The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-02-26
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The House on the Wall" "

SDleS USnt III, UHU UfOuDft OUt Ilohuo, oHt
her father, and her mother, and her breth-
rem, and all that she had."-Joshua vi, %.
An enthusiastic welcome was given to
Dr. Talmage in the Brooklyn Academy of
Music, when he preached his first sermon
after his return from the Holy Land. Every
seat was occupied, and all standing room,
even the space on the stage behind the
preacher, was filled. The two opening hymns
were ''Blest Be the Tie That Binds" and
Land Ahead Before he began preach
ing, DR.. Talmage told his people
he was glad to reach home, and speaking of
his church which was burned he expressed his
great pleasure that the new walls were al
ready rising. The subject of the sermon was
'.The House on the Wall" The preacher
said:
When, only few weeks ago, visited
Jericho, I said: Can it be possible that this
dilapidated place is Jericho that Mark
Antony gave as wedding present to Cleo
patra2 Where are the groves of palm
trees? Where are Herod's palaces that once
stood here? Where is the great theatre from
the stage of which Salome told the people
that Herod was dead? Where is the
sycamore tree Oh 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 disappeared did not hinder
me from seeing in 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 a very sick and sad house in the
city Of Jericho. What is the matter? Is 1t
poverty? No. Worse than that. Is it
ieprosy? No. Worse than that Is it death?
No. Worse than that. A daughter has for
saken her home. By what Internal plot she
wac ;nd,,oal 70 1oora 7 lyno,y not. but thew
look in vain for her return. Sometimes they
hear afootstep very much like hers, and they
start up and say: 'She comesm but only to
sink back again into disappointment 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 homo now. Two spies
have come from the invading army to look
around through Jericho and see how best it
may be taken. Yonder is the lost child, i'll
that dwelling Oh the wall of the city.
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: II will make
a bargain with you. 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" Oh, she had not forgotten
her home yet. you seq. The wanderer never
forgets home.
No sooner have the 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 this
red cord which you have put around our
bodies and tie it across the window; and
when our victorious army comes up and
sees that scarlet thread in the window, they
will spare this house and all who
are in it. Shall it be so?' cried the
spies. 'tAye, aye said Rahab, from the WIN
dow, lit shall be So" That is tho second
scene in this Bible drama. There is knock
at the door Of the old man. He looksup, and
says: "Come in," and 10! 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
20 with me to my house. The armyis COM
ing! The trumpet! Make haste! Fly!
The enemyw That is the third scene LII this
Bible drama.
The hosts Of Israel are all around about
the doomed city of Jericho. Crash! goes the
great metropolis, heaps on heaps The air
suffocating with the dust, and horrible with
the screams of dying city. All the houses
fat down. All the people dead. All, no, no.
On a crag of the wall-the only piece of the
wall left standing-there is a house which we
must enter. There is family there that
have been spared. Who are they? Let us 60
brothers, her sisters, all safe, and the only
house left standing in all the city. What
saved them! Can you tell me why! o, it was
the scarlet line in the window. That is the
fourth scene in this Bible drama.
NV friends, there are foes coming upon US,
more deadly and more tremendous, to over
throw our immortal interests. They will
trample us down and crush us out forever,
unless there be some skilful mode of rescue
open.
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? 1t
is the threatenings of the future. What is
that in the back door of his soul? 1t is the
sins of the past. He cannot get out Of either
of those doorways. If he attempts it 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 day.
Gods inviting mercy. Gods pardoning
mercy. Gods all conquering mercy. Gods
everlasting mercy.
1t is easy to get into sin, young man. 1t
y
goes to the marble counter Of hotel. He
asks for brandy smash-called so, sup
pose, because it smashes the man that takes
it, There is no intoGcation in it, AS the
young man receives it he does not seem to
be at all excited. 1t does not give any glossi-
ness to the eye He walks homo in beauti-
full apparel, and all his prospects
are brilliant That drink is not going
to destroy him, but it is the first step on a
hoA lo,y II
that young man after he has gone the whole
length of dissipation. 1t is midnight, and he
is in hotel-perhaps the very one where he
took the first drink. A delirium is upon
him. He rises from the bed and comes to
be lifts it. Then he pushes back
tue pnnds ana puts his foot on the
window sill. Then he gives one spring,
and the watchman finds his disfgured body,
on the pavement. o, if he
had only waited little-if he had come
down on the scarlet ladder that Jesus holds
from the wall for him, and for you, and for
me; but no, he made one jump, and was
gone.
Still further: We must take this red cord
Of the text and stretch it across the window
of our households. When the Israelitish
army came up against Jericho they said:
What is that in the window?' Some one
said: THAT is scarlet line" "Oh," said
some one else, that must be the house that
was to be spared. Don't touch it," That
line was thick enough, and long enough, and
enough, to save Rahab, her
father, her mother, her brothers and
her sisters-the entire family Have our
households as good protectioni Have your
children been consecrated to Christ? Have
you been washed in the blood of the atone
mentf In what room do YOU have family
Show me where it is you are &C
to kneel. The sky is black with
the coming deluge. Is your family inside or
outside Of the ark, 1t Is a sad thing for
man to reject Christ; but to lie down in the
night of sin, across the path to heaven, so