The Russellville Democrat., 1890-02-20

sits by the hour, with his face in his hands, saying not one word. The moth- CTS hair is becoming gray too fast, and she begins to stoop so that those who saw her only little while ago in the street know her not now as she passes. The brothers elineh their fists, swear ing vengeance against the despoiler of their homes Alas will the poor soul never come back? There is long, deep shadow over all the household. Added to this there is an invading army six miles away, just over the river, coming on to destroy the city; and what with the loss of their child and the coming on of that destructive army, l think the old people wished they could die. That is the first scene in this drama of the Bible. In house on the wall of the city is that daughter. That is her home now. Two spies have come from the in- vading army to look around through Jericho and see how best it may be taken. Wonder is the lost child, in that dwelling on the wall of the city. The police hear of it, and soon there is the shuffiing Of feet all around about the door, and the city government demands the surrender of those two spies.
 First, Rahab--for that was the name of the lost child-frst, Rahab secretes the two spies, and gets their pursuers off the track; but after awhile she says to them: "I will make bargain with you. l will save your life if you will save my life and the life of my father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my sisters, when the victorious army comes upon the city" o, she had not forgotten her home yet, you see. The wanderer never forgets home. Her heart breaks now as she thinks of how she has maltreated her parents, and she wishes she were back with them again, and she wishes she could get away from her sinful enthrallment; and sometimes she looks up in the face of the midnight, bursting into agonizing tears. No sooner have these two spies promised to save her life and the life of her father, and mother, and brothers, and sisters, than Rahab takes a scarlet cord and ties 1t around the body of one of the spies, brings him to the window, and as he chambers out-nervous lest she have not strength to hold him with muscular arms such as woman seldom has she lets him down, hand over hand, in safety to the ground. Not being exhausted, she ties the cord around the other spy, brings him to the window, and just as successfully lets him down to the ground. No sooner have these men united the scarlet cord from their bodies than they look up and they say:
 ''You had better get all your friends in this house-your father, your mother, your brothers and your sisters; you had better get them in this house. And then, after you have them here, take our bodies and tie it across the window; and when our victorious army comes up and sees that scarlet thread in the win dow they will spare this house and all who are in it. Shall it be SOP"
 Aye, aye" said Rahab, from the win dow, fit shall be so"
 That is the second scene in this Bible drama. There is a knock at the door of the old man. He looks up and says, "Come in," and To! there is Rahab, the lost child; but she has no time to talk. They gather in excitement around her, and she says to them: Get ready quickly, and go with me to my house. The army is comingl The trumpet Make hastel Fly The enemy" This Is the third scene in the Bible drama. The hosts of Israel are round about the doomed City of Jericho Crashl goes the great metropolis heaps on heaps, The air sufocating with the dust, and horrible with the screams of a dying city. All the houses fiat down. All the people dead. An, no. On crag of the wall-the only piece of the wall left -standing-there is a house which we must enter. There is a family there that have been spared. Who are they? Let us go and see. Rahab, her father, ,her mother, her brothers, her sisters, all safe. and the only house left stand ing in all the city.
 What saved them? Was the house more firmly built? Oh, no; it was built in the most perilous place--on the wall; and the wall was the first thing that fell. Was it because her character was any better than any of the other popula- ton of the city? Oh, no. Why, then, was she spared, and all her houshold? Can you tell me why2 Oh, it was the scarlet line in the window. That is the fourth scene in this Bible drama. When the destroying angel went through Egypt, it was the blood of the lamb on the door posts that saved the Israelities; and now that vengeance has come upon Jericho 1t is the same color that assures the safety of Rahab and all her house. hold My friends, there are foes com ing upon us, more deadly and more tre- 'mendous, to overthrow our immortal in terests They will trample us down and crush us out forever, unless there be some shllful mode of rescue open. The police of death already begin to clamor for our surrender; but, blessed be God, there is a way cut 1t is through the window, and by rope sosaturated with the blood of the cross that 1t is as red as that with which the spies were low cred; and if once our souls shall be de- livered then, tho scarlet cord stretched across the window of our escape, we may defy all bombardment, earthly and Satanic
 In the first place, carrying out the idea of my text, we must stretch this scaffet cord across the window of our rescue. There comes time when a man is surrounded Whhtis that in the front door oi bis spgl2 it ls tho threat enings 0f the future What lg Shat ia tag hses gg0g c lis seslY q ls the