The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-05-23

LITTLE ROCK. May 2O.-On his way
10 California, whence ne will start on
May 81 on his round the world journey.
the Rev. Dr. Talmage. having halted
here. preached today to a large audience
on the subject Of Recovered Families"
The text chosen was 1 Samuel Xxx. 4. 10:
Then David and the people that were
with him lifted up their voice and wept
until they had no more power TO weep.
David recovered ALL
There is intense excitement in the vii
lage of Ziklag. David and his men are
bidding good-by to their families and are
off for the wars. In that little village Of
ZilIlag the defenseless ones will be safe
until the warriors, flushed with victory,
come home. But will the defenseless ones
be safe? The soft arms of children are
around the necks of the bronZed warriors
until they shake themselves free and
start. ank 6andkerchiefs and flags are
waved and kisses thrown until the armed
men vanish beyond the hills. David and
his men soon get through with their cam
paign and start homeward. Every night
on their way home no sooner does the
soldier put his head on the knapsack
than in his dream he hears the welcome
of the wife and the shout Of the child.
On what long stories they will have to
tell their families Of how they lodged the
battleax. and then will roll up their
sleeve and show the half healed wound!
With glad. quick step, they march on,
David and his men, for they are march
ing home
March and "A Victory.
Now they come up 10 the last hill
which overIooNs zfkIag. and they expect
in a moment to see the dwelling places
of their loved ones. They look, and as
they look their cheek turns pale. and their
lip quiyers ard their hand involuntarily
comes down or the hilI of the sword.
Where is Ziklag? Where are our homes?''
they cry. Alas. the curling smoke above
the ruin tells the tragedy!
The Amalekites have come down and
consumed the village and carried the
mothers and the wives and the children
OF David and his men into captivity.
The swarthy warriors stand for a few
moments transfixed with horror. Then
their eyes glance to each other. and they
burst into uncomfortable weeping, for
when a strong warrior weeps the grief is
appalling. 1t seems as if the emotion
might tear him 10 pieces. They 'wept
until they had no more power to weep"
But soon their sorrow turns into rage,
and David. swinging his sword high in
the air, cries. Pursue. for thou shalt
Overtake them and without fail recover
ALL" Now the march becomes a double
quick" Two hundred of David's men
stop by the brook Besor, faint with
fatigue and grief They cannot go step
farther. They are left there. But the
other 400 men under David, with a sort
of panther step, march on in sorrow and
in rage. They find by the side of the
road a half dead Egyptian, and they
resuscitate him and compel him to tell
the whole story. He says, ''Yonder they
went, the captors and the captives."
pointing in the direction. Forward, We
400 brave men Of fire.
Very soon David and his enraged COM
pany come upon the Amalekitish host.
YOnder they see their own wives and chill
dren and mothers and under Amalekitish
guard. Here are the officers Of the Anal
ekitish army holding a banquet The cups
are full; the music is roused the dance
begins. The Amalekitish host cheer and
cheer and cheer over their victory. But
without note Of bugle or warning of trum-
pet David and his 400 men burst upon the
scene. David and his men look up, and
one glance at their loved ones in captivity
and under Amalekitish guard throws
them into very fury Of determination,
for you know how men will fight when
they fight for their wives and children.
All, there are lghtnings in their eye. and
every finger is spear. and their voice is
like the shout Of the whirlwind, Amid
the upset tankards and the costly viands
S. crushed underfOot the wounded Anal
eldtish lie-their blood mingling with
their withdrawing for mercy. No
sooner do David and his men win the
victory than they throw their swords
down into the dust-what do they want
with swords now2-and the broken fam
lilies come together amid a great shout Of
JOY that makes the parting scene in
Ziklag seem very insipid in the compari-
son. The rough old warrior has 10 use
some persuasion before he can get his
child to come TO him now after so long
an absence, but soon the little finger
traces the familiar wrinkles across the
SCARED face. And then the empty
tankards are set up, and they are filed
with the best wine from the hills and
David and his men, the husbands. the
wives, the brothers. the sisters. drink TO
the overthrow OF the Amalekites and to
the rebuilding OF Ziklag. So, o Lord, let
thine enemies perish!
The Return.
Now they are coming home. David
and his men and their families long
procession. Men, women and children,
loaded with jewels and robes and with
all kinds of trophies that the Amale-
kites had gathered up in years Of con-
quest-everything now in the hands of
David and his men. When they come
By the brook BesOr the place where
staid the men sick and incompetent to
travel, the Jewels and the robes and all
kinds Of treasures are divided among
the sick as well as among the we'll
Surely the lame and exhausted ought
TO have some Of the treasures Here is
a robe for a pale faced warrior. Here
is a pillow for this dying nan. Here is
a handful Of gold for the was. ed trump
eter. / really think that these men who
tainted by the brook Besor may have
endured as much as those men who went
into the battle. Some mean fellows OBJ
1ected to the sick ones having any of
the spOils The directors said, These
men did not fight" David. with a mag
unanimous heart. replies. As his part is
that goeth down TO the battle, SO shall
his part be that tarrieth by the stuff. 4"
This subject is practically suggestive
to me. Thank God. in these times a
man can go off on a journey and be
gone weeks and months and come back
and see his house untouched OF iucen-
diary and have his family ON the step
20 greet him IL by telegram he has fore
told the moment OF his coming. But
there are Amalekitish disasters. there
are Amalekitish diseases that some
times come down upon ones home.
making as devastating work as the day
when Zlklag took fire. There are fami-
lies you represent broken up. No bat
tering ram smote In the door, no icono-