The Penn's Grove record., 1889-02-09
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON:
The March Hcmeward.

THERE IL intense excitement in the
Village OF Ziklag. David and his men
are bidding goodbye to their families,
and + OF for the wars. In that little
village Of ZiklaR the defenceless ones
will be left until the warriors, flushed
with victory, come home. But will the
defenceless ones be safe? The soft
arms of children are around the necks
of the bronzed warriors, until they
shake themselves free and start, and
handkerchiefs and flags are waved, and
kisses thrown, until the armed men
vanish beyond the hills, David and
his men SOC get
THROUGH WITH THEIR CAMPAIGN,
and start homeward. Every night on
their way home, no sooner does the
soldier put his sead on the knapsack,
than In his dream he hears the welcome
of the wife, and the shout of the child.
Oh. what long stories they will have 10
tell their families, of how they lodged
the battle-axei 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 overlOoks Xix
lag, 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 lip
uuiyers. and their hand Involuntary
comes down on the hilt Of the sword.
"Where is ZiklagP Where are our
honest" they cry. Alasl the curling
smoke above the ruin tells the tragedy.
The Amalekites have come down and
consumed the village. and carried the
mothers and the wives and the children
of David and his men into captivity.
The swarthy warriors stand for a few
moments transdxed with horror. Then
their eyes glance to each other, and
they burst into uncomfortable weeping
for when
AsTRoNG WARRIOR wEEPs,
the grief Is appalling. It seems as if
the emotion might tear him to pieces.
They .swept until they had no more
power to weep" But so0n their sor-
row turns Into rage, and David In
Quires of the Lord what he shall do,
and receives the reply: pursue: for
thou shalt overtake them, and, without
fail. recover ALL" He swings his sword
high in air, and the march becomes a
s.double-quick." Two hundred of
David's men stop by the brook Besor,
faint with fatigue and grief. They
cannot 60 a step farther. They 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 resuscitate
him, and compel him to tell the Whole
story. He says: "Yonder they went,
the captors and the ~captives," pointing
In the direction. Forward, ye four
hundred brave men!
Very soon David and his enraged
company come upon the Amalekitish
host. Yonder they see their own wives
and children and mothers, under an
Amalekitish guard. Here are the Off
cers Of the Amalekitish army holding a
banquet. The cups are full, the music
is reused, the dance begins. The AM
alekltish host cheer aud cheer and cheer
over their victory. But without note
OF bugle or warning Of trumpet David
and his four hundred men burst upon
the scene, suddenly as Robert Bruce
hurled his Scotchmen upon the jewellers
at BannockDurn. David and his men
look up; seeing their loved ones in cap
under Amalekitish guard,
throws them into a very fury Of determ-
ination-for you know howsmen will
fight when they fight for their wives
and children. All, there are lightnings
in their eye. and every finger is a 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 so0ne 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 amidst
a great shout of joy that makes the
parting scene in Ziklag seem very in
sipid IN the comparison. The rough
old warrior has to use some persuasion
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 filled with the best wine
from the hills, and David and his men,
the husbands, the wives, the brothers,
the sisters, drink to the overthrow of
the Amalekites, and TO the rebuilding
Of Ziklsg. So. o Lord. let thine ell
ernies perishi
Now they are coming home-David
and his men and their families
A LONG PROCESSION,
men, women, and children, loaded with
jewels and robes and with all kinds of
trophies that the Amalekites had gath
cred up in years of conquest-every-
thing 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
well as among the well. Surely, the
lame and exhausted ought to have
some of the treasures. Here is q robe
for this pale-faced warrior. Here is a
pillow for this dying man. Here is a
handful Of gold for the wasted trum-
peter. / 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 fell
lows objected to the sick ones having
any Of the spoils. The directors said:
.'These men did not fight" David,
with q magnanimous heart, replies:
"As his part is that goeth down to the
battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth
by the stuff"
This subject is practically suggestive
TO me. Thank God, In these times a
man can 60 off on a journey, and be
gone weeks and months, and come back
and see his. house untouched of incend-
larry, and have his family on the step to
greet him. II by telegram he has fore
told the moment Of his coming. But
there are Amalekitish disasters, and
there are
AMALEKITIsH DISEASES,
that sometimes come down upon ones
home, making as devastating work as
the day when Ziklag took fire.. There
are families IN my congregation whose
homes have been broken up. No bat