Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-10-31
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
svNDAY's DISCOURSE eY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
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.

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 lsool'
WASHINGTON, d. C.-In this discourse
on a neglected incident of the Bile DIR.
Talmage draws some comforting lessons.
and s. ws that all around III are royal ma
lures that we may help deliver. The text
is II. Kings xi, 2, 8: "Jehosheba, the
daughter ter Of King Joram' sister asr.,, Of Aha lnd
stole him from among the kings sons
which were slain, and they hid him, even
him a. his nurse, in the bedcbamber
from Atl.- 'iah. So lat he was not slain.
And he was with her hid in the house Of
the Lord SIX years"
their children's children than they were
with their own. At forty years of 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 spectacles and puts
them on and looks down into the face of
her mischevo-s and rebellious descendant
and says: 81 don't think he meant to do
bic for his behavior in the future" My
mother. with the second generation around
her, boisterous crew, said one day: 81
suppose they ought to be disciplined, but
| can't do it. Grandmothers are not fit
to bring up grandchildren" But here in
my text We have a grandmother of a diff
ferent type.
l have been at Jerusalem, where the oc.
currencc cf the text took place, and the
whole scene came vividly before me while
l was going over the site of the ancient
temple and climbing the towers of the
kings palace. Here in the text it is old
Athalah, the royal murderess. She ought
to have been honorable. Her father was
a king. Her husband was king. Her son
was a 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 is red with the blood of princes
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 a 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
massacre, wraps it up tenderly, 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 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 he is and un.
conscious of the peril that has been threat.
ened, and there for six years he is secreted
hat 81, 10 n~I1
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 po-
litical revolution. The military come and
take possession of the temple, swear 10y.
atty to the boy Joash and stand around
| for his 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
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. What is that" said Atha
hah. What is that sound over in the
temple!" And she flies to see, and on her
way IHeN II Set HtT SdN w ny
haven't you heard; You thought you
had slain ell the royal family, but Joash
has come to light" Then the royal mur
deress, frantic with rage, grabbed her man
| tie and tore it to tatters and cried until
she foamed at the mouth: You have nc
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
| short cut through a back door of the
| temple and ran through the royal stables
but the battleaxes of the military fell or
| her in the barnyard, and for many day
| when the horses were being unloosened
from the chariot after drawing out young
I Joash the fiery steeds would snort and
rear nassing the place as they smell the
place of the carnage.
The first thought 1 hand you from thi:
subject is that the determination of rigf t
| eousness is an impossibility When q
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 wa:
takers. She would clear the land of al
God fearing and God loving people. She
| would put an end to everything that coulc
| in anywise interfere with her imperia
criminality. She folds her hands and says
"The work is done. 1t is completely
done" Is it? In the swaddling clothes o.
that church ;partment are wrapped the
cause of God and the cause of good gov
ernment. That is the scion of the hous,
of David. 1t is Joash, the Godworshipins
reformer. 1t is ,Joash, the friend OF God
1t is Joash, the demoralizer of Baalitisl
! idolatry. Rock him tenderly, nurse hin
gently. Athaliah, you may kill all thu
other children, but you cannot kill him
Eternal defenses are thrown all arounC
him, and this clergyman's wife, Jehosheba
will snatch HIM up from the palace nurs
cry and will run down with him into tn,
house of the Lord, and there she will
hide him for six years, and at the end o
that time he will come forth for your de
thronement and oblteraton.
Well, my friends, just as poor botcl
does the world always make of extin
gushing righteousness. Superstition rise
up and says, Il will just put an end t.
pure religion" Domitian slew 1000
Christians, Diocletian slew $4,000 Chris
tians. And the scythe of persecution ha
been swung through all the ages, and tn,
flames hissed and the guillotine chopped
and the Bastile groaned, but did the foe
of Christianity exterminate 1t! Did the,
exterminate Alban. the first British sacri
John Oldcastle, the Christian nobleman
or Abdallah, the Arabian martyr. or Ann'
Askew or Sanders or Cranmer? Grea
work of determination they made of it
Just at the time when they thought thel
had slain all the royal family of Jesu
some Joash would spring up and out anC
take the throne of power and WELD a yer!
scepter of Christian dominion.
Intidelity says, Il will extermnate thu
Bible" and the Scriptures were thrown
into the stree for the mob to trample on
and they were piled up in the public
square, and set on fire, and mountains o
indignant contempt We're hurled on them
and learned universities decreed the Bib,
out of existence. Thomas Paine said: III
my Age of Reason l have annihiiated tn,
Scriptures Your Washington is pusil
luminous Christian, but i am the foe o
Bibles and of churches" Oh. how man,
assaults upon that word: All the nostiI,
ties that have ever been created on eartt
are not to be compared with the hostilitie'
against that one book. Said one man il