch reacts with intense paternal concern upon learning of his son's fate, using that incident to illustrate the Old Testament's naturalistic fidelity and to probe the tension between human affection and moral culpability. It contrasts personal grief with public duty, considers consequences of filial rebellion and sin, and broadens the reflection to modern parents and caregivers by asking whether young people are safe, addressing grief, responsibility, and the perennial vitality of succeeding generations.