The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1889-05-31
REX1R TALMAGE.
THE BRooKLYN DIVINEs SUN.
DAY SERMON
Subject. THE Moonlight Eiae.'

A DEED city Is mere suggestive than hY-
ing cify-past Rome than present Rome
ruins rather than newly frescoed cathedral
But The best time 70 visit a ruin Is by neon
light The Coliseum is far more fascinating
70 the traveller after shutdown than before
You may stand By daylight amid the moaes-
tic ruins o. Melrose ABBEY, and study
STATED oriel, and rosetted stone and niulhon,
but they throw their strongest w1tchery BY
moonlight. Some Of you remember what
the enchanter Of Scotland said IN the Lay
OF the Last Minstrel
Toulds. tseu view fair Melrose Alright
Go visit i BY ihe pale msouhght
Washington Irving describes the Anda-
lusian moonlight upon the Alhambra RUNS
as amounting to an enchantnent. My text
presents you Jerusalem IN ruins The tower
down. The gates down. The walls down.
Everything down. Nehemiah on horseback,
BY moonlight looking upon the ruins. While
be rides, there are some friends on feet going
with him, for they do not want the many
horses 70 disturb the suspicious OF
the people Thcss people do no know
going as 9 SORT OF body guard ! hear the
clicking hoof Of the horse on which Nehe-
niah rides, as he guides it this way and that,
into this gate and out Of that, winding
through that gate amid the debris Of once
fre.t Jerllsalem. Now the horse comes 70 q
dead halt At the tumblsd masonry where be
cannot pas. Now be SHES OF at the charrsd
timbers. Now be comes along where the va
ter under tie moonlight flashes from the
mouth q tho brazcn dragon after which the
gate vas naHled. Heavy hearted Nehemiah
t.lclne IN and ont nov by his old home
desoiated, now by tbs delacsi temple, now
amid tAs Eears OF the city that had gone
down under catering ram and conhagrs-
tor Tie esccrfiug party knows not what
= lei f.rr
his own personal sorroHs, added to the scr
rows Of the nation, unbalanced his intellect
STU the midnight exploration goes on.
Eehuuiah On horseback rides through the
iish gate, By thu tower OF the furnaces, By
The Kings pool. by the dragon vel, in and
out. IN and out until the midnight ride is
complstsd, and Nehemiah dismounts from
his korss, and 10 the amazed and conf0uudsd
and ineredulous body guard, declares the
dead secret Of bis heart when be says:
Come now. Jet Us build jerusalem
A. What, Nehemiah, haTa you any money!
Ne Have you any kngly au
tkorityfi NO Have you any eio-
queuceH no Yet that midnight moon
light ride Of Nehemiah resulted IN the glori-
people knew not how tha thing was to be
dons, but with great enthusiasm they cried
out Let us rise up now and build the city.
Some people laughed and said il could not be
done Some people were infuriate and Of
fersi physical vioienes. saFing the
thing should not le done But tbs
lForknssn went right on, standing
sword IN the other until the work was
gl5riously complstsd At that very time, in
Gresce. Aenophon was writing a history
and Plato vas making philosophy, and
Ds1osthsges was rafting bis rhetorical
thunder, but al Of them together did not do
50 much for the world As this midnight,
moonlight ride Of praying, courageous home
aicg, close-moutlled Nehemiah.
lily subject first impresses ne with the idea
what an intense thing IS church affection.
Seize the birdie OF that horse and stop Nehe-
miah. Why are you riszing your life here
in the night Your horse viii stumble over
thsss ruins and IAN on you. Stop this use
less exposure Of your life. 10; Nehemiah
vii Hos stoa. He a. last tells Us tho whole
story he lets as know be was an exile IN
fer distsnt land and be was e servant a cup
bearer in tie palace Of Artarsrxss Long,
inanus, asd one day. while be was handing
the cup Of vine &c the King. the King said
70 him. " hat Is the matter with YOU You
arr not sick ] know FOu must have come
great treble N las Is the matter with
yous Ihsa be told the King bow that be-
loved jerusalem vas broken down:
how that bis fathers tomb had
49,.
bean dishcn0rcd and defaeed: low that the
walls were scattered and broken. "Well.
says king ArtazerzeS. what do you WANT
Well zsid the cup-bearer Nehsmiah,
Il want % 20 hone. ] want 70 fix NJ
the grave OF my fCtheT. I want to re
sioIe the beauty Of the Temple. 1 want
70 rebuild the masonry Of the city wall
bsslees. I want passports 50 that 1 shall
not be Numbered ~ my journey. And be-
sides that. as yo1 viii fizd -tn-tiis eontezt.
