The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-01-17
He Relates The Story of How a
Kings Life Was
Saved.
He Was Secreted by Jehosheba
in the Temple for Six
Years.

o1ys LII. 16lM6KS y I0AU was. OcuObuSOdy
the daughter of King Joram. sister of Ahaz-
iah, took Joash, the son of Ahasiah, and
stole him from among the Kings sons which
we're slain; and they hid him, even him and
his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah,
so that he was not slain. And he was with
her hidin the house of the Lord six years. -
II Kings. xi, 2, 8. He said
Graudmothers are more lenient with their
children's children than thew were with their
own. At 40 years of age, if discipline be
necessary, chastisement is used, but at 70,
the grandmother, looking upon the misbe-
havior of the grandchild, is apologize and
disposed to substitute confectionery for
whip. There is nothing more beau
tiful than this mellowing old age toward
childhood. Grandmother takes out her
pockethandkerchief and wipes her spectacles
face of her mschievous and rebelious descend
ant, and says: 81 don't think he meant to
do it; let him off this time; I'll be responsible
for his behavior in the future" Ny mother,
with the second generation around her-a
boisterous crew-said one day: 'Isuppose
they ought to be disciplined, but l can't do
it," GrAndmothers are not fit to bring up
have grandmother of different hue.
have within few days been at Jerusalem,
where the occurrence OF the text took place,
and the whole scene came wildly before
me while was going over the site OF the
ancient temple and climbing the towers of
the kings palace. Here in the text it is
old Athaliah. the queenly murderess. She
was king. Her husband was king. Her
son was king. And yet we find her plotting
for the determination of the entire royal fam
lily, including her own grandchildren. The
executioners' knives are sharpened The
palace is red with the blood of princes and
princesses. On all sides are shrieks, and
hands thrown up, and struggle, and death
the ivory floors of the palace run with earn
age, and the whole land is under the shadow
of great horror, a feet-footed woman, a
clergyman's wife, Jehosheba by name, stealth
lily approaches the imperial nursery, seizes
upon the grandchild that had somehow as
yet escaped massacre, wraps 1T up tenderly
but in haste, smuggles it againt her, flies down
she be discovered in this Christian abduction.
Get her out of the way as quickly as you can,
for she carries precious burden, even q
young King. With this youthful prize she
presses into the room of the ancient temple,
the church Of olden time, unwraps the young
King, and puts him down, sound asleep as
he is, and unconscious of the peril that has
v
secreted in that church apartment. Mean
while old Athaliah smacks her lips with sat
isfaction, and thinks that all the royal fami-
~ are dead.
But the six years expire and it is now time
for young Joash to come forth and take the
throne, and to push back into disgrace and
death old Athaliah. The arrangements are
all made for political revolution. The mill
tary come and take possession OF the temple,
swear loyalty to the boy Joash and stand
around for his defense. See the sharpened
swords and the FURNISHED shields! Every
thing is ready, Now, Joash, half affrighted
at the vociferation of his admirers, is brought
forth in full regalia. The scroll of authority
is put in his hands, the coronet of government
is put on his brow, and the people clapped,
and waved. and huzzard, and trumpeted.
"What is that?" said Athaliah. "What is
that sound over in the temple?" And she
flies to see, and on her way they meet her and
say: "Why, haven't you heard? You
thought you had slain all the royal family,
but Joash has come to light" Then the
queenly murderess, frantic with rage, grabbed
her mantle and tore it to tatters, and cried
until she toamed at the mouth you have no
right to take the government from my
shoulders. Treason! Treason!" While she
stood there crying that, the military started
for her arrest, and she took q short cut
through back door OF the temple, and ran
through the royal stables; but the battle
axes of the military fell on her in the barn
yard, and for many day, when the horses
were being unloosed from the chariot, after
drawing out young Joash, the fiery steeds
would snort and rear passing the place, as
they smelt the place of the carnage.
The first thought l hand you from this
subject is that the determination ofrighteous-
ness is an impossibility. When a woman is
good, she is apt to be very good, and when
che ic had no 10 nt RI no had and This
Athaliah was one of the latter sort. She
would exterminate the last scion of the house
of David, through whom Jesus was to come.
There was plenty of work for embalmers
and undertakers She would clear the land
of all God fearing and God loving people.
She would put an end to everything that
could in anywise interfere with her imperi al
criminality. She folds her hands and says;
"The work is done; it is completely DONE"
Is it? In the swaddling clothes OF that
church apartment are wrapped the cause
of God, and the cause of good government.
That is the scion Of the house of David;
it is Joash; the Christian recormer; it
is Joash, the friend of God; it Is Joash,
the demolisher of Baalitish idolatry. Rock
him tenderly, nurse him gently. Ath-
allah, you may kill all the other children, but
you cannot kill him. Eternal de'enses are
thrown around him, and this clergymans
wife, Jehosheba, will snatch him up from the
palace nursery, and will run up and down with
him into the house of the Lord, and there she
will hide him for six years, and at the end OF
that time he will come forth for your de-
thronement and obliteration.
Well, my friends, just as poor botch does
the world always make ofextinguishingr right
eousness. Superstition rises up and says: II
will just put an end to pure religion"
Domitian slew 10000 Christians, Diocletlan
slew $4,000 Christians. And the scythe
of persecution has been swung through
all the ages, and the flames Kissed. and
the guillouine chopped, and the Bastile
groaned; but did the foes of Christianity ex-
terminate it? Did they exterminate Alban,
the first British sacrifice; or Zuinglius, the
Swiss reformer; or John Oldcastle, the
Christian nobleman: or Abdallah, the Ara
bian martyr; or Anne Askew, or Sanders. or
Cranmer? Great work of determination
they made of it. Just at the time when they
thought they had slain all the royal family
of Jesus, some Joash would spring up and
out and take throne of power, and WELD a
very scepter of Christian dominion.
Infidelity says: "I'Il just exterminate the
Bible,'' and the Scriptures were thrown into
the street for the mob to trample on, and
they we're piled up in the public squares and
set on fire, and mountains of indignant con-
tempt were hurled on them, and learned
universities decreed the Bible out of exist
d.; s.Ir of