Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-03-24
Caln,ase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaae. d. d.

Los Angeles. Cal. March lS.-In this
sermon the saving power of faith and
the influence we mny exercise TO bring
others into the kingdom are illustrated
In the familiar story Of Rahab. The
text is Joshua vi -: And Joshua
saved Rahab the harlot alive and her
fathers household and nll that she
had"
Marvellous are the stratagems by
which walled towns supposed TO be
imprcgnabIc and fortresscs believed to
he unscaablc have been captured. For
ten long years the Greeks. under Aga
memnu. laid siege to the citadel OF
Troy Al 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
AMI rolled II up Ia the gates OF the i'm
paSsabc walls. Then during the night
the Grccian army and navy withdrew
and sailed away 10 Tcnedos. pretend
ing that in disgust they had raised the
and the inhabitants looked forth and
saw this wooden horse and noted that
the bcsicging army had gone. they
said: AHA. The Greeks have fed
They have left one Of their gods to
terrify us" So they opened the gates
side of the walls this wooden horse to
make sport OF II. But the next night.
while tie great city slept. the side OF
that wooden horse mystcriously open
ed. and out of II lcaped swarm Of
Grccan soldiers. They ran 10 the city
gates and flung them open. Meantime
the Grecian army. which had set sail
for Tcnedos ~ ruse. returned. The
bcsicging soldiers marched in; the
awakening defenders We're slain before
they could form in line of battle. and
Troy fell The dishonor of Helen. who
had been stolen by Paris from Meme
laus. was avenged.
You remember how the Sabines cap.
tured the citadel of old Rome Day aft
err 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
by bribery They went TO Tarpcia. the
daughter of Spurius Tarpeius. com
mandcr 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 10 YOU all the wealth
we wear on our left arms" Her cupid
ity was aroused She supposed that
they would give to her their costly
bracelets. which the Sabin, soldiers al
ways wore on their lett wrists. The
gates were opened. and the city fell.
Then the Sabine soldiers came and
threw upon Tarpeia their heavy war
shields, which they wore upon their
left arms, and crushed the traitress
dead. You remember how Babylon
was captured by Cyrus through strata
gem and how Gibraltar was captured
IN 1904 by the English general. Sir
George Rookie. through stratagem. But
Of all the strange and weird attacks
ever made upon any fortified town not
one was so strange and weird as that
the first city to fall before the advanc-
ing armies of the Israclitcs after they
had crossed over the Jordan and enter
ed the promised land.
This plan az campaign was not map
ped out by Joshua. but 10y the Lord
God Almighty himself Once, twice.
thrice. -four. five six times the Israel
ties encompassed the town. Thus did
the besiegers for six days running.
Then on the seventh day the Hebrews
arose very early. for they were TO
march around the city seven times.
When the priests had marched around
the seventh time they blew the trum-
pets and shouted and the Jericho walls
began To totter and To fall Soon the
whole city lay at the mercy of the in
vadcrs. and every man. woman ana
child was put to the sword All We're
slain. with the exception Of Rahab aud
her family. for the Bible says And
Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive
and her fathers household and all that
She had
Rahab's History.
Now. you know the history of Ra-
hab. As Rahub has always been taken
as the symbol of the sinner saved by
grace. | want To describe 10 you Ra-
apply In II spiritual and in II temporal
sense 10 our own lives iahab. on ac-
count OF her faith In God. had her ma