u want an 0rleI-ol the man who keeps your
forest fer .ust 50 much timber as I may need
for tbs rebuilding q The city How long
shall Jon b gonsf said the King. The
time Of ahzerce is arranged In hot
haste tals seeming advsnturer comes
b Jerusalem. and in ny text we
ind him on horseback, in the midnight,
riding around tie ruins Il IS through the
spectacies Of this scene that we discover the
lrdsns z achm-ut Of Nshemiah for sacred
lerusaisHI which IN al ages has been
lie type OF the church o. God our
Jerusalem. which we love Just As much
~ Nehemiah loved his Jerusalem.
% much that there is no spot on earth 50
iecred. l1lsss il Is your o1n freside. The
.nnrch has been 20 You 50 much comfort and
! Ii-Il.'i .1ti tiel fhsrs Is nothing tha'
hAAes you 50 uata as % haze . talked
'gairEt II there have been times when Won
ave besn carried into captivity bv
ieknsss, yen lonEsd for the church,
~ holy Jerusalem, Just as much as
Ne5emiah longei fer his Jerusalem, and the !
irst day you came out you came 10 the !
l0use Of the Lord When the Temple was
2 ruins as ours vas years ago, Ike Eehs- /
ni1a, Toc walked around and looked at t. /
nc IN the moonlight you stood listening Il ]
or could not hssr the voice Of the dead
ryan, the psalm Of the expired Sab
Eths What Jerusalem vas TO Nehs-
aiah- the church Of God il to you.
keptics and iHfidels may soon a. the church
8 an o1solAte affair, IS a relic Of the dark
ges Is a convention Of cody goody people, |
at All tie impression they have ever made
n your mind against the church o. God Is /
bsoiutsly nothing You would make more /
-erihces for il today than FOR any |
t1er institution. and If il were ned 4
81 yoa would die n = dsfeucs. /
5ou can take the words Of the kiagly poet 1
4 he said. II forget thee o Jerusalem. 4
4 my right haBd forget her cunning You |
a your own experience the /
athcs. The hcmesle<ness, the courage the /
oly enthusissm Of Nehemiah in his mid l
ight, moonlight ride around the ruins OF /
i b-lo=sd Jerusalem
Again, ny text Inprezs8s me with the tact
IA nef2r rseonslrlction there must bs an
( pioraton Of ruins Why was not Nehe-
llAn asissp un1sr the coYersl Why was not
. none staolsd in the midnight Let tho
o-ioe o. ne city arrest this midnight rider
ll on sons mischief No. Nehemiah
gong o rebuild the city, and
= making The preliminary er-
GRAFTON In this gate, out that zate
81 Wes-s north, south. All through
e runs The ruins must be explored Be.
re the work Of recoustruction can begin.
De reason that % many people in this
y, apparently converted, do not stay
inverted is becsuss they did not first
Ipiore thu ruins Of their own heart. The
ason that there are % many profos7sd
hrlstlans VINO In this day lie and forge
ID steal and commit adultery, and 20 70
e peaitsntiary. Is because thsy first 10 NOT
I'm the ruin oftheir own heart They have
V found out that 'ths heart Is decsitful
ore 81 things, a1i desperately wicksdn
ley had An i1ea that thsy were almost right.
d tley built religion As sort OF extension.
an ornamental cupoig- There was q super-
iucfure q RELIGION huiit on Q sub
,Atani Q. HnreysntsI sins Tue
'ubls With a good deal Of modern
eoloEy Is that instead Of building on tho
snt foundation. It bulls oa the debris OF
lrsssHsrhted nature. They attempt to
ollla Serusalsn before. in the midnight Of
n1lct On, they have sson tbs ghastilinoss Of
1atd. lnsy have such Z poor f0unia-
- ~ .leir reiigion tia the first northeast
- u temptation blows tho7i down.
Ye 70 fsith 10 a mans eonversion II he n
] .lstItea 10 the Oh fashioned Wsy-John
ray John WesIsy's way. John {
Vin' way. Paws way. Chrigss way,
as say. A dentist oncs said 70 ne;
riA u Is 10 your business a. il i5ip INV
,-eais5. We have to hurt bsfors We oa1 !
y 41u will uever frrJ.,-.ts,,7 &c.,