The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-18
"D0 NOT GIVE UP."
DR.. Talmage's Sermon Yesterday.
Tho Losson OF the Moonlight Ride
Of Nehemiah.
Tho Intensity of Affection For the
Church of God.
How Greed Is Cured by Christian
Work and Love.
Tho Compensatlons OF Labor For the
Cause of fChrist-"Jorusalem VIII
Be Rebuilded" - "God,
the Refuge"

BRooKLYN, MY, March l7..-At the tab
ernacle this morning the Rev. T. Dewitt
Talmagc, ID. d., expounded tho seventh
chapter OF Ecclcsastes lie aitcrward
gave out the hymn beginning,
Grace us charming sound,
Harmonious to the car,
which was sung by the vast congregation
with magnificent effect The subject Of
DIR. Talmagc's sermon was THE Moon
light Ride, aud the text Nehemiah ii. 10:
Then went up In the night by tho
brook, and viewed the wall, and turned
back, and entered by the cato Of the val
ley, and so returned" lie said:
A dead city is more suggestive than a
living city-past Rome than present Rome
ruins rather than newly irescocd cathe-
dral. But the best time to visit ruin is
by moonlight. Tho Coliseum is far more
fascinating to tho traveller after sundown
than before. You may stand by da flight
amid the monastic ruins OF Melrose Abbey,
aud study shaited orie and rosetted stone
aud ullion, but they throw their strong.
est witchory by moonlight. Some OF YOU
remember what the onchantcr Of Scot
land said in the "Lay OF the Last Min
sIcl."
woulds't thou view fair Mcltosc Alright.
Go wilt Il by the pale moonlight
Washington Irving describes the Anda-
lu-inn moonlight upon the Alhambra ruins
as amounting 10 an onchantmcnt. My
text presents you Jerusalem In ruins Tho
tower down. The gates open. Tho walls
down. Everything down. Nehemiah on
horseback, by moonlight looking upon tho
ruins. While he rides, there are some
friends ON foot going with him, for they
do no not wan. ,ho many horses 20 disturb
tho suspicious Of the people. These peo-
| pie do not know the secret Of Nchcmiah's
/ hcait but they are going ~ u sort Oi body
guard. | hear the clicking hcois OF the
horse on which Nehemiah rides. as he
guides II this way aud that, into this gate
and out OF that, winding through that gate
amid the debris OF once ggcat Jerusalem.
1 Now tho horsc comes to dead halt at the
Itnmblcl masonry whore hc cannot pass.
Now lao shics on NJ the charrcd timbcrs.
Now lao comes along where the water un-
der the moonlight flashes from the mouth
OF the brazcn dragon after which the gate
! was named. Heavy hearted Nehemiah
Riding In and out now by his old home
| dcsolalcd, now by the deiaced temple,
now amid the scars OF the city that lad
| gone down under haltering ram aud con-
! Migration. Tho cscoriing party knows not
what Nehemiah means. Is ho getting
cralyl Have his own personal sor-
rows, added 10 the sorrows OF the ma
ton, unbalanced his intellect Still
the midnight exploration goes on. Nche.
mnh on horseback rides through tho fish
gate, by the tower Of the furnaces by the
kings pool, by the dragon we'll. la aud
out la and out, until the midnight ride IA
completed, and Nehemiah dismounis from
his horfc and 10 the amazed and con-
founded aud incrcdulous body guard, do
clnf,H the dead secret Of his heart when
he says, Come, now, let us build Jeru-
salem" "Mhat, Nehemiah, have you
any money! "No.' Have YOU any
kingy authority" "No." "llaye YOU
any cloqucncc?" "No" Yet that mid.
night, moonlight ride Of Nehemiah re-
suited In the glorious rebuilding Of tho
city OF Jerusalem. The people knew not
/ how the thing was 90 be- done, but with
great enthusiasm they cried out, "I.ot us
rise up now aud build the city," Some
people laughed aud said Il could not bo
done. Sone people wofH iniuratcd and
Offered physical violence, saying tho
| thing should not be- done. But the work.
men went right On, standing ON the wall,
| lroWcl in ono hand, sword m the other,
until the work was glonously completed.
! At that very time, Ia Greece, Nunophon
was writing history, aud Plato WIS max.
Ing philosophy aud Demosihonos was
| mttling his rhetorical thunder, but all Of
| them together did not do NO much for the
world ~ this midnight. moonlight ride OF
PRAYING cOufagcOus hOmcsiCk, close
| iuunlhcd Nehemiah.
My subject iinst imprcsscs me with tho
| idea what an intense thing IA church af-
lection. Scizc the birdie ui that horso and
stop Nehemiah. Why are you fisking
| your life here In the nighR Your horse
| will stumble over these ruins aud lall ON
/ you. Stop this useless exposure OF your
| lie. No. Nehemiah will not stop. lie at
| last tells us tho whole story. lie lots No
| know he was an exile la lar distant land,
and be was u servant q cup bearer ia tho
palace oi Artaxcrxos Longimanus, aud one
day while he was handing the cup Of vino
TO The king, the king said 10 him, what
i The matter with your You are not sick.
| know you must have some great trouble.
| What Is the matter with your Then no
told the king how that beloved Jerusalem
was broken down: how that his fathers
tomb had been dosccratcd; how that the
| Temple had been dshonorcd and doiacod;
| how that the walls wcrc scattered and
broken. "Wcll," says King AHaxcrxcs,
what do you wani9' "Wcll, said the
cup bearer Nehemiah, 81 want 10 70
home. | want 10 fix up the grave
OF my father | want 10 restore the
beauty Of tho temple. want TO ~.
build the masonry Of the city wall.
Besides, | want passports 10 that shall
not be- hndcrcd In my journey. And be-
sides that" ~ you will find In the con-
text, "l want AN order ON the man WHO
keeps your forest for just 70 much timber
"a may need for the building Of the city,"
"llow long shall you DO goner said tho
King. The time Of absence Is arranged.
In hot haste this seeming adyenturcr
CONES 10 Jerusalem, aud In my text We
find him on horseback, in the midnight,
riding around the ruins II Is through
the spcciaclcs Of this socno that We dis
cover the ardent attachment Of Nehemiah
| iof sacred Jerusalem, which In oil nr,s
/ 49,. A. -