Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-04-15
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Lessons of the Story of the Re-
building Of Jerusalem.
The Great Value and Power of Church AZ.
lection Before Reconstruction Must
Come AN Exploration of
the Ruins.


ington congregation. hasing it upon
the text:
Then l went up in the night by the brook
and viewed the wall, and turued back, and en-
tered by the gate OF the valley and so returned.
Nehemiah. IL, 10.
A dead city is more suggestive than
living city-past Rome than present
Rome-ruins rather than newly fres-
coed cathedral. But the best time to
visit ruin is by moonlight. The Coli
scum is far more fascinating to the
traveller after shutdown than before.
You may stand by daylight amid the
monastic ruins of Melrose abbey, and
study shafted oriel, and resetted stone
and mullion, but they throw their
strongest witchery by moonlight.
Some of you remember what the en-,
chanter of Scotland said in the Lay of
the Last Minstrelm
Woudst thou view fair Melrost Alright
Go visit it by the pale moonlight,
Washington Irving describes the An
dalusian moonlight upon the Alham-
bra ruins as amounting to an enchant-
ment My text presents you Jerusa-
lem in ruins. The tower down. The
gates down The walls down. Every
thing down. Nehemiah ON horseback
by moonlight. looking upon the ruins.
While he rides, there are some friends
on foot going with him. for they
do not want the many horses to dis.
turb the suspicious of the people,
These people do not know the secret of
Nehemiah's heart, but they are going
as sort of bodyguard. hear the
clicking of the hoofs of the horse on
which Nehemiah rides, as he guides it
this way and that into this gate and
out of that, winding through that
gate amid the debris of once
great Jerusalem. Now the horse
comes to halt at the tumbled
masonry where he can not pass.
Now he SHES off at the charred tim
bers Now he comes along where the
water under the moonlight flashes
from the mouth of the brazen dragon
after which the gate was named
Heavyhearted Nehemiah. Riding in
and out, now by his old home desc
lated, now by the defaced temple, now
gone down under the battering-ram
and contiagration. The escorting
party knows not what Nehemia means
Is he getting crazy? Have his own
personal sorrows, added to the sorrows
of the nation, unbalanced his intellect?
Still the midnight exploration goes on.
Nehemia on horse back rides tn rough
fish hn
the furnaces, by the kings pool,
10y the dragon well, in and out, in and
out. until the midnight ride is com
plct,'d and Nehem iah dislnounts from
his horse, and to the amazed and con-
founded and incredulous body guard
declares the dead secret of his heart
when he says: Come, now. let us
build Jerusalem" What, Nehemiah
have you any money!" No" Have
you any kingly authority?' Mo-
"iave YOU any eloquence9" No" Yet
that midnight, moonlight ride of Ne
hemiah resulted in the glorious II build
ing of the city of Jerusalem. The peo-
Pile knew not how the thing was to be
done, but with great enthusiasm they
nuild the city" Some people laughed
and said it could not be done Some
people were infuriate and offered phys
ical violence, saying the thing should
not be done. But the workmen went
right on, standing on the wall, trowel
In one hand, sword in the other, until
the work was gloriously completed. At
that very time in Greece, Xcnophon
was writing history, and Plato was
making philosophy, and Demosthenes
was rafting his rhetorical thunde. but
al of them together did not do so much
for the world as this midnight moon
light ride of praying, courageous. home
sick, close-mouthed Nehemiah.
Ny subject first impresses me with
the idea what an intense thing is
church affection. Seize the bride of
that horse and stop Nehemiah. Why
are you risking Your life here in the
night? Your horse will stumble over
these ruins and fall on you. Stop this
useless exposure of your life. No; Ne
hemiah will not stop. He at last tells
MS the whole story. He lets us know
and he was a servant, cup-bearer in
the palace of ArtaXerXes Longimanus,
and one day, while he was handing the
cup of wine to the king, the king said
to him: What is the matter with you?
You are not sick. | know you must
have some great trouble. What is the
matter with you'" Then he told the
king how that beloved Jerusalem
WIS broken down: how that his fathers
tomb had been desecratea; how that
temple had hetn dishnnnred and de.
faced, how that tn walls were scat
tered aud broken. We'll. said King
Artaxergcs what do lou want?'
well, said the eup-hearcr Nehemiah,
Il want TO 20 home | want to fix up
the grave Of my father, want to re-
store thu beauty 81 the temple. want
10 rebnlia the masonry Of The city wall.
Besides, ! want passports. 20 that
shall not be hindered in my Journey.
And besides that a. you will find il
the context. II waat All order on the
man who keeps your forest for just SC
much timber as mas need for the re-
building of the city now long