The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-10
THE HOUSE ON THE WALL.
TALMAGE RESUMES PREACHING
AT BROOKLYN.

Talmage, ID. D., resumed preaching in
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 sub
ject of his discourse was "The House on the
Wall" DR.. Talmage took for his text
Joshua vi, %: And the young mea 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, 1 visited
Jericho, said, Can it be possible that this
dilapidated place is the Jericho that Mark
Antony gave as a wedding present to Cleo
patral Where are the groves of palm treesg
Where are Herod's palaces that once stood
here? Where is the great theater fron the
stage OF which Salome told the people that
Herod was dead! Where is the sycamore
tree on the limb of which Zacchous sat
when Jesus passed this pacel Where is the
wreck of the walls that fell at the blowing
of the rams hornsl But the fact that al
these have disappeared did not hinder me
from seeing in imagination the smash of
everything on the fated daV, save one house
on the wall. That scene centuries ago
comes back to me as though 1t were yester-
day.
There is very sick and sad house in the
city of Jericho. What is the matter2 Is il
poverty? No. Worse than that. Is it lep-
rosy? No. Worse than that. Is it deathg
No. Worse than that A daughter has
forsaken her home. BY what internal plot
she was induced to leave l know not but
they look in vain for her return. Soms-
times they hear footstep very much like
hers, and they start up and say: ''She
comesW but only to sink back again into
disappointment. Alasl Alas The father sits
by TIE hour with his face In his hands, saving
not one word. The mothers hair ls ba-
coming gray too fast, a d she begins
to stoop so tnat those who saw her only a
little while ago in the street know her not
now as she passes. The brothers clinch
their fists, swearing vengeance against the
despoiler of their home Alasl will the Door
soul never come back? There Is a loig.
deep shadow over all the household. Added
TO this, there is an invading army six miles
away, just over the river, coming on to de-
stroy the city; and what with the loss of
their child and the coming on of that de-
structive army, l think the old pso-
pie wished that 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 t invading army to
look around through Jericho and see how
best 1t may be taken. Yonder is the lost
child, in that d Yelling on the wall OF the
city. The police hear of it, and soon there
is the shutfiing 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
first, 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. will save your
life II you will save my life, and the life of
my father and my mother, and my broth
ers, and my sisters, when tne 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 enthralIment; and some
times 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 a d sis
ters, then Rahab takes scarlet cord and
Ties 1T around the body OF one of the spies.
brings him to the window, and as he clam
bers out--nervous lest she have not strength
to hold him-with muscular arms such as
SCAAOiAA hcAoJ ouo AOto AlIl QOWn,
hand over hand, in safety to the ground
Not being exhausted, she ties the corl
around the other spy, brings him to the
window, and just as successfully let's
him down to the ground. No sooner
have these men united the scarlet
cord from their bodies than they lock up,
and they say: "You had better get all
your friends in this house-your father.
your mother, your brothers, and your sis
farg. uOt had Al
And then, after you have them here, take
this red cord which you have put around
our bodies aud 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 save. aver
said Rahab, from the window, sit shall be |
3d." That is the second scene in this Bible |
drama. There is knock at the door of the |
old man. He looks up and says: "Coma |
In" and lol 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 60 with |
me to my house. The army is comingl The |
trumpet Make hastel Flyl The enemyp |
That is the third scene in 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
'uhOSubub Will IuS uust, anu upTTlDl0 with |
The screams of dying city. All
the houses fat down. All the people
lead. Ah, no, no. On a crag of |
the wall-the only piece of the wall |
eft standing-there is a house which
we must enter. There is family there
that have been spared. Who are theyf Let
is go and see Rahab, her father, her
mother, her brothers, her sisters, all safe,
and the only house left standing in all the
city. What saved them? Was the house
more firmly built9 0, no; it was built in
The most perilous place-on the wall, and
the wall was the first thing that fell. Was
t because her character was any
better tnan any of the other popula-
lion Of the city? o, no. Why then was
'he spared, and all her household? Can you
ell me "hyg o, it was the scarlet line in
,he window. That is the fourth scene In
ibis Bible drama. When the DESTROYING
angel went through Egypt, it was the blood
If the lamb on the door posts that saved
he Israelites; and now that vengeance has
,ome upon jericho, it is the same color that
assures the safety Of Rahab and all her
household. Ny friends, there are
'oes coming upon US, more deadly
md more tremendous, to over
hrow our immortal interests. They
will tremple US down and crush US out for
'ver, unless there be some sklllful mode of
'escue open. The police OF death already
)egin to clamOr for our surrender; but,
blessed be God, there is a way out. 1t is
through the window, and by rope so
aturated with the blood of the cross, that
t is as red as that with which the spies
vora lowarad. pd IL on1a o,,v oo.,I. o6nlI |