Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1919-10-17
A SERMON OF cHEER
BY the Rev. VIII S. ]. Dumvill,
Christ Church (EpiscopaD

message or good cheer, 4 token OF APP
probation, for your venture of faith
in buying the house adjace-t 10 the
church for the comfort of youc cler-
syman and HIS family. / hope my sue
cessors, as the years come and go will
know about your zeal, conservation
and good will toward the least in
their Fathers House."
In the second chapter of Nehemiah
and the 18th verse yon will find the
subject of this sermon and the text
LET US RISE UP AND BUILD"
Nehemiah was a good Jew: IN our
day and in the language of the church,
we would say he was good church.
man. He was the cupbearer to the
King Ar-teX- erx--es. He had a big
job; he was next in Importance to the
king himself His position. however,
did not have the effect on him that it
might have had upon man of less
ability.
He remembered his brethren, who
were humble folk. That is the strong
est evidence of very fine soul. You
can tell how great man is by the way
he treats the boys from his home town
and the country folk. when they pay n
visit to royalty and look with smil-
ing eyes upon one of their countrymen
arrayed in purple. He is but one
of them in spirit and conscious of a
common origin. This kind of an at
titude toward your lowly countrymen,
IS the strongest evidence that you are
worthy of honor and with the ac-
complishments of royalty, if not by
birth, by expansion of mind and heart.
one day some of his brethren went
dow n - the pala e to pay ihoir dis
tnguished countrymen a visit, and he
was glad to see them. Then inquired
he after their welfare and was told
by his llinfollS the kind of news which
would naturally siclIen the heart of a
man who is a man, with love of coun-
Try and brethren still burning in his
heart. The remnant that are left of
the captivity there in the province. are
IN great affliction and reproach the
walls of Jerusalem are broken down
and the gates thereof are burned with
fire. And it came to pass, said he
when l heard these words, that / sat
down and wept. and mourned certain
days, and tasted, and prayed before
the God of Heaven"
Nehemia was a very pleasant man, if
he had any trouble or sorrow of heart,
he kept it concealed or hid from the
eyes of the king. He was very much
like the character in the novel en-
titled THE only woman" There is
an old man in it. He plays a conspic-
uous part in the drama. He wears an
oaken mantle and upon the back of
this inscription is written: II am an
old man now. I've had lots of trouble.
but most of it never happened"
But one day Nehemiah took up wine
and set it before the king, and tells US:
Now l had not been before that time
sad in his presence. He was not a
cry baby. though he had troubles of
his own, and lots of them. and though
he felt keenly the oppression and cap
tivity OF his people. he was blessed
with happy soul, which helped to
keep the king in good spirits. But the
captivity of his people made his heart
sick, and when the heart is sad the
countenance reflects the condition of
the soul. Then inquired the king:
Why is thy countenance sad, seeing |
thou art not sick? This is nothing |
else than sorrow of heart" Then | |
was very sore afraid and said unto the |
king: Let the king live forever. WHY |
should not my countenance be sad |
when the city, the place of my faith
ers sepulchers. Aeth waste, and the |
gates thereof consumed with fire?"'
During this interview he prayed to the |
God of Heaven and got an answer to
MS prayer.
Nehemiah, however, kept the an
;wer to himself. at least till he looked
'Yer the walls of Jerusalem, saw the
and arranged the work.
Ana this he did at night, when every
BODY was asleep, except the captain of
ne guard and members of his cabinet.
md on the morrow he told his people
What he was going to do and they
aid: Let US rise up and build!"
You see they did not sit around and
lebate the expediency of the under
aking- but said unanimously and with
joyful heart, Let US rise I'D and
'uild!" Many times in our work we
Iesire first of all to see the stone TAX
n out of the quarry and hauled to the
pot and the mortar mixed, before we
re ready to go to work. Such a frame
L mind is well and good whea you are
'oing to build for yourself, to sit down
nj count the cost to see if you can
nlsh 1t. But when you undertake for
iod have as much confidence in his
romise as children have in their {
ather's ability to do things. On the
tner hand. we are afraid to start n |
ew venture lest some one laughs at
s. Men and women are more afraid s
I being laughed at than we are quite
ware. The fact is more men and wo-
len have lost out by spending too '
luch time figuring the cost of build 7
lg. They figure away their inspira- S
on and becloud their vision and too
ten in the end see their mistake and s
leir need of little mort confidence in !
and faith In the enterprise.
The enemies of the prophet laughed
him and the possibility of building o
e walls OF Jerusalem. They were
III OF irony and wit. They said Z, fox
ould knock 1t down If 1t should run
against it. Thank God the day has
Issed whe1laughing mongers make
en- quit work because they sit around n,
ID grin! 1t is like the day which 6
ed to be humorist, or a wit a,
uid laugh skilled debater off the n,