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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Clinton News-Record, 1898-11-10, Page 3C. • .o TRE VALLEY OF DECISION. REV. DR. TALMAGE PREACHES FROM IMPORTANT TEXT. /he Pleasures or the World and tits Christian- No Pardon or Ilea wen 01 ttb, out the FrIets,b.htp of Clarl,t -We tall not Always Stay on thts Earth -1 we Death -Bed Seenes-The Dr. Says Thero Is Ito Doubt About There Belem Two Worlds, Heaven and Nell. despatch from Washington, D.C., saYs-efitic. Talnaage preached from the following text :-"Multitudes, multi- tudes in the valley of decie.ion."-Joel 14. The text describes a conflict going on between God's friends and his ene- mies in some great valley of the earth. It is the last great battle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. It is the army of the na- tions, and the prophet looks off upon it. He sees it is going to be no drawn battle, but that the matters at issue between the two armies will be thor- oughly deoided, and therefore he calls it the valley of decision. There are reasons why this house to- night may take the same nomenclature. I don't believe that in all this house there is one careless soul. We often talk about those who are careleas, but in looking over this audience to -night I feel that whatever be the motives that have brought you here, you now feel that you are on the way to eter- nity, and you want to know whether you are going to the right or going to the left. There are matters, to- night, of infinite moment, to come to a settlement. There are stupendous issties at stake. tremble with enx- iety as I look down upon this audi- ence and I cry: -"Multitudes! multi- tudes! in the valley of decision." When T was studying law, I used to be in the court -house a good deal, and the most thrilling moment that lever knew there was the time when the jury came in, and they were about to ren- der their verdict. TWA courlehouse is filled with spectators; the man ia on trial for his life; the counsel for the State and for the defendant have spok- en; the jury, after 'long retirement, say they are ready to render a ver- dict, and they take their place in the room. Then the clerk of the mutt ris- es and says: "Gentlemen of the jury, who shall speak for you?", " The fore- man," they say. Then the clerk says: "Foreman, do you find the elefendnnt guilty or not guilty ?" The moment, be- - tvveen the time when the question is asked by the clerk, and the moment when the foreman gives the verdict of the jury, is the most thrilling mo- ment ever seen or felt in a court -room. To -night, I feel that we have empan- neled a great jury, not of twelve men, but of thou:semis; all the arguments about God and eternity, and your own souls, have been made, the Judge of earth and heaven has given his charge, and now you are to render a verdict. The question is, guilt.y or not guilty? May the Spirit of all grace come down upon my heart and upon yours, that from horizon to horizon there is one wild etruggle of darkness and fire. The masts are twisted off, and the soul sinks, and there are voices in the wreck, crying: "The end thereof is death!" Oh, sin may put garlands on your brow, it may preas chalice to your lips, but at last, "it bitetb like a serpent and stingeth like an addere' Quit the path uf tithe my dear brother; put your feet on the path to heaven. Don't start with a ehuffling puce. Run for your life! Run to the niountainsl You decide now whether you will keep sin or renounce it. God knows that there is "the valley of decision." • 1 remark again, that you will decide to -night whether you will have Christ, or refuse Him. There are some people about whose friendship you don't care, and there are others about whose friendship you are very anxious. Let me say there is nu pardon or heaven without the friendship of Christ. If Christ was a repulsive being ; if He had a hard hand -if His whole nature were repelling to you, I would not blame you for not coining to Him; but He is such a precious Jesus. Why ?I He healed the lepers, opened the eyes of the blind, cured epilepsies, pleurisies, dropsies, palsies. He lift- ed up the fallen, pardoned the impure, ! 'filled. earth and heaven with kind looks, loving words, and gentle foot- steps; bared His brow to any thorn, His back to any scourge, His feet to any spike, His soul to any anguish. Oh, when I ask you to trust such a Jesus as that -to put all your interests in the hands of smile a Christ as that -I don't see how you can sit there without crying out, "Lord, Jesus, I come to Thee! 1 have stayed away too long. Jesus 1 Jesus I Jesus Jesus I" That Saviour, with bleeding hands, and bleeding feet, and bleeding side, and. bleeding brow, and bleeding heart, asks you to love Him. Oh, will you tell Him, "Away, away, thou wounded one. Put not thy foot of blood upon my soul, Back with thee into the wilderness of thy sorrow ;" Will you say it ? What will you. do with Him? They who stand before the throne worshipping Hine wonder what you will do with Him: ele,ssenger angels hovering above us, gaze to see what you will do with Him. The Church of earth and, laeaven stands looking off into the. conflict, as from a tower inen look off upon a battle. The forces of light now triumph for your soul, and now the forces of darkness gain vic- tory ageinet it ; the tide of battle wav- ing forward, baeltward- forward, beet - ward. And thie the valley of decision. I,reraark further; that you a.re to decide now whether you will have Christian association or unchristian. I don't apologize for'anything that is in the Church. You say there are great many wrong things about; 1 know it. There are very mean men in the Church -very proud men -very ineun- sestent men. There are members of the Church that I wouldn't trust with a five cent piece. And yet 1 want yuu to understand that the vast ma- jority of those who have connected thetneelves with the people of God are not of that sort. 