The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-02-11
| A FAITHFUL SISTER.
OR. TALMAGe TELLS AGAIN THE
STORY OF MIRIAM.

copyright, 1898, by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
WASHINGTON, Feb. Elm this SER
mon of DIR. Talmage the character of a
wise, sympathetic and self denying sis
ter is set forth as an example, and the
story will set hundreds of men to think
ing over old times; text, Exodus ii, 4,
"And his sister stood afar off to wit
what would be done to him.
Princess Thermutis, daughter of
pharaoh. looking out through the lat
tice of her bathing house, on the banks
of the Nile, saw a curious boat on the
river. 1t had neither oar nor helm, and
they would have been useless anyhow.
There was only one passenger, and that
baby boy. But the Mayfower, that
brought the pilgrim fathers to Amer
lea, carried not SO precious load. The
boat was made of the broad leaves of
papyrus, frightened together by bitumen.
Boats were sometimes made of that ma
terial, as we learn from Pliny and Herod-
otus and Theophrastus. "Kill all the
Hebrew children born," had been Pha-
raoh order. To save her boy, Jochebed,
the mother of little Moses, had put 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 to
the boat, but near enough to offer pro-
lection. There she stands on the bank
Miriam the poetess, Miriam the quick
witted, Miriam the faithful, though
very human, for in after time she dem
onstrated it.
She Had Her Faults.
Miriam wasa splendid sister, but had
her faults, like all the rest of US. How
carefully she watched the boat contain
ing her brother! A strong wind might
upset it. The buffaloes often found
there might in sudden plunge of thirst
sink it. Some ravenous waterfowl
might swoop and pick his eyes out with
iron beak. Some crocodile or hippopota-
mus crawling 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. When 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 he cried aloud, for he was
hungry and frightened and would not
even let the princess take him. The in
FAINT would rather stay hungry than
acknowledge any one of the court as
mother. Now Miriam, the sister, incog-
nito, no one suspecting her relation to
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, in
cognito, none of the court knowing that
she was the mother, and when Jochebed
arrived the child stopped crying, for its
fright was Gained and its hunger ap-
peased. You may admire Jochebed, the
mother, and all the ages may admire
Moses, but 1 clap my hands in applause
at the behavior of Miriam, the faithful,
brilliant and strategic sister.
"Go home" some one might have
said to Miriam. "Why risk yourself out
there alone on the banks of the Nile,
breathing the miasma and in danger OF
being attacked of wild beast or ruffian?
Go homer' No; Miriam, the sister,
more lovingly watched and bravely de-
Tended Moses, the brother. Is he worthy
her care and courage? Oh, yes; the go
centuries of the worlds history have
never had SO much involved in the ar
rival of any ship at any port as in the
e hoo COLL xo1
with bitumen Its one passenger was to
be nonsuch in history-lawyer, states
man, politician, legislator, organizer,
conqueror, deliverer He had such re-
markable beauty in childhood that,
Josephus says, when he was carried
along the road 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 it 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 to die. For some reason
the child took one of the Goals and put
it in his mouth, so that his life was
spared, although it burned the tongue
till he was indistinct of utterance ever
after. Having come to manhood, he
spread open the palms of his hands in
prayer, and the Red sea parted to let
2,500,000 people escape. And he put
the palms of his hands together in pray
er, and the Red sea closed On a strangu-
lated host.
Grand In Life and In Death.
His life so unutterably grand, his
burial must be on the same scale. God
would let neither man nor saint nor
archangel have anything to do with
weaving for him a shroud or digging
for him grave. The omnipotent God
left his throne in heaven one day, and
if the question was asked whittier is
the King of the Universe going?" the
answer was, 81 am going down to bury
Moses. And the Lord took this might
est of men to the top of hill. and the
dav was clear and Moses ran his eve