Connecticut western news., 1890-02-12
DR. TALMAGE'S HOME SERMON
Minent Divine Resumes Preach. ing in Brooklyn.

ing in Brooklyn.
 A Great Crowd Hears the Noted Preachers Since Returning From His Trip to the Holy Land-His Subject: 'The House on the Wall"
 BROOKLYN, Feb. g, 1890. Rev. T. Dewitt Brooklyn this morning after his visit to the Holy Land, and the Academy of Music was crowded. Thousands of people were not able to get into the building. The subject of his discourse was 'The House on the Wall." pr. Talmage took for his text Joshua vii, 23: ''And the young men that were spies went in and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had" He said:
 When, only few weeks ago, I visited dilapidated place is the Jericho that Mark Antony gave as wedding present to Cleo patra! Where are the groves of palm trees? Where are Herod's palaces that once stood stage of which salome told the people that Herod was dead? Where is the sycamore tree on the limb of which Zaccheus sat when Jesus passed this place? Where is the wreck of the walls that fell at the blowing of the rams horns? But the fact that all these have imagination the smash of everything on the fated day, save one house on the wall. That scene centuries ago comes back to me as | though it were yesterday.
 There is very sick and sad house in the city of Jericho. A daughter has forsaken her home. By what internal plot she was induced to leave know not; but they look in vain for her return. There is a 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, I think the old people wished that they could die. That is the first OH the wall of the city is that daughter. That is her home now. Two spies have come from the invading 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 feet all around about the door, and the city government demands the surrender of those 1 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 a bargain with you. l will save l your life if you will save my life, and the life | of my father and my mother, and my broth CTS 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. 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 8 scarlet cord and ties it around the body of one of the spies, brings him to the window, and lets him down, hand over hand, in safety to the ground. 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 | you mother, your brothers and your sisters :; | you had better get them in this house. And then, after you have them here, take this red | cord which you have put around our bodies, victorious army comes up, and sees that scarlet thread ill the window, they will spare l this house and all who are in it. Shall it be | soy' cried the spies. "Aye, aye,' said Rahab, from the window, ''it shall be so." That is the second scene in this Bible drama. There looks up, and says: "Come fn,' and To! there is Rabab, 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
 
 enemy!' That is the third scene in this Bible drama. The hosts of Israel are all around about the doomed city of Jericho. l Or. sh! goes the great metropolis, heaps on heaps. The air suffocating with the dust, and l horrible with the screams of the dying city All the houses fiat down. All the people dead. An no, no. On a crag of the wal-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 arc l thov of o,Ac Ohoh 1pnpf f1,ar ! her mother, her brothers. her sisters, all safe, and the only house lett standing in all the | city. What saved them? Was the house more firmly built? Oh, no; it was built in the most peli ous place-on the wall; and the wall was the first thing that fell. Was it C. cause her character was any better than any | of the other population of the city? Oh, no. Why, then, was she spared, and all her house l hold? Can you tell me why? Oh, it was the scarlet line ill the window.
 That is the fourth scene in this Bible drama. | When the destroying angel went through doorposts that saved the Israehtes; and now that vengeance has come upon Jericho it is | the same color that assures the safety of Ra- hab and all her household. My friends, there are foes coming upon us, more deadly and more tremendous, to overthrow our m- and crush us out forever, unless there be some skilfu mode of rescue open. The po- lice of death already begin to clamor for our surrender, but blessed be God, there is way out. It is through the window, and by a rope so saturated with the blood of the cross | that it is as red as that with which the spies were lowered; and If once our souls shall be delivered, then, the 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 scarlet cord across the window of our rescue. There | comes time when man is surrounded. | What is that in the front door of his soul? It is the threatenings of the future. What 1 is that at the back door of his soul? It Is the sins of the past. He cannot get out of either of those doorways. If he attempts 1t he will | be cut to pieces. What shall he do? Escape through the window of Gods mercy. That sunshine has been pouring in for many a day. Gods inviting mercy. Gods pardon ing mercy. Gods all-conquering mercy. Gods everlasting mercy. But, you say, the window is so high. An, there is rope, the very one with which the cross and it's victim were lifted. That was strong enough to hold Christ, and it Is strong enough to hold you. Bear all your weight upon it, all your hopes for this life, all your hopes for the life to come. Escape now through the window.
 s'But,' you say, ''that cord is too small to save me; that salvation will never do at all for ] such sinner as I nave been." Isuppose that the rope with which Rahab let the two spies to the ground was not thick enough; but they took that or nothing. And, my dear brother, that Is your alternative. There Is only one scarlet line that can save you. There have been hundreds and thousands who