'there are a great many meanbankers; does that make , you ashemed to be a benker ? there are mean merchants; does that make you ashamed to be a merchant? There are mean lawyers; does that tnake you ashamed to be a lawyer ? No! '' e fact that there are diehenorable men in any profession is not hing. against the profeseion ; eu.:1 t h3 face 'that there are inconsietent Ch.aetians is not hing against Christianity ; and nothing against the Chureh. If 1 mistake not., some of those whose nemee are prec- ious to you, once belonged to it. They % re washed in the waters of its bap- ti.eem, and they drank t he wine of its holy ceinmunion, an 1 they were thii.1- ed with iLs glad tidings, and when they died, they went up welled by the preyere of a Chi i8t inn communion. When you were I,oys end girls you didn't understand why father and mother always went to church. It seemed so strange to you, that they could go out, through :qui m and dark- ness', and at in the plain country meeting -house. You know now. They could say: "How amiable are illy tabernacles,. oh, Lord of hoets." They didn't care how thi building 'ooked; it • was full of the glory of ths Lord whin they got t lyre. !hoe+ p trent 3 who eri. gone -how they did love the Church. They could say with the Psalmist : "If I forgot thee, oh, Jeruealern, let my right hand forget her cunning -if I prefer not Jerusalem nbo.ei my chief joy, let my tongue, rhrivelled and pal- sied, cling to the roof of Ley mouth." They are gone now. They have ne more need of sitting in an earthly church. They stand in the sunhurst of eternal glory. They have no more need of these Fongs we are singing. They heve joined t.he great choir of the hundred rile forty-four thousand and the thousands of thousends that stand around the th.one. They are gone., but they beiongee to the church once, sine you (Irina, forget it.. Oh, fhe Lord has gathered from all denomina- tion% nnl from all Innis. a very select people. They belong to the Methodist, Baptist, Epi ecopal inn, Congregat tone I Presbyteeitan. don't care vrhere they belong, I think less and less of the dif- ference het ween ist inns.. Ono Lord, one faille one baptism, ene cross, one Chriet, one doxology, one triumph, one heaven: Oh. want to beton; to the Church. I would not haee my name stric.ken f rom he church boeks to have it written upon the ptoudest triumph- al arch Hilt was ever erected. for a vic- tor. I went my name on the same book where my fother and mother had theirs recorded Eixty years ago, While I live T want to live in the sweet Christian communion; and. when it is time for me to die, come elders of the Church eq. pray for my ascending spirit`; the Lord has promised good concerning Israel. Come into the ranks. Don't be ashamed of the colours under which we fight. The whole people of God will rise up as one man to welcome you, and you will now say: "Where thou goes( I will go; thy people shall be my people and thy God, my God. Where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and mei" "This night, this hour, is the valley of decision. I reintirk, further, that you are to decide ROW whether youokill have a Christian death -bed, or an unbeliever's departure. Common sense tells us we cannot always stay here. don t think there are fifty persons in the house sixty years of age; I don't think there are fifty persons in the house fifty years of age; 1 don't think there aro twenty personein the house to- night seventy years of age. Why? Life is tuch a gauntlet, that men can't run it, Oh, there is Fomething con- stantly reminding me that we are pessing away, Riding along to -night throush the oulskirt3 of the city, foe I live in the outskits, I heard ths leaves rattling under the wheel, and L saw they were being shaken down by the wind. I thought, here are see - mons preaching all alone this road, from the text: "We all do fade as a leaf!" 'rhere is something in the passing of the eeasons, something in the withering of the grass, something in the floating of the clouds, eome- thing in the tramp, tramp, tramp of !the pulse, that says: "passing away." !We cannot look at a watab to see the ' Hine, bur we hear in. the tick; passing away;" or look at the hand, but we see !in its movement; "passing away." Grey hairs are on many of you - soleuan propheciee of the tomb -deeper wrinkles, and more of them, Oh, it is a fleeting world. The flowers fade, 'and the sun meta, and the fountains ;dry up, and, if we should close our eyes to all theee things, we still would hear the rattle of the hearse, and the falling of the clods, and the mournful !tones of the funeral service: "Ashes to ' ashes, dust to dust." I saw three pro- ces-ions two or three weeks ago in one day; one was a gay, festal company, going out, with banners flying, and , music pl. ging; another was a wedding prooei ion, moving into the church, the ; osgen eounding the Wedding March, he prople congratulating; the other was a procession to the grave, the only music the sound of breaking hearts. Oh we are pas ing away. Some one else will i•tand. here and preach; others, strangere to you, will sit there and hare; another will lead you in sacred sung. All gone! Sonie wi I L e lip ft oni a high place, and have the life dashed out; some will fall before the hot blziet of .1 razing fever; some witi. cough thsir life away in haiity ems umption; sotne will be ati Lids through it h t he sheep knife of t he pleuri: y; some will fall down with apoplexy, All are pesiing - Lute! ,ede end thew; ride ef people will nue, e along t hess vet y sit est but v,1.1 not, meet us. The slab covering us \cal tell when we were lio, n a n.1 h we died, laud ed ones will phint eyptees, and