The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-05-13
CHURCH AFFECTION.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Draws Lessons
From Jerusalem's Rebuilding.
The Story of Nehemiah's Visit to the
Ruins of the Holy City Made the
Basis of an. Interesting aud
Instructive Discourse.


| Witt Talmage was delivered before his
| Washington congregation. being based
on the text:
Then I went up in the night by the brook
| and viewed the wall and turned back and
tered by the gate of the valley and so returned.
| Nehemiah, H.. Is.
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 ruin is by moonlight. The Coli
scum is far more fascinating to the
traveller after sundown 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 Alhan-
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 horseb 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 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 a halt at the tumbled
masonry where he can not pass.
Now he SHES off at the charled 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.
IIeavy-heartcd Nehemiah. Riding in
and out, now by his old home desc
lated, now by the defaced temple, now
amid the sears of the city that had
gone down under the battering-ram
and confiagration. 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 horseback 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 Nehemiah dismounts from
his horse, and to the amazed and con-
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 you any eloquence?' ''No.' Yet
that midnight. moonlight ride of Ne
hemiah resulted in the glorious rebuild
ing of the city of Jerusalem. The peo-
pie knew not how the thing was to be
done, but with great enthusiasm they
cried out: Let us rise up now and
build the city" Some people laughed
: and said it could not be done Some
people were infuriate and offered phys
cal 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, Nenophon
was writing history, and Plato was
, making philosophy. and Demosthenes
=, was rattling his rhetorical thundei ; but
all 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.
My subject first impresses me with
the idea what an intense thing i:
' church affection. Seize the bride O
:, that horse and stop Nehemiah. Why
,, are you risking your life here in The
!, nighto Your horse will stumble owe
:, these ruins and fall on you. Stop thi
useless exposure of your life. No; Ne
= h emiah will not stop. He at last tell
US the whole story. He let's us know
he was an exile in far distant land
|, and he was a servant, a cup-bearer il
the palace of ArtaXerxes Longimanus
and one day. while he was handing tn
cup of wine to the king. the king SAT-
> to him: What is the matter with you
You are not sick. | know you mus
y 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
u tomb had been desecrated; how tha
;, temple had been dishonored and DE-
L 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 60 home. want to fix u
/ the grave of my father. want to r.
). store the beauty of the temple. Iwar
o to rebuild the masonry of the city wal
; Besides, l want passports, so that
= shall not be hindered in my journe,
And besides that" as you will find
9 the context, Il want an order on tt
man who keeps your forest for just {