The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-07
"WATCHINe THE BOAT"
A SERMON DRAWN FROM MIRIAM
AND MOSES.

S.xuvrthctfc aud ScIf-Denying SIS
ter-Thc savannah River One OF
the miles of America"-GOod Adj
xicc 10 Brothers and Sisters.
WASHINGTON. Feb 6.-In this sermon OF
DR. Talnage the character of WISE
synp theuc ana self-denyng sister is set
forth as an example. and the story VIII
Isl bundrds of men 10 thinking over Ola
tircs. Text: Exodus. pa And his SIS
t.~ stood .far of. to wit what would be
doae 80 him"
Princess ThormuUs. daughter of Pha-
raeh looking out through the lattice OF
rcr bathing house, on the banks OF l"9
Mic saw curious boat on the river
III had neither oar nor helm, ana they
would have been useless anyhow. There
was only one pass niger, and that a bany
bow But the Maynower, that brought the
pilgrim Fathers to America, carried not
so precious a load. The boat was made OF
The broad leaves of papyrus, frightened To-
gether by bltumen. Boats were sometimes
made Of that material. as we learn from
Plinv and Herodotus and Theophrastus.
"<Ul all the Hebrew children born hAd
been Pharaoh's order. To save her poy'
Jocbebed. the mother of little Moses, had
uut him in that queer boat and launched
him. His sister. Miriam, stood on the
bank watching that precious craft She
was far enough off not to draw attention
10 the boat but near enough to otier pro-
lection. There she stands on the bank
Miriam. the poetess. Miriam the quick
witted, Miriam the faithful, though very
buman. for in after time she demonstrated
it.
Miriam was splendid sister, but had
her fauIts like all the rest of us. How
carefully she watched the boat containing
her brotherl A strong wind might upset
IT, The buffaloes often found there might
in a sudden plunge of thirst SINK IL. some
ravenous water fowl might swoop ana
pick his eyes out with iron beak some
crocodile or nippopotamus craving
through the rushes might crunch the
babe. Miriam watched and watched until
Princess Thermutis, a maiden on each
side OF her holding palm leaves over her
head TO shelter her from the sun, came
down and entered her bathing house.
" hen from the lattice she saw that boat
she ordered it brought, and when the
leaves were pulled back from the face
of the child and the boy looked up ne
cried aloud. for he was hungry and fright
ened, and would not even let the Princess
take him The infant would rather stay
hungry than acknowledge any one of the
court as mother. Now Miriam, the sister,
incognito. no one suspecting her relation
10 the child, leaps from the bank and
rushes down and offers to get a nurse to
pacify the child Consent is given, and
she brings Jochebed, the baby's mother,
ineognito, none of the court knowing that
she was the mother; and when Jochebed
arrived, the child stopped crying, for its
fright was calmed and it's hunger ap-
peased. You may admire Jochebed, the
Moses, but I clap my hands in applause
q the behavior OF Miriam. the faith
ful brilliant, and strategic sister.
GO home" some one might have said
to Miriam; why risk yourself out there
alone on the banks of the Nils. breathing
the miasma, and in danger of being at
tackled of wild beast or ruttian; go homei'
No; Miriam, the sister, more lovingly
watched and bravely defended Moses, the
brother. Is he worthy her care and
courage? Oh yes; the sixty centuries of
the worlds history have never had so
much involved in the arrival of any ship
az any port as in the landing of that papy-
rus boat caulked with btumen, Its one
passenger was TO be a nonsuch in history
lawyer, statesman, politician, legislator,
organizer, conqueror deliVerer He had
such remarkable beauty in childhood that
JOsephus says, when he was carried along
the rood, people STOPPED TO gaze at him,
and workmen would leave their work to
admire him When the King playfully
put his crown upon this boy he threw il
off Indignantly and put his foot on it. The
King, fearing that this might be a sign
that the child might yet take down his
crown, applied another test. According
to the Jewish legend, the King ordered
two bowls to be put before the child one
containing rubies and the other burning
Goals: and If he took the Goals, he was
to live, and if he took the rubies, he was
10 die For some reason the child took
one of the Goals, and put it in his mouth
so that his life was spared, although II
burned the tongue till he was indistinct Of
utterance ever after. Having come tC
manhood, he spread open the palms o.
his hands in prayer, and the Red Sea
parted to let two million five hundred
thousand people escape. And he put Tho
palms of his hands together in prayer
and the Red sea closed on a strangulatet
host.
His life so unutterably grand, his buria
must be on the same scale. God woult
let neither man nor saint nor archange
have anything to do with weaving for hin
shroud or digging for him a grave. Th,
omnipotent God left his throne in HEAVIER
one day and if the question was asked
Whittier is the King of the Univers
going?" the answer was, Il am goini
down to bury Moses" And the I,or,
took this mightiest of men to the top of
bill and the day was clear, and Moses RAJ
his eye over the magnificent range O
country. Here the valley of Esdraelon
where the final battle of all nations is 4
be fought; and yonder the mountain
Hermon, and Lebanon, and Gerizim, an,
the hills of Judea and the village o
Bethlehem there, and the city Of Jerich
yonder, and the vast stretch of landscap
that almost took the old lawgiver's breatl
away as he looked at it. And then with
out a pang-as | learn from the statemen
that the eye of Moses was undimmed an
bis natural force unabated-God touche
the great lawgiver's eyes, and they closed
and his lungs. and they ceased and hi
heart and 1t stopped; and commanded
saying. "To the skies, thou immorta
spirits" And then one Divine hand wa
put against the back of Moses, and tn
other hand against the Dulseless breas
and God laid him softly down on Noun
Nebo, and then The lawgiver, lifted in tl
Almighty's arms, was carried to the oper
ing Of q cave and placed in a crypt, an
oHc stroke OF the Divine hand snsoothe
the features into. an everlasting calm. an
a rock was rolled to the door, and tn
only obsequies, at which God did all tn