Year: 1879

THE EXAMPLE OF THE GREAT NEHEMIAH HELD


UP FOR HIS EMULArIoN-REv MR.. AFFLECKs


IDEA OF A MODEL MAYOR.


At the Helping Hand Church last evening Rev.
W. b. Afieck discoursed on "what q Model Mayor
Did and What Our Promising Mayor Should Do"
Taking for the groundwork of his remarks Nehemiah
xiii, l4-"Remember me, my God, concerning
this, and wipe not out my good deeds that have
done for the house OF my God. and for the offices
thereof" he said Nehemiah. the model Mayor
who did so much for the church. the
people and for God. was one Of the
finest specimens of and
official that we read of. No man should be Office
holder office seeker who has not the interests of
the people st heart We have in our day too many
political trcksters and there is remedy except in
our securing public officials who have determined at
all hazards to do their duty to thpeope and to God.
When good men only exalted to be great men,
then will nations rise and people enjoy prosperity
and happiness. You ought to thank God that in
America, if your votes should be thrown away an
unworthy Chief Magistrate. can remedy the evil
in four years. In local affairs you can generally
change your rulers every twelve months, SO that if
you have bad it is Q reflection your intelli-
gence.


MODEL OFFICIAL.


For the high Office of Mayor Governor of Jerusa-
lem Nehemiah had been specially trained He had
been appointed the Kings cup bearer. and while in
that honorable capacity his courtesy endeared him to
all. In his Official character he did nothing in
hurry and only acted after long deliberaton. Nche
miah could be depended upon. He was uniform and
temperate in his habits of life. He also dilgent
and Industrious. .'seest thou a man dgent in
business, ho shall stand before kings he
shall not stand before mean men," The which
Heb ,iah hoc. Mayo wpre ma
Small sometimes lead to great results. and so
it in Nehemiah's He had been told by
Hanani. of his brethren. that the Jews who sur
vived the captivity were sorey afcted-that the
wall OF Jerusalem was broken and the gates thereof
burned. On hearing these things the good Nehemiah
sat down and wept II Ave hundred years before
Jesus shed tears over Jerusalem that Nehemiah
nourncd for that afflicted city. Nehemiah be-
ingly rewarded. He found favor in the eyes of
the King. who not only permitted him TO go and
build up the broken down city of Jerusalem. but
had resolved to accomplish. We must now view him
as model Mayor The first thing struck by
soon saw what was needed Ec had no political
wool gathered his eyes. He found that the city
was very dirty and what he saw around him aroused
his righteous indignation.


woaK REFORM


He found that tho chamber of the house of God
had been. through an unfaith priest. prepared for
Tobiah. onciny of Jerusalem. who had il stored
with the tithes OF the corn. the new wine and the
all The household st,,fr Of Tobiah out Of the cham.
ber" BY that act he proved himself model Mayor
that he had will and mind of his own. In clean
ing the chamber Nehemiah engaged In q hazardous
undertaking. Any Mayor who undertakes to
form long standing abuses. will generally find
that lie has got himself into hornets
Political dishonesty and corruption have gone
in our day until trade and commerce have had to
put sackcloth and ashes. Nehemiah cleansed the
Chamber Christ aterward clcansed the temple OF the
money changers; and now let Mayor Cooper cleanse
the political chambers Of this city, and by doing
make for himself lasting memorial of the citys
gratitude. Let reform rotrenchmcnt. economy be
the popular watchwors for the present year. Give
the working classes more wages, aud let them enjoy
more Of Gods pure air. Close the dram shops, so
that the poor laborers who spend So much of their
hard earnings in them, may be enabled to better
clothes and look more like


REfoRNEas IN HEAVEN.


When get to heaven and all the great rcformors
will stop at Nehemiah, who made the rulers take
their places In the Lords house. He did not go to
impose new duties the poor and the helpless; he
struck where they could strike back again. like q
Mayor who daros to throttle the mobiles. who brings
them by the neck face 10 face with facts. Nehemiah
also abolished trading the Lords day. Any nation.
family person that dsregards the sanctity of the
sabbath, is ON the way ~ dagcneracy and material
and moral ruin. He enforced the law and giorousy
conquered. shutting the gates on the sabbath and
setting men on watch to see that no burdens we're
brought into the city ON that day.


1 leave the noble deeds of this model Mayor to
your private consideration in the hope that his
pie may be copied in our own city. May God give our
new promising wealthy Mayor deposition ~ do
right by all men. Let him act like Nehemiah, and
turn out all the vile stun which the modern Tobahs
trade and TO IL that his servants. the police close
all the barrooms i'm modern Jerusalem, and let
him ever keep before him this motto TRUST In
God aud do the right