the white isetes _heel de us. but we will not be iiwalse to upp cc ate the Iciridnese. The city heti_ W ike, but we. will not hear it ; lie cenitoes et. e he national holiday - shake the hills. it. will not kindle our es- ultation; wedding bells will chitue, and 1:U .:;aS 41 1 Litt reium of earth's mighsy 011,:8 will he tem:tiled, eui ens voice will um ,,oin in the acclamation, Gone! '1 he light will Steak fort h in the east; we won't etand in it. The evening. sletilowe eill gather; we will not come in out t h.; t it: ng damp- ness. No sound for the ear, no sight for the eye, no friendly grasp for our hand. Gone from the school; gone from the ehureh; fione from all Chris- ti n ea thly 138 ois'ations; Lon.; from the lc:es of bu iness; gone for evert But 111. -re is a tiiumpLant, ant there is an ignominiou4 way of getting out of this life, and we come here to choose which it shall be. There are eome people • who die just because they must. They shiver as they hear the wind blowing up from the cold Jordan: They wrap amulet them closely the covers of th ir eeeth-couch tremble and luok frutu eide to side, as the deer when the hounds -are cr wing down the wind, Oh. it is a solemn thing to hear the pele horse pawing at the door -sill. I hive seen men go up in triumph; I have seen man go down into darkness. In my first par- ish, at Belleville, New Jersey, I was once/ sent to see a dying man. I was told thet he forbade any Christian man from eeming into his room, yet I conceived it my duty to go. I en- tered the room. He was still sitting up, in. the bed though he was marked for the last in. ment. He had a knife in his band and was eating an app'e. An I entered the room he lifted the knife, as if to throw it at me. I said: "Stop! I have 'just come here as a neighbor to talk to you a little, Put down that knife." Then I talked and prayed with him but I saw at was of no use; he paid no attention, and ins terrupted velett I said. 1 went away. At few weeke after that, one hot sum- mer eight, people in fill thit neigh- horhend got up and closed their win- dows? Why? that man of whom I spoke was dying, and at the last mo- ment, with almost supernatual en- ergy, he cried out,: Lost 1 lost I lost I" and the sound rang threugh the vil- lage. No wonder they closed th ir windows on the hot summer night.. But I have Feen others go up in triumph. I have resd of one n tiO Er: I ean easi y die as close my eyes in sleep." Paul eeid, 'I am now ready to be of- fered up. The Ulna of my departure is nt hand. I have fought the good fight. I have finished my eourse. . I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is#aid up for me a crown of righteous- ness, whiels the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me." That dying ut- terance melees me think of the eagle spreading its ‘‘.ing8 for flighr to its eyrie on the cliffs. I hid an uncle, a minister of the Guspel, who came into the leouse one day, and said to his daughter, "I believe my time has come."' She said, "Are yuu sick?" "I don't know what's the matter with me," he replied," but I certein my time has come." He laid down on a couch in perfect eemposure, clos- ed! his own eyes folded his bends, and then began to say, " The Lord is my sherpherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pas- turee; He leadeth me besides the still waters. 'Yea though I walk through the valley o the shadow of death, I wull fear no evil; Thy rod and Thy ' staff they comfort me. Thou pre- preparest a table before me in the pre- , Renee of mine enemies. Thou anoin- test, my head with oil ; my cup runneth over. Sul e'y -goodness -and- mercy -.than follow me all -the days of my life -and -I -will -dwell in the house -of-the Lord for ever." And when he/ had finished the psalm he had fins Weed life. Between those two death - 'beds choose ye -between the rough of that storm, and the dropping of that sunlight. Why go howling out of the world like a fiend, when you can go singing like an angel, If hear a ery coming up from the riudienee-it is a untinirnoue ory, rind it is tlAs: ' Lel met die the denth of the righteeus, and Int Inv Inet end he like hire" Once mere Ichave tn Rey that yeu tune teenfgb• t ) estiel bete een futu e worldi of sorrow end a future world of joy. know there are those who say there, 18 only one kind of world nhe and it is an sunlight and brighttws They say it is not possible there shoeld be a world of uffereng in the future They say God le a tether ; Fie is njudge we mite,' be enabled now te discuss the four or five great issues that are im- pending, The first question which you are to decide is, whether you will adhere to sin, or renounce it. don't ask you to giye up the pleasures of the World. I think there is no man on earth has so much right to the pleasures of this world as the Christian. Tell me one thing that God ever allowed an uncon- verted man, to do that He denies a Christian. God never uts man who comes to Him on the I' its. If you have one joy now, and wil become a Chris- tian, you will have ten thousand joys then. The grace of God will not de- plete you; it will not rob you of a sin- gle satisfaction, There is not one thing in all the round of enjoyments that will be denied you. God gives especial lease to the Christian, tor all sunlight, all friendship, for all innocent bever- ages, for all exhilarations. I will tell you the difference, You go into a fac- tory, and you see only three or four wheels turning, and you say to the manufacturer : " How is this ? you have such a large factory, and yet three- fourt hs of the wheels are quiet." He Flays the water is low, A raw weeks af- terwards, you go in nnd find all the .spindles flying, and all the bands work- ing -fifty, or e hundred, or five hun- dreal. " Why," you saY, " there is a great change here." "Oh, yes,' says the