The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-02-20
THE HOMEWARD MARCH.
Sermon by Rev. T. Dewitt Tai
mage, D. D.
How David's Soldiers Recovered Their
Loved Ones From the Amalekites-The
Great March of the Earthly Host
to the Heavenly Home.

GREAT MocCh OF tine Earthly hOSC
to the Heavenly Home.
The subject Of DR.. Talmage's recent ser
mon was The March Romeward," and th'
text !. Samuel, Xxx, s: Pursue for thol
shalt surely overtake them, and withou
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 of foI
the wars. In that little village of ZiklaS the
6efenseless ones will be safe until the war.
riors, flushed with victory, come home. But
will the defenseless ones be safe!
The soft arms Of children are 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 the k1apsack than in his dream he
hears the welcome of the wife and the shout
Of the child. Q, what long stories they will
have to tell to their families, OF how they
lodged the battIe-axe! and then will roll
up their sleeve and show the half
healed wound. With glad, quick step
they march on. David and his
men, for they are marching home. Now
they come up to the last hill which over
looks Ziklag, and they expect in a moment
to see the dwelling places Of 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 Ziklag: Where
are our homeS!' they Cry. Alas the curling
smoke above the ruin tells the tragedy.
The Amalekites have come down and con-
sumed the village and carried the mothers
and the wives and the children Of David and
his men into captivity. The swarthy war
riors stand for few minutes transhxed
with horror. Then .',.r eyes glance to
each other and they b.;:.st into uncontroll-
able weeping; for when a strong warrior
weeps the grief is appalling. 1t seems as if
the emotion might tear him to pieces. They
''wcpt until they had no more power to
weep" But soon their sorrow turns into
rage aud David, swinging his sword high
into the air, cries: pursue, for thou shalt
overtake them, and without fail recover
all" Now the march becomes double
quick" Two hundred of David's men stop
by the brook Besor, faint with fatigue and
grief. They can not 90 a step further. They
are left there; but the other four hundred
men under David, with sort Of panther.
step, march on in sorrow and in rage. They
find by the side Of the road a half dead
compel him to tell the whole story. He says:
'fYonder they went, the captors and the
captives,'' - pointing in the direction. For
-H.a. ~ Iour ,,vtrateu- o.
Very soon David and his enraSed company
come upon the Amalekitish host. londer
they see their own wives, and children, and
mothers, and under Amalekitish guard.
Here are the officers Of the Arlale-
kitish army holding a banquet The
cups are full, the music is reused,
the dance begins The Amalekitish
host cheer, and cheer, and cheer over their
But, without note of bngle orwarn-
ing of trumpet, David and his four hundred
men burst upon the scene. suddenly as Rob-
ert Bruce hurled his Scotchmen upon the rev
elsrs at Bannockburn. David and his men
look up, and one glance at their loved ones
in captivity and under Amalekitish guard
throws them into very fury of determina-
ton, for you know how men will fight when
thew fight for their wives and children. An,
there are lightnings in their eyes, and every
finger is spear, and their voice is like the
shout Of the whirlwind. Amidst the upset
tankar0s 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 amidsta great shout
Of Joy that makes the parting scene in Xix
lag seem very insipid in the comparison.
The rough old warrior has to use some per-
sussion before he can get his child to 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
filed 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 Amalekites and to the rebuild
ing Of Ziklag. So, 0, 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 IN
the hands of David and his men. When
they come by the brook Besor, the place
where stayed the men sick and incompetent
to travel, the jewels and the robes and 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 a robe for this pale
faced warrior Here is a pillow for this
dying man. Here is a handful Of gold for
the wasted trumpeter. I 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: "These men
did not fight" David, with magnanlmous
heart, replies: ''As his part is that goeth
down to the battle, 50 shall his part be that
tarrieth by the stuK."
This subject is practically suggestive to
me. Thank God, in these times man can
20 of on journey, and be gone weeks ano
months, and come back and see his house
untouched of incendiary, and have his faml
ly on the step to greet him, if by telegraph
he has foretold the moment of his coming
But there are Amalekitish disasters anc
there are Amalekilish diseases thai
sometimes come down upon ones home
making as devastating work as the day
when Ziklag took fire. There are familie!
in nv congregation whose homes have beer
broken up. No battering ram smote IN th'
door, no iconoclast crumbled the statues, ~
fame leaped amidst the curtains; but so Ia
49,, Ill +ba ;o1- oD6 ,nerrimeDt that once be