The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-11-07
DIR, TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE 5YTHG NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject A Precious Burden Scion Of the
House OF David in Jeliosheba's Arms
A Lesson From the Slaughter of the
Princes-Lead Children to Christ.

: House of David in Jeliosliebas Arms
A Lesson From the Slaughter of the
Princes-Lead Children to Christ.
copyright 1suul
WASHINGTON, D. C-In this discourse
on a neglected incident of the Bile Dir.
Talmage draws some comforting lessons,
and s, ws that al around us are royal ma
lures that we may help deliver. The text
is II. Kings xi, 2. 3: "Jehosheba, the
daughter of King ,Joram, sister Of Aha.
ziah' took Joash. the SON Of Ahaziah, and
/ stole him from among the kings sons
which were slain, ard they hid him, even
| him al his nurse. in she bcdchambcr
from Ath.liah. sc t,at he was not slain.
! And he was with her hid in the house of
, the Lord six years"
Granimothers are more lenient with
their children's children than they were
with their own. At forty years o. age if
discipline be necessary chastiSement is
used. but at seventy the grandmother.
. looking upon the misbehavior Of the grand
chill is apologetic and disposed to sub
stitute confectionery for whip. There is
nothing more beautiful than childhood.
Grandmother takes out her pockethand-
kerchief and wipes her spectacics anil puts
them on and looks down into the face Of
! her mischievo.:s and rebellious descendant
and says: "I don't think he meant to do
it. Let him eff this time. I'll be RESPONSE
BILE for his behavior in the future" My
mother, with the second generation around
her, =. boistcrous crew, said one day: 81
suppose they ought to he disciplined, but
; 1 can't do it. Grandmotners are not fit
to bring up grandchildren" But here in
/ my text we have grandmother OF dit-
ferent type.
I have been at Jerusalem, where the oc-
currencc cf the text took place, and the
whole scene came vividly before me while
! I was going over the site of the ancient
temple and climbing the towers o. the
kings palace. Here in the text it is old
Athaliah, tn, royal murderess. She ought
to, have been honorable. Her father was
a king Her husband was n king Her son
was king. And yet we find her plotting
for the determination of the entire royal
family, including her own grandchildren
The executioners' knives are sharpened.
The palace i, red with the blood Of princes
and princesses. On all sides are snyieks
and hands thrown up and struggle and
death groan. 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, Jcho'
.
imperial nursery, sei2es upon the grand
child that had somehow as yet escaped
massacre, wraps it up tenderiy, but in
haste, snuggles it against her, flies down
the palace stairs, her heart in her throat
lest she be discovered in this compassion.
ate abduction. Get her out of the way as
quick as you can, for she carries a precious
burden, even young king. With this
youthful prize she presses into the room
of the ancient temple, the church of oiden
time, unwraps the young king and puts
him down, sound asleep as he is and un-
conscious of the peril thab 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.i n.
The arrangements are all made for po-
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
and the FURNISHED shields! Everything is
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 in his hands, the coronet OF gov
ernment is put on his brow, and the peo.
pie clapped and waved and huzzaed and
trumpeted.j What is thatp said Atha-
liah. What is that sound over in the
templey And;she tfies to see, and on her
way they meet her and say: why,
haven't you heard? You thought you
had san ell aS the Toya sS 91aSs
deress, frantic with rage, grabbed her man
tie and tore it to tatters and cried until
she foamed at the mouth: "You have no
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
a short cut through back door of the
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 unloosenad
from the chariot after drawing out young
Joash 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, rigf t.
eousness is an impossibility. When a
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 eni 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 partment are wrapped the
cause of God and the cause of good gov
ernment. That is the scion of the house
of David. 1t is Joash, the God-worshiping
reformcr. 1t is Joash, the friend OF God.
It is Joash, the demoralizer OF Baalltlsh
idolatry. Rock him tenderly, nurse him
gently. Athaliah, you may kill all the
. other children, but you cannot kill him:
Eternal defenses are thrown all around
him, and this clergyman's wife, .lehosheba,
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 he end OF
that time he will come forth for your de-
thronement and obliteration.
Well, my friends, just as poor a botch
does the world always make OF extln-
gushing righteousness. Superstition rises
up and says, II will just put an end to
pure religion" Domitian slew 10000
Christians, Diocletian slew s44 900; Chris
tians. And the scythe of persecution has
been swung through all the ages, and the
flames hissed and the guillotine chopped,
and the Bastile groaned, but did the foes
Of Christianity exterminate it! Did they
eXterminate Alban the first British sacr!.'
fee, or .Zwingl, the Swiss retormer, or
John Oldcastle, the Christian nohleman.
or Abdallah; the Arabian martyr, or Anne
oI.a., a.. C.~Io,. -, fNranf