pannufacturer, " the water has risen. We have more power now than before." I come into this man's soul, Who has surrendered himself to God, and I find there are faculties employed; hut only a part of his nature is working. The stetter Is low. After a while I come in- to that. man's nature and I find that all his capacities, all his energies are in full phis?. I say ihere is a great difference. The floods of Divine grace heve poured their strength upon that soul, end vv-hereas only a few faculties were employed then, now ali the ener- gies and capacities of the soul are in full work. fa other words, he who bet comes Christinn is a thousand times more of a mnn than he was before he pecame Christian. The question to decide, however, is, whether you will give up positive sin, or keep it. You cennot become a child of Goil and ad- here to any one of your transgressions, allie question is, whether it will pay you to keep it. Ah, no, sin will etran- gle your moral nature; it will eat out the Vitals of your soul, end when you come nlong by the precipices of de- struction, it will come behind you, and with skinny hands push you off for ever. Stn never pays. It mingles a cup of gall for your life It twists a whip of scorpions for your bark; and when you, in your last moments, stand on the cold mountains of death, it will come up and blow out the last taper that. illumines your pathway, leaving you in the blackness of darkness for ever. had a friend whn went to the wicket -door of a prisen to see n man who had been in- carcerated. He said to the man: "Come, T want to speak to you." The men had lest both feet ; they had learn frozen off during a time of in- toeiention. Ile crawled up to the ,„etkitcet, then he withered himself up t""ililfr Wood AR well as he could, his head still bandaged from wounds re- ceived froni the police when he wane ar- rested. And stnteling there, tremb- ling with his debauchery and his crimes, he looked into the fece of my friend, and said; "The way of the transgressor is hard." Oh, t,he beach Ls strewn with the wreek of those, who, in frail crafts, have gone out on thie treaeherone Rea. For a time they enter defiance to wind and wave, hut after awhile a cloud came on the sky -the peril dropped 'item them, Through the hoarse sea -trumpet they aided: "Reef &till Down hatches! Zest), fast the main I" But It is too late. They ()linnet make things sun - 117. Tbe sea, like a fonrning termitic, Wig at the infuriate heavens, and "Then to my raptured ear Let ono sweet song be given; Let music cheer me last on earth, And greet me first in heaven, - There'li be no more sorrow there, There'll be no more sorrow there- in heaven above, ,Where all is love, There'll be no more sorrow there." I feel a sympathy with what a wo- man said to me. I was told to dome to her dying couch, and administer the sacrament. went with an elder She, said: "I want to belong to the ; Church. I am going up to be a mem- ber of the Church in heaven; but I don't want to go until I am mem- ber of the Church on earth." So I gave her the sacrament.. And then, she said: ' Now, I am in the Church, here is the baby, baptize him; and here are all the children, baptize them all. want to leave them RH in (he Church.' So I baptized them. Some years after, f was preaching one day in Chicago tend nt the close of the services, a lad main upon the platform, and said: ' Ion don't know me, do you'?' "No, 84" 1. "N17 nahm is George Parish." "Ah," said 1; "I remember I baptized you hy your mother's dying bed, didn't "" "Yes," he mid: "You baptized all nf us there, awl I enme up to tell yon that I have giten my heart to!God. I thought you would like to know R." "I run very glad," I replied; "but I am not. surprised. You had a good mother; (het is almost sure to make a boy some to God, if be hes a good mother." They were made members of the Chureb here lohe members of the Church up yonder. If 1 had the time T would. come down from this Platform, and offer my hand to every man and woman in thia church, and sap "Come, aed join nal" I would give you a personal invitation. We offer you no applauded offers, no worldly ihnolument, but our prayers will com- mingle, and we Will do you good, for also; and Ere is a King. They say God could not allow suffering and be a father. Is there not suffering now? is not t he whe le earth groaning How do you explain the groaning that comes up from China, India, France Speen, America -the whole earth. There are two worlds -heaven and hell -and I cannot imagine a ghastlier ruin than that which shall come upon that ministereeho,in the day hidss the fact 0111 while there's a heaven there's a hell. If the Bible is true, then there there are two worlds. They are just as differeut as possible; the one is all light, the other is all datkness; the one in all holiness, the other all sin. I won't now stop to quote a dozen pas- sages I might to prove that tliere are two worlds. You certainly believe (bet there is a world of light -you have se many loved ones there you are wil- ling to admit it. But those who go out into darkness will go there for ever. The long roll of the ages will not break the chain ur illumine the darkness. No hope, no peace, no 'offer of mercy, no God. On the folds of the storm shall he written the words: "Destroyed without remedy; and the see of suffering, dashing up, shall surge on the ear the same doleful tones: "Destroyed withotit remedy;" and the heavens echoing with the thunders that boom and break, and burst over all that land of desolation, &hall reverberate amid the mountains of death: "Destroyed withoue reme- dy.' But in contrast with that world, God holds out ono of perfect enchant- ment. All the words in the language expressive of joy and exhilaration are brought to describe that blessed place. Gather up all the pearls of