News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-02-20
Especial Dispatch to the Boston Herald ]

Especial Dispatch to the Boston Herald I
BROOKLYN, Feb. 9, 1890. Rev. t. Dewitt
Talmage, D. D., resumed preaching i
Brooklyn this morning after his visit to til
Holy Land, and the Academy of Musir wa
crowded. Thousands of people We're no
able to get into the building. The snhiect n
| his discourse was "The House ON tho vii
DR.. Talmage took for his text ,Josbua vi
%: "And the young men that were snie
went in and brought out Rahab, and he
and all that she had" He said:
When, only few weeks a,o. visite,
Jericho, l said, Can it be possible that thi
diIapidated place is the Jericho that Mar
Antony gave as 4 wedding present to Iiro
pltra? Where are the groves of palm trees
! Where are Herod's palaces that once stoo,
| here? Where is the great theatre from tn
| stage of which Salome told the people tina
| Herod was DEAD! Where is the sycamor
tree on the limb of which Zaccheus sat wbeI
| Jesus passed this place? Where is the wrecl
| of the walls that fell at the blowing of tn
rams horns? But the fact that al these hay
disappeared did not hinder me from seeing i,
Imagination the smash of everything on th
fated day, save one house ON the wall Tha
scene centuries ago comes back to me a
though it were yesterday.
There is very sick and sad house In tn
city of Jericho. A daughter has forsakel
her home. By what Internal plot she wa
induced to leave l know not; but they looI
in vain for her return. There is a long, deel
shadow over all the household
Added to this there is an invading arm,
six miles away, just over the river, comm:
on to destroy the city: and what with tn,
loss of their child and the coming on of tina
destructive army, / think the old peopl,
wished that they cauld die. That Is the frs
scene in the drama Of re Bible. In hous,
on the wall of the city is that daughter. Tina
is her home now. Two spie, have come
through Jericho and see how best it may b.
taken. Yonder is the lost child, in tha
dwelling on the wall of the city. The polio,
hear of it, and soon there is the shuff1ing o.
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 secrcte<
the two spies and gets their pursuers off tht
track; but after awhile she says to them: 81
will mike q bargain with you. / will save
your life if you will save my life, and the life
of my father and my mother, and nv broth
en-. snd my sisters, when the victorious army
coIaes upon the city,"
0, she had not forgotten her home vet, you
see. The wanderer never f0rgetS home. Nc
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 tie cord 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
look up, and they say: "You had better get
all your friends in this house-your father
you mother, your brothers and your sisters
lat& 81 q.
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 ouT
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
SOP cried the spies. "Aye, aye" said Rahab,
from the window, ait 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 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 go
The trumpet Make haste! Fly! The
enemyP That is the third scene in this
Bible drama. The hosts of Israel are all
around about the doomed city of Jericho.
CIR sh goes the great metropolis, heaps on
heaps. The air suffocating with the dust, and
horrible with the screams Of the dying city.
All the houses flat down. All the people
dead. All no. no. On crag of the wall-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 are
they? Let us go and see. Rahab, her father,
her mother, her brothers s. her sisters, all safe,
and the only house lett standing in all the
more firmiv buiItP Oh, no; it was built in
the most Peri,ous place-on the wall; and the
Of the oIher popes-ts5n or Tie city! On, NO.
Why, then, was she spared, and all her house
hold? Can you tell me why? Oh, it was the
scarlet line in the window.
That is the fourth Gene in this Bible drama
When the destroying angel went thu ough
Egypt, it was the blood of the lamb on the
doorposts that saved the Israelites; and now
the same color that assures the safety OF RAJ
hab and all her household. My friends,
there are foes coming upon US, more deadly
and more tremendous, to overthrow our i'm
mortal interests. They will trample us down
and crush us out forever, unless there be
some skilful mode Of rescue open. The po-
lice of death already begin to clamor for our
surrender, but blessed be God, there is Il way
out. 1t 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 o man Is surrounded.
What is that In the front door of his soul?
II Is the threatenings of the future. What
is that at the back door of his soulY 1t is The
sins of the past. He cannot get out of either
of those IOnrWaVS III no aftpmntS IL 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 pardon
ing mercy. Gods all-conouering mercy.
Gods everlasting mercy. But, you say, the
window is so high. All, there is a rope, the
very one with which the cross and its victim
were lifted. That was strong enough to hold
Christ, and 1t is strong enough to hold you.
Bear all your weight upon IL, all your hopes
for this life, all your hopes for the life to
come. Escape now through the window;
But" you say, THAT cord is too small to
save me; that salvation will never do at all for
such sinner as have 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
let line, and 1t will bear you away in sa ETY..
Do you notice what very narrow escape
those spies bad? / suppose they came with
Mustered cheek and with excited heart. They
had very narrow escape. They went in the
broad door Of sin; but how did they come
out? They came out of the window. They
went up by the stairs of stone; they came
down on slender thread. And so. my
friends. we go easily and unabashedly into
sin, md all the doors are open; but If we get
out at all it will be by being let down over
precipices, wriggling and helpless, the strong
grip above keeping us from being dashed on
the rocks beneath. 1t ts@easy TO get into sin,
young man. 1t is not SO easy to get out OF
it.
A minister Of Christ was not long ago dis
missed from lis diocese for intoxicatiOn, and
in public meeting he gave this account OF
his sorrowI II had beautiful home once,
but strong drink shattered 1t. had beauti-
tul children, but this fend of rum took their
dimpled hands in his and led them to the
grave. | had a wife-to know her was to
love her; but she sits In wretchedness to-
night while wander over the earth. had
a mother, and the pride of her life was |;
but the thunderbolt struck her. now have
scarcely friend in the world. Taste of the
bitter cup have tasted, and then answer me
as to whether I have any hatred for the
agency OF my ruin. Hate it l hate the
whole damning traffic. l would to God to-
night that ev, nv distillery was in flames, for
then in the glowing sky would write in the
smoke of the ruin "Woe to him that put
teth the bottle to his neighbours lips"
mat minister ofthe gospel went IN through
the broad door Of temptation; he came out
OF The window. And when see the tempta-
tons that are about us in all countries, and
when | know the procIvities to sin in every
mans heart, see that il any of Us escape IL
VIII be very narrow escape. oh, if we
have, my friends, got off from our sin, let us
tie the soarlet thread by which we have been
saved across the window. Let us do it In
praise of him whose blood dyed 1t that color.