Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-05-31
RECOVERED FAMILIES"
Rev DR.. Talmage Talks to Lit
tie Rock Congregation.
The Joy of a Reunited Family Upon Earth
Typical of the Ecstacy of Family
Reunions in the Home Be-
You'd the Grave.


by Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage at Little
Rock, Ark, on the subject OF 'Recov-
cred Families The text was:
Then David and the people that were with
him lifted up their voice and wept, until
they had no more power to weep. x
David recovered ALL Samuel Xxx, q. 49,
There is intense excitement in the
village of Ziklag. David and his men
are bidding good-by to their families,
and are off for the wars. In that little
village of Ziklag 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
81 the bronzed warriors until they
shake themselves free and start. and
handkerchiefs and flags are waved and
kisses thrown until the armed men van
ish beyond the hills. David and
his men soon get through with
their campaign and start homeward.
Every night on their way
home. no sooner does the soldier put
his head on the knapsack than in his
dreams he hears the welcome of the
wife and the shout of the child. Oh,
what long stories they will have to tell
their families, of how they lodged the
battle ak, and then viii roll up their
sleeve and show the half-healed wound.
with glad quick step, they morch on,
David and his men, for they are march
ing home. Now they come up
TO the last hill which overlool1s
Ziklag, and they expect in
nj 11 Il
ing places of their loved ones. They
look, and as they look their cheek
turns pale, and their lip quivers, and
their hand involuntarily comes down
on the hilt Of the sword. Where is
Iiklag? Where are our homes?" they
cry. Alas! the curling smoke above
the ruin tell the tragedy. The Amale-
kites 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 few mo-
mentS transfyed 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 to 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 air, cries: Pursue,
for thou shalt overtal1e them, and with
out fail recover all" Now the march
becomes "double-quick." Two hun
dred Of David's men stop by the brook
Besor, faint with fatigue and grief.
They can not go step farther. They
are left alone. But the other four hun
dred men under David, with sort of
panther step march on in sorrow and
IN rage They find by the side of the
road half-dead Egypt."7. and they
resuScltate him and compel him
to tell the whole story. lie says:
"Yonder. they went, the captors
and the capti"eS. pointing in the
direction. Forward, we four hundred
brave men of fire! Very soon David
and his enraged company come upon
the Amalekitish host. Yonder they
see their own wives AMI children and
mothers, and under Amalekitish guard,
Here are officers OF the Amalekltlsh
army holding a banquet. The cups
are full the music is reused. the dance
begins. The Amalek1tlsh host cheer
and cheer and cheer over their victory.
But, without note OF bugle or warning
of trumpet, David and his four hun
dred men burst upon the scene. David
and his men look up. and one
glance at their loved ones in captivity
and under AmalekltlSh guard throws
them into very Jury OF determination;
for you know how men will fight when
they fight for their wives and children.
All! there are lightnings IN their eye,
and every finger is a spear, and their
voice is like the shout OF the whirl-
wind! Amidst the upset tankards and
the costly vian,rs crushed underfoot,
the wounded .tmalel1ites lie (their blood
mingling with thcr Wlne). shrleblng
for mercy. NO sooner do David and
his men win the victory than
they throw their swords down
into the dust-What Go they want
with swords now?-and the broken
families come together amidst great
shout OF JOY that makes the pdfIlng
scene in Ziklag seem very lnslpid IN the
comparison. The rough old warrior
has to 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 wrinkle
across the SCARED face. And then the
empty tankards are set Up, and they
are filled with the best wine from the
hills. and David and his men, the hus-
bands, the wives, the brothers, the sis
tiers, drink to the overthrow of the