the sea, and: all the diamonds of the field,' and all the gold of the Mountain, and make them spell one word: "Heaven ;" Gath- er up all the flowers of the field and twist them into garlands, each word a garland, and let it spell "Heaven." Oh, it seems as if all the language was heaved up into that throne tend set in that jasper work, and swung in that pearly gate, and we can almost hear the surf dash of the erystal sea, and the clapping of the cymbals in the eternal' orchestra, and the sounding up of the hosanna, higher than the waves leaping above Eddystone light- house, dashing higher than the throne, and filling all tha eity of the sun as with "the voice of ruehing waters." Oh, that blessed land, may come to it ? Oh, that blessed land, are .you coming to it? It seems to be very near teenight. Sometimes in our pray- ers heaven seems to be a great way off. It seems neer to me to -night. It fieems ae if 1 could react' my hand and clasp the hands of those who stand on the other side of the flood, end I cry: :Malt! blessed spirits," I listen, and. n voice comes ringing down thernigh the night air: "Hail! Hall!" Bright spirits of the blessed, have you really come in sight? I wave this greeting. Hail! Haiti '"There Rival I bathe my weary soul, In was of heavenly rest ; Anil not a wave of trouble roll Armes my preceful breast." Decide now bet ween t he two worlde for yeti are sure to cOnlo to one or the other, and very soon. The one shout s to you iL is terror ; the other client s to you it ie joy. Oh, will you weer the crown, or will you clank t he chnin ? I teke Clod rind your souls to witness that have in all plainness aand love set before you the right :aid the wrong. -blessing and c.ursing. Oh, ye "mul- titudes in the valley of decision," My heart quakes lest you tulike a mistitke. Will you, for t he sake of hugging your sins a little longer, and gathering a little more sordid earth, lose youteeoul for' ever ? , "Some of you have started for heaven. Good cheer to all of you who are seeking after God. Press on with all thy heart, and Bout, and miglst, and strength. He is waiting for you. Pardon for every one in this house to -night. Some of you, my de,ar brothers, have been waiting ten, twenty, forty, sixty, eigh- etn years, and you are not getting into ths kingdom :,f God, Why no: now? You have been told what it is to sit down with Christ on thrones "of dominion, and you have been told as plainly what' it is to sit down in a lost eternity. God save the people? Quickly may they fly for refuge before the storm comes, and now may the omnipotent Spirit bre,athe upon this "multitude in tbe valley of decision." The same person may have two dif- ferent tonee of voice. Jesus has -two tones or voice. He now addresses you with one tone. .The time will come vvhen, if you reject Him He eita ad- dress you in another tone. To -night ho say3, with infinite gentleness 'and love, "Come unto me; all ye who are weary end h?avy laden, and I will give you rest." Reject ilis mercy, and at the last day He Nv say to those who have cast him off, in another tone, a deeder tone, a condemning tone: "Be- cause I called. and ye refused, and stretched out my Mud, and no man re- garded it, therefore I will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh." "To -day, if ya will hear His voice, Now is the time to make your choice. Say will you to Mount Zion go? Say will you have thi3 Christ' or no?" THE WORLD'S CREDITOR. Eltellat GO/II Invested In Every Corner of' the Globe. It was with very good reason that the Britisher is regarded abroad as a sort of walking' money -bag. There is scarcely a spot on the globe, civilized or uncivilized, where his capital is not sunk in sortie enterprise, and Lhe to- tal amount of John Bull's foreign in- vestments is something marvellous, says an English paper.. Vor many Years past the sum lent by England to foreign Governments and municipalities, and invested in all sorts of industrial undertakings, is cal- cubited to amount to a little short of £10,000,000 a year, or about £'. per head of the population. As nearly as OAR be estimated Great Britain has close on n110,000,000 in- vested in land and ,mortgage com- panies. This country has financed railways in India, Canada, Australia, various European, African, and South Amet 'can countries, and even in the went - thy United States to the tune of about S120,000,030. When national governments live be etind their income they generally come over here for a loan, and they are ek ways sure" to get it. In this way the noloniee end foreign countries have borrowed from England the enormoue sum of close on R8C0,000,000, while the bodies corresponding Enlish county councils and corporations owe nearly R2.1,000,000 more. Curiously, while London is on t he eve of a tragedy for want of water, many foreign waterworks companies are working on its capital. So are the gas eompanies, tramway compenive, rind !elegraph companies. And the Wel of British gold sunk in these undertak- ings amounts to about R2:1,003,001 Altogether, there Is ebout R110,000, NA of this eountry's wealth invested in foreign and colonial bank% Moreover, it is calculnled !hal F.n r leettnen have about '270.000,00e stine in privete investments. So (het, in addition to having inne moiety nt home fhan England know • Indowithit las R1,850,000,000 ti ite credit nbroad. THE SUNDAY SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL LESSON. NOV. 18. " The As.yrints 11/V11,101i." 2 Rings ltl. 20-22 2t1.37. Golden Text, Psalms 46-I, PRACTICAL NOTES. Verse 20. Isaiah the son of Amoz. This prophet, now in advaxicing years. was, accordiag to Jewish tradition, both of Prieetly and of royal blood. Ile was profoundly esteemed during most of his career by the people at large, and euch a source of national strength was he that he might