The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-04-17
THE HOUSE ON THE WALL.
How It Was Spared When Jericho
was Devastated.
First Discourse by Rev. T. Dewitt Tai
mage on His Return From His Trip
to the Holy Land and the His
tOric Places of the East.

@AS&NSALJ VA &tAAoAO 41OAA 0AS
text:
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.-Josh., vi, %.
When, only fewweeks ago, l visited
Jericho, said: Can it be possible that
this dilapidated place is the Jericho
that Mark Antony gave as wedding
present to Cleopatra? Where are the
groves of palm trees? Where are Her.
DDS palaces that once stood here?
Where is the great theater from the
stage of which Salome told the people
that Herod was dead? Where is the
sycamore tree on the limb of which Fac
cheus sat when Jesus passed this place?
Where is the wreck of the walls that
fell at the blowing of the rams horn?
But the fact that all these have disap-
peared did not hinder me from seeing in
imagination the smash Of every thing on
the fatal day, save one house on the
wall That scene centuries ago comes
back to me as though i. were yesterday.
There is a very sick and sad house in
the city of Jericho. What is the mat
ter? Is it leprosy? No. Worse than
that. Is it death? No. Worse than
that. A daughter has forsaken her
home. BY what internal plot she was
induced to leave 1 know not; but they
look in vain for her return. Sometimes
they hear footstep very much like
hers, and they start up and say: t'She
comes!'' but only to sink back into dis
appointment Alas! Alas! The father
sits by the hour, with his face in his
hands, saying not one word. The moth
er's 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 clinch their fists, swear
ing vengeance. against the despoiler of
their homes. A1asl 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, I 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. Yonder is the lost child, in that
dwelling on the wall of the city. The
police hear of it, and soon there is the
shutting 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
Of the track; but after awhile she saws
to them: II will make 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,. 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 scarlet
cord and ties it 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
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 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, ut 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 saws,
Come 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 go with me to nv house.
The army is comingl The trumpet!
Make haste! Fly! The enemy!. This
IS the third scene in the Bible drama.
The hosts of Israel are round 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 a DIVING |
sity.. All the houses fiat down. All the |
people dead. All, no. On cra< Of
The wall-the only piece of the wall left
there is a house which we
must enter. There is q family there
hat have been spared. Who are they?
Let us go and see. Rahab. her father,