The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-04-17
TALMAGE's SERMON.
Lessons of the Story OF the Re-
building Of Jerusalem.
The Great Value and Power OF Church Az
fection- Before Reconstruction Must
Come an Exploration OF
the Ruins.

Then l went up in the night by the brook
md viewed the wall, and turned back, ana en-
tered by the gate OF the valley and so returned.
Nehemiah IL, ID.
A dead city is more suggestive than
a living city-past Rome than present
Rome-ruins rather than newly fres-
coed cathedral. But the best time to
visit a ruin is by moonlight. The Coli
scum 10 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 Minstrel"
wouldst thou view fair Melrose 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 horse back,
by moonlight, looking upon the ruins.
While he rides, there are some friends
on foot yguing 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
Nchemiahs heart, but they are going
as a sort of bodyguard. hear the
clicking of the hoofs of the horse on
- ~ 1. l. - =. ha doc
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 a halt at the tumbled
masonry where he can not pass.
Now he SHES off at the charred tim
bcrs. Now he comes along where the
water under the moonlight flashes
from the mouth of the braZen dragon
after which the gate was named.
Heavy-hearted Nehemiah. Riding in
and out, now by his old home dei:'-
lated, now by the defaced temple, now
amid the scars of the city that had
gone down under the battering-ram
and conflagration. 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 through
the fish gate, by the tower OF
the furnaces, by the kings pool,
by the dragon well. in and out, in and
out until the midnight ride is com
pleted, and Nehem iah dismounts from
his hose, and to the amazed and con-
founded and incrcdulOuS 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?' NO"
Have yon any clOquence"" No" Yet
that midn .ght, moonlight ride Of Ne
hrmiah resulted in the glorious rebuild
ing OF the city of Jerusalem. The pco-
pie ltnaYy not how the thing was TO be
done, Nut with great enthusiasm they
cried ,ut: Let US rise up now and
build the city Some people laughed
ard said it could not be done. Some
people were infuriatc and offered phys
.al violence, saying the thing should
not be done. But the workmcn went
sight on, standing on the wall, trowcI
tn one hand, sword in the other, until
the work was glOriously completed. Al
that very time in Greece, Nenophon
was writing a history, and Plato was
making philosophy, and DcmosthcneS
was rafting his rhetorical thunde.; but
all Of them together did not do so much
for the world rs this midnight, moon
Tight ride ofpraying, courageous, homo
sick clOSe-mOuthed Nehemiah.
My subject first impresscs me with
the idea what an intense thing il
church affection. Seize the bride o
that horse and stop Nehemiah. VIII,
are you risking Your life here in tn,
night? Your horse will stumble owe
these ruins and fall on you. Stop thi
useless exposure of your life. No; Ne
hemiah will not stop. He ut last tell
us the whole story. He lets us know
he was an exile in a far distant land
and he was a servant, cup-bcarer il
the palace of ArtaXcrXes Longimanus
and one day, while he was handing tn
cup of wine to the king, the king sal
y
You are not sick. | know you mus
have some great trouble. What is tn
matter with you?" Then he told tn
king how that beloved Jerusaler
was broken down; how that his father
tomb had been desccrated; how tina
temple had been dishonored and d,
faced; how that the walls were sea
tered and broken. WELL" said Kin
Artaxerves, what do you want.
Well" said the cup-bearer Nehemiah
Il want to go home. want to fix u
the grave of my father. want to r,
store the beauty of the temple. Iwar
to rebuild the masonry of the city wal
Besides, | want passports, so that
shall not be hindered in my journe,
And besides that" as you will find
the context, II want an order on Il
man who keeps your forest for just .
much timber as may need for the r
building of the city" How lor
shall you be gomez" said the kin
The time of absence is arranged.
hot haste this seeming adventure
comes to Jerusalem, and in my text v
find him on horse back, in the mi
night, riding around the ruins. 1t