Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-06-06
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN,
DAY SERMON.
The Subject: Recovered Families
preached at Little Rock, Ark.).

f. II.
There Is intense excitement In the villag,
o Ziklag. David and his men arc bidding
Eooiby 10 their families and are OF for the
wars. In that little village of Zlklag the de-
fenseless ones will be safe until the warriors
flushed with victory, come home. But will
the defen5eless ones be safe2 The soft arms
OF children are around the necks OF tha
bronze warriors until they shake themselves
free IN start, and handkerchie's and flags
nrs waved and kisses thrown until the armed
men vanish beyond the hills. David AMI his
men soon get through with their campaign
and start homewari. 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
oithe child
Oh, what long stories they will have to tell
their families of how they lodged the bat
teax, and then will roll up their sleeve and
snow the half healed wound. With glad,
quick step, they march on, David and MS
men, FOR they are marching home. Now they
come Ip to the last hill which overlooks Zlk-
lag, aui 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 qutvers, and their hand invoI-
antariIy comes down on the hilt of the
sword. ''Where Is Zikiag7 Where are our
homesP' they cry. Alas. the curling smoke
above the ruin tells the tragedy
The Amalskites have come down and con-
sumed the village and carried the mothers,
and the wives, and tho children OF David and
bis men into captivity. The swarthy war
riors stand fora few moments translxed 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 II the
smotiOn might tear him to pieces. They
.'wept until they had no more power to weep. u
But soon their sorrow turns into rage and
David, swinging his swOrl high in air, cries
pursue, for thou shalt overtake them, and
without fail recover al" Now the march
becomes double quick" Two hundred of
David's men stop by the brook Besor, faint
with fatigue AMI grief. They cannot go 4
step farther. They are left there But the
other 400 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 Egyptian, and they resuscitate him and
compel him to tell the whole story. He saws,
'Yoni"r they went, the captors and the cap
lives, pointing in the direction. Forward
= 100 brave men OF flrel
Very soon David and his enra9ed cornDany
'oue upon the Amalekitish hSt. Yonder
they see their own wives and children and
mothers, and under Amalekitish quart Here
are the officers OF the Amalelitish army hold
ing banquet. The cups are full the music
IS reused the dance begins. The AmaIekit-
ish host cheer and cheer and cheer over their
victory But, without note OF bugle or warn
upon the scene. David and his men look up
and one glance at their loved ones in captiy-
ty and under Amalektish guard throws
:hem into n very fury OF determination, for
you know how men will fight when they fight
Tor their wives and children. All, there are
lghtnings in their eye, and every finger Is a
spear, and their voice Is like the shout OF the
Whiriwind! Amid the upset tankarls and
the costly viHnds crushed unlerfoot. the
wounied Amalekites lie. their blood min
CLING with their wine, shriekinY for
mercy. No sooner do David AMI his men
win the victory than they throw their swords
down into the dust-what do they want with
swords nOw?-anl the broken families come
together amid a great shout OF joy that
makes the parting scene in Ziklag seem yery
tnspid in the comparison. The rough old
warrior has to use some persuasion before
he can get his child to come 10 him now
after so long an absence, but soon the little
hnSer traces the familiar wrinkle across the
Scared face. And then the empty tankarls
are set up, and they are filed with the best
wine from the hills, AMI David and his men.
the husbands, the wives, the brothers. the
sisters, drink to the overthrow OF the
Amalekites and TO the rebuilding Of Ziklay.
So, o Lord, let Thine enemies perishI
Now they are coming home, David and
nis men and their families long pro-
session. Men, women AMI children, loaded
with jewels and robes and with all kinds of
ap IN years Of quest-everythiny now In
The hands OF David and his men. When
:hey come by the brook Besor, the place
where staid the Ilen sisk and incompetent
% travel, the jewels and the robes and all
Slnds OF treasures are divided amon- the
'ick as we'll as among the well. Surely the
lame and exhausted ought to have some of
The treasures. Here Is q robe for a pale
laced warrior. Here IS pillow for this
lying man. Here is han iful OF gold for
he wasted trumpeter. 1 really think that
ihese men who tainted by the brook BgsOr
may have endured much as those men
who went into the battle. Some mean fell
lows objected TO the sick ones having any of
ne spois. The ObjectOrs said, ''These men
I'D not fight" David, with a magnanimous
neart, repl :, "As his part Is that goeth
1own to the. battle, 50 shall his part be that
:Hrri@th by the stuff"
Ihis subject Is practically suggestive to me,
Thank COL, in these times a man can go of
on a journey and'be gone weeks and months
and come back and see his house Untouched
incenliary and have his family on the
step TO greet him by telegram he has fore
toId the moment OF his coming. But there
are Amalekitish disasters. there are Amale-
Eltlsh diseases that sometimes comes down
1pon ones home, making as devastating
work rs the day when Zikla2 took fire.
There are families you represent broken up.
No battering ram smOte in the door, no
.conoclHst crumbled the statues, no fl lme
ehped amid the curtains, but so far as all |
me JOY and merriment that once belonged |
20 thar h@-'s are concerned the home has |
departed.
Armed diseases came down upon the quI-
hness OF the scene-scarlet fevers or pieu-
tisles or cOnsumptiOns or Undenned disor- l
ders came and seized upon some members !
OF that family and carried them away. Xix |
hg in ashes And you go about, sometimes |
weeping and sometimes enragei, wanting to |
Ret back your loved ones as much as David |
and his men wanted to reconstruct their |
1espoiled households. Ziklag in ashes ! !
Some OF you went of from home. You |
counted the days of your absence. Every |
day seemed as long as week. Oh, how |
glad yor were when the time came for you |
TO go aboard the steamboat or railroad and |
start for home! You arrived. You went |
up the street where your dwelling was, and |
Ia the night you put your hand on the |
joorbell, and, behold Il was wrapped with |
the signal OF bereavement, and YOU found
mat Amalakitish death, which has devas- |
lated a thousand other households, had |
blasted yours. You so about weeping amid |
Inc deSolation OF your once happy home,
thinkins OF the bright eyes closed, and the
NOBLE hearts stopped, and the gentle hands
folded, and you weep until you hTvo no |
more power TO weep. Zlkag in ashes /
gentleman went to friend OF mine in
the city Of Washington and asked that
through him he might get a con4ulship 10
81 BSAt- my lEltul silt 10 ul-n
"What do You want TO 90 away from your
n-auu'ui home for into a foreign port2"
"O1,' he replied, my homo Is gonel Ny
siT children are dead. / must get away, sir.
can't stand 1t in this country any longer
Ziklag in ashes
why these long shadows OF bereavement
across this .au Eeu"o7 Why IS II tlnt IN A.
most every RsSamblage black is the predorn.
lnHnt color OF the apparelP Is it because vor
10 not Ike saffron or brGwF or violet? Oh,
no You say: "The worli Is not So brirhi |
10 us as once 1t was" ana there is a story al
silent voices, and OF still feet. AMI of loved |
ones gone, and when yoz lUok over the hills |
expecting only beauty ali Ioveliness Won |
ind only devastation ani woe. ZiklaS in |
ashes
One day, in Ulster Couaty, Y. Y, the vii. !
laSe church was decorated until the fra! (
Grance Of the flowers was rlmost bewilder- |
Ing. The maidens OF the village had EMO |