The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1897-04-09

V>1t lANEOHN light. Inc CollSe-
~/lhzHN ~ UNI is far more fas-
cnating to the
traveller after shutdown than before.
You may stand by daylight amid the
monastic ruins of Melrose Abbey, and
study shafted oriel, and rosetted stone
and mullion, but they throw their
strongest witchery by moonlight. Some
OF you remember what the enchanter
of Scotland said in the Lay OF the
Last MINSTREL"
Wouldst thou view fair Melrose Alright
Go visit 1t by the pale moonlight.
Washington Irving describes the
Andalusian moonlight upon the Al
hambra ruins as amounting to an en-
chantment. My text presents you
Jerusalem in ruins. The tower down.
The gates down. The walls down.
Everything down. Nehemiah on horse
back, 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
disturb the suspicious OF the people.
These people do not know the secret OF
Nehemiahs heart, but they are going
as sort of body-guard. / hear the
clicking hoofs of the horse on which
Nehemiah rides, as he guides 1t 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 dead halt at
1 he f,,v,, IaI xtyh a
pass. Now he SHES off at the charred
timbers. 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 desc
lated, now by the defaced Temple, now
amid the scars of the city that had
gone down under battering-ram and
confagration. The escorting party
knows not what Nehemiah means. Is
he getting crazy? Have his own per-
sonal sorrows, added to the sorrows OF
the nation, unbalanced his intellect?
Still the midnight exploration goes on.
Nehemiah on horseback rides through
the fish gate, by the tower of the
furnaces, by the kings pool, by the
dragon we'll, in and out, in and out
until the midnight ride is completed
and Nehemiah dismounts 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 yor
any kingly authority" NO" Have
you any eloquence?" mo" Yet tha
midnight, moonlight ride Of Nehemiah
resulted in the glorious rebuilding o
, the city of Jerusalem. The people knew
, not how the thing was to be done, bu
with great enthusiasm they cried out
LET us rise up now and build the city,
Some people laughed and said it coult
: not be done. Some people were infuri
ate and offered physical violence, say
. ing the thing should not be done. Blu
= the workmen went right on, standing
. on the wall, trowel in one hand, swor,
, in the other, until the work was glori
ously completed. At that very time II
Greece. Xenophon was writing a his
: tory, and Plato was making philosophy
: and Demosthenes was rafting hi
rhetorical thunder; but all Of them to
gether did not do so much for the worl
. as this midnight, moonlight ride G
praying, courageous, homesick, close
mouthed Nehemiah.
Ny subject first impresses me wit
= the idea what an intense thing Is churc
affection. Seize the bride of tina
horse and stop Nehemiah. Why ar
you risking your life here in the night
Your horse will stumble over thes
ruins and fall on you. Stop this useles
exposure of your life. No; Nehemia
will not stop. He at last tells us III
l. whole story. He let's us know he Wa
81 an exile in a far distant land; he We
L a servant, a cup-bearer in the palat
d. of Artaxerxes Longimanus, and OF
e day. while he was handing the cup
lie wine to the king, the king said to hir
IL what Is the matter with you? Yc
I, are not sick. l know you must haV
L some great trouble. What is the ma
lie ter with your" Then he told the kir
" how that beloved Jerusalem WI
p broken down: how that his father
r. tomb had been desecrated; how tn
er the Temple had been dishonored al
F. defaced; how that the walls were sea
II, tered and broken. WELL" says Xii
j. Artaxerxes, what do you want
&, well" said the cup-bearer Nehemia
D. "I want to go home. l want to fix
IN the grave of my father. want to 7
s. store the beauty of the Temple. wa
to rebuild the masonry of the city wa
Besides, | want passports so that sh'
not be hlndered in my journey. Al
Nv besides that" as you will find in {
m context, IT want an order on the M
re who keeps your forest for just so mu
ns timber as I may need for the rebuildi
~, of the city" "IIow long shall you
no gomez" said the king. The time OF
o. sence is arranged. In hot haste u
nj seeming adventurer comes to Jerus
40 lem, and in my text we find him
n horseback, in the midnight. ridi
= around tho ruins IL ia through