Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-03-22
CalnnaSe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmade. D. d.

the influence We may exercise TO bring
others into the kingdom are illustrated
in the familiar story Of Rahab. The
text Is Joshua vi, 90: And Joshua
saved Rahab the harlot alive and her
fathers household and all that she
had"
Marvellous are the stratagems by
which walled towns supposed to be
impreunable and fortresses believed to
he unscalable have been captured. For
ton long years the Greeks, under Aga
memnon, laid siege 10 the citadel Of
Troy. At the end Of the ten years they
were no nearer their object than they
were in the beginning. Then the Gre
clan leaders built huge wooden horse
and rolled It up 10 the gates Of the i'm
passable walls Then during the night
the Grccian army and navy withdrew
and sailed away TO Tenedos pretend
ing thnt in disgust they had raised the
useless siege. When morning broke
and the inhabitants looked forth and
saw this wooden horse and noted that
the bcsieging army had gone. they
said Aha The Greeks have fed.
They have left one Of their gods to
terrify u.s." So they opened the gates
of the city and in derision rolled in
side OF the walls this wooden horse 10
make sport OF IT, But the next night.
while the great city slept, the side Of
that wooden horse mysterously open
ed. and ont Of It leuped n swarm Of
Grecian soldiers they ran 70 the city
gates and flung them open. Meantime
the Grecian army. which had set sail
for Tenedos as n rise. returned. The
besieging soldiers marched in; the
awakening defenders were slain before
they could form in line of battle. and
! Troy fell. The dshonor Of Helen. who
had been stolen by Paris from Meme
laus, was avenged.
/ You remember how the Sabines cap
/ t,lrcd the citadel Of old Rome. Day aft
or day. week after week and month
! after month the useless siege went on.
| Then what the Sabine army could not
do by direct assault they accomplished
! !
daughter Of Spurus Tarpeius. COM
M lnder OF the intrepid garrison. and
said, "If you will open for us the gates
by night and let us capture Capitoline
hill, We will give to you I'll the wealth
we wear on our lett arms" Her cupid
ity was aroused She supposed that
they would give "a her their costly
bracelets. which the Sabine soldiers al
WAYS wore on their left wrists. The
gates were opened. and the city fell
Then the Sabine soldiers came and
threw upon Tarpeia their heavy var
shields. which they wore upon theil
left arms. and crushed the traltress
dead. You remember how Babylon
was captured by Cyrus through strata
gem and how Gibraltar was captured
in 1904 by tho English general, Sill
George Rookie. through stratagem. Ru'
Of all the strange and weird attacks
ever made upon any fortified town no
one was so strange and weird rs thai
employed In the overthrow OF Jericho
the first city 10 fall before the advan"
ing armies OF the ISraelites after they
had crossed over the Jordan and enter
ed the promised land.
This plan Of campaign was not map
ped out by Joshua, but by the Lore
God Almighty himself. Once. twice
thrice four, five. SIX times the Israel
ties encompassed the town. Thus die
, the besiegers for six days running
Then on the seventh day the Hebrew
arose very early. for they were 4
march around the city seven times
When the priests lad marched aroun'
the seventh time they blew the trum
pets and shouted. and the Jericho wall
began to totter and to fall. Soon tn
whole city lay at the mercy of the in
vaders, and every man. woman ant
child was put to the sword All wer
, slain. with the exception of Rahab an
her family, for the Bible says, AM
Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alv
and her fathers household and all tina
she had"
. Rahab's History.
= Now. you know the history of RI
hab. As Rahab has always been take
ns the symbol of the sinner saved b
grace, l want TO describe to you II,
hab's reward and how this reward ca
apply in a spiritual ard in tempori
sense to our own lives. Rahnb. on n
count OF her faith in God, had her IN;
terial reward. Not only was she pc
sonally saved but the lives Of her f;
Their and mother and sisters and brotl
ers were also saved. You may rrmen
;, her the story of the siege Of Weinsber
. Emperor konrad III. laid siege to tn
y famous German castle. Week aft,
= week his army lay encamped befol
: those impregnable walls until Mt la
:. the garrison was starved into submit
:. >, sion Then the commander OF Vein
berg made an agreement with 10
rad that the fortress and all it contai
ed should be surrendered, with the e
ception Of the women and what ea(
woman could carry away upon HI
: back. Konrad agreed, On the day
the capitulaton wonderful sight W;
seen. When the city gates were throw
open each woman came forth carryiI
= upon her back her greatest treasur
> This treasure was not a bag Of Rol
:. but was the body OF her father or hui
band or son or brother. Emperor 10
rad was so touched at their devote