have been called, what. the Israelite king called ellisha, the horses and chariots the standing army of the nation. Sent to Ilezekiah. Take root downward, and bear fruit upward. "Such is the prosperity of the soul. It takes root downward by faith in Christ, and then bears up- ward the ft Wes of righteousnems." - 11eney. $1. Out of Je,rusalem shall go. The best of the kingdom had eought refuge within the great walls of Jeruealem. Those of the peasantry that had not been captured hastened to the capital for security. In the quickly approach- ing times of peace these should again go forth and resettle the land. But that is not all. "It is the determinae tion of God, adopted of old, that from Jerusalem, though distressed and ap- parently lost, ealvation and redemp- tion of every eort shall go forth." - Professor Sumner. The zeal of the Lord of Loets shell do this. "We have reason to think ourselves unworthy that God should do great things for , 1 ut • • 1. f • th ." 11 °ZIP. 'God plow turns from the two kings, Senna,cherib and Hezekiah, to the people at 'ergs, and notifies all concerned of the failure of the As- syrian invasion. He shall not come in- to this city. Ile wee probably about forty miles from it., though his troops must heve come close up to the walls. Nor shoot an arrow, etc. There shall be no siege. 33, Shall he tretuin. He shall lie forced to retnace his steps. For mine own teaks, and for my servant David's sake. This was one of the few hours in the world's history when the cus- tody of•the divine revelation seemed to be imperiled; therefore the promised delivery was for the Lord's own sake. But in David's family was wrapped up all hope of the Messiah; therefore it wia.s for David's sake. 35. The tingel of the Lord went out. What sort of messenger ehis was, whether What we call "natural" or heavenly, whether visible or invisible, we do not know land need not cenjec- tura. In any rase the fatal stroke was divine. A huntired fourseore and five thous:and. Suddenly and silently , the lives of one hundred and eighty- five thousand men were taken. Thwe who' arose early in the morning sur- vived the stroke [bit killed the others. Dead corpses is an old phrase, thor- oughly good English at the time it was written. 1 36. Departed, and went one return- ed, and dwelt. Cave up hie effort in chagrin, changed hie plan, retraced his steps, and stayed thereafter at home. This face shows that the deveut king recognized the prophet of God as out- ranking him. The prophetic message which was now sent begins in the form of an addrees to Sennacherib, contemp-: tuously describing his vanity, haugh- tiness. and impiety; this is followed by an address to Hezekiah, with a pro- mise and a sign of deliverance for the netion; and finally the failure of the! A.ssyrian invasion is announced. Thou hest prayed to me."Instead of rely- ing on thine own resources and strength."-Barnee. Prayer always wins God's friendship. 21. This is the word that the Lord; hath spoketeconcerning him. Concern- ing Sennacherib, and addressed direct- ly to hen. The virgin, the daughter of Zion. Always nations and cities have been personified by orutors tiand poets,' and usually when the pereonification is friendly nations have been regarded as women. Columbia, 13ritannia, Ger- mania, are fanaliar modern examples. The phrase " virgin daughter" height- ens. the beauty and pathos of the pic- ture. Sad to say in that age of war and rapine the maidena uf every coun- try were. regarded as among iLs chief treasures, not to ne developed in beau- ty, iutelligence, and virtue, as with us, but to be stolen and sold as cap- tives. This fool, taken together with Sennacherib's.plans for the capture of Jerusalem, sheds light on the phrases here coupled together, " virgin daugh- ter of Zion," and •' daughter of Jer- uealem.." Zion WAS one of the hills on which Jeruealem was founded, and is often used as a name for the entire city. Laugh thee to scorn. . . shak- en her head at thee. Orientals, we must, remember, are alvvays demon- st Any threat against liberty or life would be sure to arouse either tre- mors and wails and tears an e re ing of garments or acornful laughter, the pointing of tite finger and thewag- giug of the head. Sennitcherib's offi- oers heel seen unly the symptoms of terror, but Jeruealem's strength, for- titude, and confidence in God were re-' newed by thie message of his prophet; therefore the "daughter of Jerusa- lem" dries her tears and sings defi- ance. 22. Whom hest, thuu reproached and blasphemed? Sennacherib's prompt answer wimid be "Ifezekiab, but the prophet. says it is not Ilezekial" who has been cenclemued nor liezekiah's guardian angel, but. "the God of Israel, whose eame is the Holy One." AU Israel knew, even if Sennaoherib did not, that "the, Holy One of Israel" had overthrown every nation which oppos- ed hien. This title of the Deity is a favorite one with Isaiah. It appears in the Bible thirty-oue times, and twenty-seven of these are in the pro- . phecies ,Isaiab. Verse 23 to 27 are omitted from the lesson. They recount Sennacherih's absurd self-conceit and his cruelty, and assert that the. "Holy One of Israel" has chastened many sinful na- 1 dons, who in their day had been used to conquer and deetroy other nations, just as Assyria was now used. t 28. Tby yage and thy tumult. The I Revised Version substitutes "arro- gamey" or "careless ease" for "tu- ; mull." "God speaks to Sennacherib as an imitated master would speak to ; a. servant, who, puffed up by 'the pow- ' er intrueted to him to do his master's work, has d.efied his master to inter- . fere with his carrying out his plans." -Whittle. I will put my hook in tIly i nose, and my bridle in thy lips. "Lead ; you like a bull and drive you like a horse." But the imagery does not stop in that familiar