The Progress., 1897-04-10

us the whole story. lie let's us know he
was AN exile In u far distant land. and he
was n servant. a cnpEcs.rcr In the palace OF
Artaxerxes Longimnnus, and one day.
while he was handing the cup of wine to
the king tho king said TO him: "Whnt is
the matter with you! You nre not sick.
/ know you must have some great trouble
What is the matter with your" Then he
told tho king how that beloved Jerusalem
was broken down; how that his fathers
tomb had been decorated; how that the
temple had been dishonored and dcfaccd;
how that the walls were scattered and
broken. well, - says King Artaxerxes,
"what do you want!' well, said the
cupbearcr Nehemiah, II want to go home.
/ want to FIX up the grave Of my father.
want to restore the beauty Of the temple.
l want to rebuild the masonry of the city
wall. Besides want passports so that
shall not be hindered In my journey. And
besides that" as you will find In the con-
text, II want an order on the man who
keeps your forest for just SO much timber
as may need for the rebuilding OF the
CITY," "How long shall you be gomez"
said the king The time of absence Is AZ
ranged. In hot haste this seeming advcn-
turer comes to Jerusalem, and In my text
we find him on horseback in the midnight
riding around the ruins 1t Is through
the spoctacles Of this scene that we discov-
or the ardent attachment of Nehemiah for
sacred Jerusalem. which IN ali ages has
been the type Of the church Of God, our
Jerusalem. which We love just as much as
Nehemiah loved hts Jerusalem. The fact
Is that you love the church Of God SO much
that there is no spot on Garth SO sacred.
unlcss 1t be your own hreside-
Viewing the Ruins.
The church has been to you so much
comfort and illumination that there IL
nothing that makes you 80 irnte as to have
1t talked against II there have been times
when you have been carried into captivity
by sickness, you longed for the church, our
holy Jerusalem. just as much as Nehemiah
longed for his Jerusalem, and the first day
you came out you came to the house OF the
Lord. When the temple was In ruins, like
Nehemiah, you walked around and looked
ct 1t, and IN the moonlight you stood lis
tening you could not hear the voice OF
the dead organ, the psalm of the expired
Sabbaths. What Jerusalem was to Nehc-
mini, the church of God is to you. Skep.
tics and infldels may scott ut the church as
! On obsolete affair, as q relic Of the dark
| ages, as q convention Of goOdy goo<y PEG
| pie, but all the impression they have cvei
] made ON your mind against the church OF
| God Is absolutely nothing. You would
mnkc moro sacrifices for IL today than any
other institution, and If 1t were needful
you would do In its defense. You can take
| the words OF the kingly poet us he said,
"1f ! forget thee, o Jerusalem, let my
right hand forget her cunning" You I'M
| de- stand In y our own experience the pathos,
] the Inconsistencies the courage, the holy
| enthusiasm Of Nehemiah In his midnight
| moonlight ride around the ruins OF his
beloved Jerusalem.
Exploration Necessary.
Again, my text imprcssCs me with the
| fact that before reconstruction there must
| be an exploration Of ruins. Why was not
Nehemiah asleep under the coversS Why
| was not his horse stabbed In the midnight
Let the police of the city arrest this mid
| night rider, out on some mischief. No.
| Nehemiah II going to rebuild the city,
and he Is making tho preliminary exploru-
tion. In this gate. out that gate, cast,
west, north. south. All through the
ruins The ruins must be explored before
| the work of reconstruction can begin. The
reason that so many people In this day,
apparently converted, do not stay con-
verified is because they did not first explore
| the ruins Of their own heart. The reason
that there arc SO many professed Chris
| tians who In this day lie md forge and
] stf,al md rs,ypmjf examinations. and QO