Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-10-26

srHU EMINENT D1vINE'S sUNDAy
DISCOURSE.
Subject A Precious Burden-scion of the
House of David In Jehosheba's Arms
A Lesson From the Slaughter of the
Princes-Lead Children to Christ.
copyright 1900. |

Princes-Lead Children to Christ.
copyright 1900
WASHINGTON, D, Gin this discourse
on neglected incident of the Bible DIR.
Talmege draws some comforting lessons,
and 81 WIS that all around us are royal ma
lures that we may help deliver. The text
is II. Kings XII, 2, 3: "Jehoshebsa, the
daughter Of King Joram, sister of Aha
ziaG. took Joash, che son of Ahaziah, and
stole him from among the kings sons
which were slain, and they hid him, even
him - | his nurse, in the bedchamber
from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.
And he was with her hid in the house of
the Lord six years"
GrandmOthers are more lenlen6 with
their children's children than they were
with their own, AT forty years of age il
discipline be necessary chastisement is
used, but at seventy. the grandmother,
looking upon the misbehavior Of the grand
chill is apologize and disposed to sub
stitute confectionery for whip. There is
nothing more beautiful than childhood.
GRANDMOTHER takes out her pockethand-
kerchef and wipes her spectacles and puts
them on and looks down into the face OF
her mischevo,;s and rebellous descendant
and says: II don't think he meant to do
it. Let him off this time Ill be response
BILE fer his behavior in the future" My
mother, with the second generation around
her, :, boisterous crew, said one days. Il
suppose they ought to be disciplined, but
/ can't do it. Grandmothcrs are. not fit
to bring up grandchildren" But here in
my text we have grandmother of diff
ferent type.
| have been at Jerusalem, where the oc-
&C iox-4 49, nd
whole scene came wildly before me while
] was going bver the site of the ancient
temple and climbing the towers of the
kings palace. Here in the text it is old
Atbaliah, the royal murderess. She ought
to have been honorable. Her father was
a king Her husband was king. Her SON
was king. And yet we find her plotting
for the determination of the cutire royal
family, including her own grandchildren.
The executioners' knives are sharpened.
The palace is red with the blood of princes
and princesses. On all sides are shrieks
ard hands thrown up and struggle and
death groali: No mercy! Kill! kill! But
while The ivory floors of the palace run
with carnage and the whole land is under
the shadow of great horror fleet
footed woman, clergyman's wife, Jeho-
sheba by name, stealthily approaches the
imperial nursery, seizes upon the grand
child that had somehow as yet escaped
haste, snuggles it against her, flies down
the palace Stairs her heart in her throat
lest she be discovered in this compassion.
ate abductions Oct her cut of the way as
quick as you can, for she carries precious
burden, even young king. With this
youthful prize she presses into the room
of the ancient temple, the church of olden
time, unwraps the young king and puts
him down, sound asleep as be is and UNI
conscious of the peril that has been threat.
ened, and there for six years he is secreted
in that church apartment Meanwhile old
Athaliah smacks her lips with satisfaction
and thinks that all the royal family. are
dead. But the six years expire, and it is:
time for young Joash to come forth and
take the throne and TO push back into
disgrace and death old Athalian.
The arrangements are all made for POI
litical revolution. The military come and
take possession of the temple, swear 10y
atty to the boy Joash and stand around
for lis defense. See the sharpened swords
ready. Now Joash, half affrighted at the
armed tramp OF his defenders, scared at
the vociferation of his admirers, is brought
forth in full regalia. The scroll of author
ity is put i'll his hands, the coronet of gov,
ernment is put on his brow and the peo.
pie clapped and waved and huzzaed and
trlmpeted. "What is that~ said Atha-
liah. What is that sound over in the
temple?" And she flies to see, and on her
way they meet her and say: why,
haven't you heard? You thought YOU
had slain all the royal family hut Joash
has come to light" Then the royal muir
deress, frantic with rage, grabbed her man.
tie and tore it to tatters and cried until
she foamed at the mouth; you have 10.
right to crown my grandson. You have,
no right to take the government from my
shoulders. Treason, treasonl"
While she stood there crying the mill
tary started for her arrest, and she took
temple and ran through the royal stables,
but the battleaxes of the military fell on
her in the barnyard, and for many day
when the horses were being unloosened
from the chariot after drawing out young
.Jeash the fiery steeds would snort and
rear passing the place as they smell the
place of the carnage.
The first thought hand you from this
subject is that the determination of right
eousness is an impossibility. When a
woman is good she is apt TO be very good,
and when she is bad she is apt to be very
bad, and this Athaliah was one of the
latter Sort She would exterminate the
last scion of the house of David, through,
whom Jesus was to come. There was
plenty of work for embalmers and under
takers. She would clear the land of all
God fearing and God loving people. She
would put an end to everything that could
in anywise interfere with her imperial.
criminality. She folds her hands and says:
"The work is done. 1t is completely
DONE" Is it? In the swaddling clothes of
that church apartment are wrapped the
cause of God and the cause of good gov
eminent. That is the scion of the house
of David. 1t is Joash, the worshiping
reformef. 1t is Joash, the friend of God.
1t is Joash, the demoralizer of Baalitish
idolatry. Rock hun tenderly, nurse him
gently, Athaliab, you may kill all the
other children, but you cannot kill him.
Eternal defenses are thrown all around
him, and this clergyman's wife, Jehosheba,
will snatch him up from the palace nurs-
cry and will run down with him into the
house Of the Lord, and there she will
hide him for six years, and at the end of
that time he will come forth for your de-
thronement and obliteration.
WE'LL my friends, just as poor botch
uoeS tne WORTH always MAKE OF exCln-
gushing righteousness. Superstition rises
up and says, Il will just put an end to !
pure religion" Domtian slew 10000
Christians, Diocletian slew S44 900 Chris
tians. And the scythe of persecution has
been swung through all the ages, and the
flames Kissed and the guillotine chopped,
and the Bastile groaned, but did the foes
of Christianity exterminate it? Did they
Alban, the first British sacri
flee, or Zwingli, the Swiss reformer, or
John Oldcastle, the Christian nobleman,
or Abdallah, the Arabian martyr, or Anne
Askew or Sanders or Cranmer? Great
work of determination they made of it.
Just at the time when they thought they
had slain all the royal family of Jesus
some Joash would spring up and out and
take the throne of power and WELD very
scenter of Christian dominion