way. In the . Assyrian sculptures there are repre,- sentations of prisoners brou,ght to As- syria with hooks fastened in the car- tilage of the nose and the fleshy part of the under lip, a rope tied to the hook, and the captive thus led to re- ceive his sentence. This was the faele- ion in which Manasseh, one of the wicked kings (A Judah, was actually brought. to Babylon. It was a fam- iliar way of reducing the pride of a conquered oriental king. Se would God abase Sennaeherib; not perhaps with' this actual punishment, but thus thoroughly and completely. I will turn thee back by the way by which thou came. t. With thy. purpose un- a,ccemplished. "Whatever the enemies of the kingdom of God have done what: he intended them to do he puts his bridle in their mouths and leads them back by the way which they came. Napoleon at. Moscow is almost as fair an illustratien of this as Sen- nacherib at Jeruaaiem. 29. This thall gm a sign unto thee. God, the speaker, nose turns from Sen- nacherib' to Hezekieh. "The Jews seek after a sign," ul says. Through- out the centuriee of their religious training signs were freely offered to Gol and his irvants. "They gener- ally consieted in the prediction of some near event whose occurrence was to serve at a pledge of the fulfillment of another predint ion of a still greater and more distant event."-Ileivien on. But such signs were not neeesstirily miraculous. Ye Rhall •eat this year such things as grow of I hemsel veM, el e. Hus'endry had been tuspended be- cause of this great Assyrian war. The invaders had tome in the early epring. and no &twine. multi be done. in the autumn, therefore all they could eat h- er would be whet had sown it t.elf, what grew up from the leavings of the former crop. "In the fertile parts of Palestine, especially in the plain of Jezreel, the highlands of Galilee and elsewhere, the grain and eereel, propagate themeelves in abundenee by the ripe wire, whoee superabundance no one tuses."-Ken. In the second yene. . Same. Probably in the Recond yells the Asyrians were Will in the land, or had left it so recently that order had hot been restored in rime (Believes. The devattention th sir ermies have, been great. There- fore the teenier work and crops flitt- ed again. In the third vier Row ye. Thie pert of the eentence is a pro- pheey. "So nerininly as ye have lived ene year on the chenee produce end one year on afler-growth, just so cer- feinly Abell ye sow and reap in the third rem 'for the land shall be free from AFeyrians." IA 'rho' remnant that is eseeped shall be like the selfeproducing grain, 37. As he wee; warshipping in the house of Nisroeh his god. Bed as he was, Sennaeherib was devout, but hie own god c.ould nnt save, much less give, him succe,ss. Hie sons smote him. "Apparently to gain the kingdom, but they had to flee for their lives, and the younger son, Estar-heddon, one of the greater Assyrian kings, reigned in his stead." LUCKY SEEKERS OF GOLD. FORTUNES MADE BY PLACER MIN- ING IN THE KLONDIKE. llany Renken Diller InniaLs, 3111111 Pure l'hurire Frequently G:ves P:ealtla To the Few FOr1 senate One:4 -Vivo °rase Luekte,t Den -The Shory or Dow Th:v Made Their 20111,1illoiiR anal Dew They Apeud limn*. Placer mining for gold is always a lottery in which the major number•of the seekers after I he yellow metal draw blanks. This is4specially the case in the Klondike ere the average for- tune hunter. is exceedingly lucky if he reaches civilization with more geld than he took out. The five luckiest men in the Klondike are "Charley" Ander- son, "Dan" Saunders, Anton Stander, i "Siawash " George Cormack, and "Pop' Stanley. Anderson and Saunders , bought their &Aims for a song with- out knowing what wait in them; Cor - meek got his because an Indian stoop- ed to pull up his muckluck, native wa- terproof bOot, and Pop Stanley end , °biro nd "et hses Anton Stander staked theas out of slie:oota.use they happened to The discoverer of Freneh Gule,h Bench was Billy Dedering, but his hlaim was veorth only $50,000, while Saunders' was worth $1()O,OLO, which only goes to show in another wily- the ruling importance of luck in the Klon- dike. Dedering ,evns pushing some legs down the hillside when he saw soyne- thing glisten and found that he 11;1(1 knocked a nugget out of the ground. Ile Aug a hole just about where the nugget crime out and found Oxen 10c. Lo the pan. So he concluded the nug- et must have bad a tumble before he knooked it out of the earth. He equint- ed his prospector's eye and looked up the hill, observed a little dip, end said that he guessed that was a good' place for gold to lodge. He washed $187 out of (he first pan on bed rock. When the fact wes known thet some kind of Ois- covery on the eeneh had been made, men went up this hill on the clead run, and it was soon bristling with Makes. One fellow who had staged a claim about 200 feet frona Dedering, said the next day down at the hotel at the Porks that he would sell oat for 850. This eras not surprising, as Dedering would not let anyone pan out of his prospect hole, and it was bruit- ed as it alwiys is, that likely enough the whole thing was a fake to enable Dedering to eell out hie own claim for a few hundred dollars. DAN SAUNDERS. Dan Saonders had overheard the re- mark of the mriu who wnnted to sell out for $50 and took him up. Srhe man thought that " Dan " was drunk and h id ehown bad judgment, hut he poeket ed , i he ruoncy. " Dan " st rode out of the hotel and said that he thought he would go up end see his new pur- chsee. During the first dny on bed rock be took ou'l 21,100 %Seth a rocker. The next day be came down to the Isorkes to spend thet $1,00e end he was not able to do this, though whiskey was 50c. a drink, In fact, " Dan " was in much I he ROMP predicement as nld " Joe " .1 unea ii, e ho sold nut his quartz