The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-01-15

The king was all ready to give him his re-
quest, and he gave orders that Nehemiah
| should have q retinuc of soldiers to escort
him through the different provinces. Je-
rusalem was one thousand miles away.
! He knew how he would be prosecuted and
looked down upon, but he had made up
his mind to rebuild those walls. tell you
| IL Is a great thing for man to set some
thing before him and go and do 1t. "This one
thing do" says Nehemiah, 81 will re-
build those wal, !" and he went. When he
reached Jerusalem he didn't have some
one 60 before him aud blow a horn and
say, "This is the great Nehemiah 1.-The cup
bearer to the great king OF Persia" He
didn't tell anyone what his business was.
Man, let the work speak for itself. You
needn't blow any horns; go and do the
work and it will advertise itself. / am
tired OF these men who are always going
to do some great thing.
This man goes into Jerusalem and
doesn't tell what he has come for. There
is quite astir. What has he come for? Is
it war or is it peace? What has brought
him here? What does il all mean? But
Nehemiah stayed there three days and
three nights and didn't let even his own
men know what he had come for. One
night after they had all gone to bed and
all is quiet, he stole out on his beast and
tried to ride around on the walls, but he
couldn't get round on his beast SO he
footed it. He walked all around those
walls examining them and found them all
in ruins. His heart must have sunk within
him IL he hadn't a brave one. The nations
all around were looking down upon these
weak feble Jews. So 1t is today, the walls
are down, and people say 1t is no use and
their hands drop down by their side.
After he had been their there three days
and nights he called the chief priests and
elders and the Pharisees together and
told them what his errand was. All this
while God had been working in the hearts
OF his men so that they were now ready.
When he had got through with his speech
they arose and said, "Let us rebuild the
city," II we could have such men here in
Providence, wouldn't we see the walls OF
Jerusalem going up?
But it wasn't long before there was
muttering outside; you could hear the
rumbling. want to tell you, my friends,
that there was never any work done for
God without opposition. A great many
people are afraid OF opposition. That is
just what we want. II IL is real work
there is going to be opposition. Sanballat
and Tobiah, the Ammonite, the Geshemites
and all the people round heard Of it, and
they began in the first to ridicule.
1t will be SO right here in Providence.
People will begin to ridicule and heap all
manner Of criticism upon the work. So
these men went on ridiculing and jeer-
ing at Nehemiah, but he was too busy to
- rI 20 \ f,aav
that will stop to answer all this caviling.
Nehemiah kept steady at work.
Well, they found that ridicule
didn't work, 30 they sent him a
letter. Lets go down to the plains OF
Ono and have a council" They wanted
to get him down to the plains to consult
with him and have friendly conversation.
What is the church Of God doing now but
having discussions upon the plains of
Ono? Look at the whole Presbyterian
church, turned aside discussing higher
criticism! Nehemiah just sent back
word 81 am doing a great work, and /
cannot come down." He thought it was
"coming down." think so to. Let the
discussions 60. Man, we have all eternity
to discuss these questions. There is too
much work to be done now to stop to dis
cuss them. Well, they wrote him another
letter. "Come down to the plains OF
Ono, we want to have friendly discus
sion, we are your friends" By this time
the Arabs came along, those roaming
Ishmaelites were going to fight him. But
Nehemiah and bis men just put on their
swords. They were dead in earnest.
"Watch, fight, pray" They watched.
Oh, it is willy devil that we have to
contend with. Do you know it? II he
can only get the church to stop to dis
cuss these questions, he has accomplished
his desire. NM
Now, perhaps you women who belong
to the Womena Christian Temperance
Union may feel hurt, but do think it is
masterstroke of the devil when he gets
you to stop to discuss women's rights.
"Haste to the rescued We are doing a
great work and haven't time to come
down." tell you the prohibition I be-
lieve in is to get the people.so they won't
want to 60 into the rum shops. That is
the quickest way to do 1t, cut the business
of, and away it goesl Why, there is one
town in Scotland where Mr.. Sankey and
myself went, Q think it was In '57), there
was great work OF God going on, and the
people were all converted. There were
two rum shops there, and they couldn't
sell any whisky and had to move away.
Now, why can't that be done here in
Providence? II those men on the plains
OF Ono had gone on discussing there
would have been nothing done. But
Nehemiah kept steady at work. No eight
hours a day, either. They commenced
at starlight in the morning and worked
until starlight. Afge
! tell you the man that ID counting the
hours he works for the Lord doesn't
amount to much. Build up. Build up
again. They couldn't get Nehemiah down
to the piains so they sent him a fifth let
ter-what we today call an open letter
--"We understand II Is reported that you
are going to get up kingdom against the
king of Persia. This is treason, rebellion,
and II it should reach the ears OF the
king you would be put to death. So
come down and let's have q friendly coun-
sell" But Nehemiah said, 81 am doing n
great work and i cannot come down."
IT ~ 4