The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-01-23
THE HoMEWARD MARCH.
Sermon by Rev. T. Dewitt Tai
mage, D. D.
How David's Soldiers Recovered Their
Loved Ones From the AmaIelsites-The
Great March of the Earthly Host
to the Heavenly Home.


mon was "The March Homeward," !" and the
text ]. Samuel, XXX, 8: pursue for thou
shalt surely overtake them, and without
fail recover ALL" The eloquent divine spoke
as follows:
There is intense excitement in the village
Of Ziklag David and his men are bidding
goodbye to their families, and are off for
the wars. In that little village of Ziklag the
defenseless ones will be safe until the war.
riors, flushed with victory, come home. But
will the defenseless ones be safel
The soft arms Of children arc around the
necks Of the bronzed warriors until they
shake themselves loose and start, and hand.
kerchiefs and flags are waved, and kisses
thrown until the armed men vanish beyond
the hills. David and his men soon get
through with their campaign, and start
homeward. Every night on their way
home, no sooner does the soldier put his
head on tho knapsack than in his dream he
hears the welcome of the wife and the shout
Of the child. o, what long stories they will
have to tell 10 their families. of how they
lodged the battle-axe! and then will roll
up their sleeve and show the half.
healed wound. With glad, quick step
euoJ luuICu Ou, DuNlu anu MS
men, for they are marching home. Now
they come up to the last hill which over.
looks Ziklag and they expect in moment
to see the dwelling places their loved
ones. They look, and as they look their
cheeks turn pale, and their lips quiver, and
their hands involuntarily come down on the
hilt OF the sword. "Where is Ziklagl Where
are our honest" they cry. Alas the curling
smoke above the ruin tells tho tragedy
The Amalekites have come down and con.
sumed the village and carried tho mothers
and the wives and the children of David and
his men into captivity. The swarthy war
rlors stand for a few minutes trausiixed
with horror. Then their eyes glance TO
each other and they burst into uncontroll-
able weeping; for when n strong warrior
weeps the grief is appalling. II seems as II
the emotion might tear him TO pieces. They
''wept until they had no more power to
weep" But soon their sorrow turns into
rage and David, swinging his sword high
into the air, cries: Pursue, for thou shalt
overta.e them, and without fail recover
nll." Now the march becomes double.
quick" Two hundred OF David's men stop
by the brook Besor, faint with fatigue and
grief. They eau not so step further. Thoy
are left there; but the other four hundred
men under David, with a sort Of panther
step, march on in sorrow and in rage They
find by the side of the road a half dead
Egyptian, and they resuscitato him and
compel him to tell the whole story. He SAYS:
"Yonder they went, the captors and the
captives," pointing In the direction. For
ward, ye four hundred brave men OF fire
Very soon David and his enraged company
come upon the Amalekitish host Yonder
they see their own wives and children and
mothers, and under Amalektish guard.
Here arc the officers Of the Amale-
kitish army holding banquet. The
cups are full, the music Is reused,
the dance begins. The Amalekitish
host cheer, and cheer, and cheer over their
victory But, without note Of bugle or warn
ing OF trumpet David and his four hundred
men burst upon the scene suddenly as Rob
ert Bruce hurled his Scotchmen upon therev-
elers at Bannockburn. David and his men
look up, and one glance at their loved ones
In captivity and under Amalektish guard
throws them into very fury of determina-
tion, for you know how men will fight when
they fight for their wives and children. All,
there are lightnings In their eyes, aud every
finger is spear, and their voice Is like the
shout of the whirlwind. Amidst the upset
tankards and the costly viands crushed under
foot. the wounded Amalekites lie (their
blood mingling with their wine) shrieking
for mercy. No sooner do David and his men
win the victory than they throw their
swords down into the dust--what do they
want with swords now!-and the broken
families come together amdsta great shout
Of JOY that makes the parting scene in Zik-
lag seem very insipid In the comparison.
The rough old warrior has TO use some per-
suasion before he can get his child 10 come
TO him now after so long an absence; but
soon the little finger traces the familiar
wrinkle across the SCARED face. And then
the empty tankards are set up, and they are
filled with the best wine from the hills, and
David and his men, the husbands, the wives,
the brothers, the sisters, drink to the over
throw OF the Amalokites and 10 the rebuild
ing Of Zlklag. SO, o, Lord, let thine enc
mics perish
Now they are coming home, David and
his men and their families-a long process
sion. Men, women and children, loaded
with jewels and robes, and with all kinds OF
trophies that the Amalekites had gathered
up In years Of conquest-everything now 10
the hands Of David and his men. When
they come by tho brook Besor, the place
whore stayed the men sick aud incompetent
TO travel, the jewels and the robes aud all
kinds OF treasures are divided among the
sick as we'll as among the well. Surely the
lame and exhausted ought TO have some Of
the treasures. Here Is robe for this pale
faced warrior. Here is pillow for this
dying man. Here is a handful OF gold for
the wasted trumpeter. really think that
these men who tainted by the brook Besor
may have endured as much as those men
who went into battle. Some mean fellows
objected TO the sick ones having any OF the
spoils. The objectors said "'rhese men
did not fight" David, with magnanimous
heart replies; "As his part is that goeth
down TO the battle, so shall his part be that
tarrleth by the stuff"
This subject is practically suggestive TO
me. Thank God, I'm these times man can
go OF on a journey, and be gone weeks and
months, and come back and see his house .
untouched OF incendiary, and have his fami.
ly on the step 10 greet him, II by telegraph
he has foretold the moment OF his coming.
But there are Amaleldtish disasters and
there are Amalekilish diseases that
sometimes come down upon ones home,
making as devastating work Us tho day
when Ziklag took fire. There arc families
In my congregation whose homes have been
broken up. No battering ram smote In the
door, no iconoclast crumbled the statues, no
fiamo leaped amidst the curtains; but so far
as all the Joy and merriment that once be-
longed 10 that house are concerned, the
homo has departed. Armed diseases came
down, upon the quletness OF the scene