interest on the south-enstern roost of Alegre for $200, "Ian-- if I know how I'll ever get rid of it," mid old " joe." He Wlii worried in this wny for nt least a week after he renehed Frisco. He is now in the Klondike as poor f IS " Dan " Saunders was when " Don" made his strike. __ CHARLEY ANDERSON. Charley Anderson, who is worth from $500,o00 to 81,000,1100 MR turning a windless three years ago at Circle City. After the big strike on the Klondike he mime up to Dawson, El Dorado ()reek vvea then unprospected. It had been st eked by those who had rushed to Flon- inn as a second ehoice, It was called by the miners a " pup," which in the vernecular means small creek, and was not cert:Isidered of any value. El .Dor- 1 •ido, web ita rolling hills end narrow valley, was a meet unpromising place, to find gold, end claims were offered on it at one time as low as $60 and 8100. The fact that there were no takers of theae offers is reskonsible for their owners being millionaires to -day. Now, as the atory goes "Charley ' endersole was " pretty full" one night and the owner of No 29, on El Dorado, which was tegarded as positively too far up the oreek to be of any value even if the other olaims were, found out that "Charley" had some rmineY. and made up his mind to get it. Se he induced "Charley " to give him 4800 for No. 29. The next day the original owner went around the town boasting of the great bargain he had made. Charley 'naturally was hoppieg mad. " But I keep dot claim," be &aid. "May- be it fool somebody yet." And it did. It will produce nearly 81,000,600. "Charley "-is one of the leaders of society in the Klondike now. He has the reputatien of treating his work- men better than any other employer. He has now purheased a number of oth- er claims on the new creek -Dominion. Hunker and Sulphur -and these are turning out well. Nothing stands in the wesv of his becoming a multi -mil - Ilene ire. ANTON STANDER. Little Anton Ftander is perhaps the most amazing and amusing ,of the lucky ones,. You see such fellows as Anton on the emigrant ships from Southern Europe. He is a email Austrian with the back of his head straight up from his spinal column, a pyramid -shaped head, blaok hair, and black eyes,widely separated. He drifted into the Yukon country long ago with other debris of hunianity before the great strike. On the whole his intelligence is not above that of the average person of Latin lineage who swings a pick in the sec- tion gang, but he had the luck to stake one of the claims on BI Dorado and the stubbornness to hold it -qualities that exist without a college education. You find the college men in the Klondike, as a rule, working for men who, if they con read and write, can not read and write well enough to become shin- ing lights in literature. 'When Anton found out how rich he was he imme- diately aesumed the airs or an aris- toera t. He has already acquired the habit of the rich min of considering every one who addresses him as trying to do hira out of some of his wealth. He is extremley liberal with his money in gratifying his own whims, but not oth- erwiee. Last. winter he fell in love with one of the intnates of a dance hall in Dewsen. She was not beautiful and she was not proud, but she eet 11. value on hex company, for Anton gave her, f itni told, $10,030 to be his housekeep- er during the winter, with the strict understanding she was to cook for no one else. Now Anton is to marry her, or perheps he hes already married her, end when he has worked out his clairci they are going on a tour of the world together. ft is safe to say he will not cross the Atlantic this time in the Steerlge. "POP" STANI,EY. Noir Standee:, claim, and as ricia as his, is 'Pop' Stanley's. ' Pop ' in his day kept a tiny 1st:ilk store in Sea t t le, Ito is middle-aged, and something of a cripple. In the spring. of '96 he stert- ed for the litunelike and peeked his own grub over (les (atilt:34mA Pees OR his lame old ehuulders. Ife first went up to the hare or the Stewart River ;Ind there was ahle to inoke about $10 a day. Hie food ;Ripply running out, he steeled dr)wrz tile t'iver 10 get t elle.; at the com- psny's store at Forty Mile. When ha came to the Klondike he heitra the discovery that had .just been made. He went. With 1 lie rush OS foal as his old lege vvould cerry hen, one stic- ce•eded in gettinir one of the (elites on El Dorado. fie liegen working it nt °nee, end next spring It• went leek to Seettle with $110o110 in eash. Now, it eeems lb it tvs bee•ri a lit Ile :bort of kinds in his :lb- sence, and Mrs. Siete'," ;Ale etiliged to Iske %vie -hinge Tw,) or 1111,4, (in', after Pep's eeriest, serie;; ef Mrs SS 0- leY's P:11 ". ns went to , hone, lo find out. whst had hecome or !heir sin' iiss. They found '' Pop " sill ing in le. ell - en. hie feet up on ti chair, driel:Seg elympegni and smokily; geed 1'14" irA ta'hen he pet eel %vent into the item room :hey 100111 Mrs. Sion; y sur- rounded by deseee .kere f,11 .1-tivo cluthes, It was with mem- the she isetld 1;0(.111 sny ineelen, pi' oecling the time (e' hsr hitt "mes rivet, but findly she teld Itse ironies th t hey remit' get t riot h ,•. if t hey picked i hem up .111Vw her, Alio. the houne, And the pal rens had in wiing them out of t he t hem:tele/et .1s le on as they hod their new gewns Mrs. Stan. ley snd her .(1:1 ugh I p retie erotind town in carrierree to , heir tweet's tett-i- tem. THIS F,11'111Sit f.ITCK. The father of the luck of n11 1110,e men tris " mi Ste liporg:‘ Corot:Wk. 111 MS I ha 11P W:124 the first die - coverer of gold on the Klondik The real diseetvery, IlOV, • r, was 018de by his s9uaw her, " 1 nil ian Charlie " Corm ick h lived no leng emone the Indeiret hat he wee More Of fill 10411 It h n white mon himeelf, and he wee the father of four nr five helf-breel children. In I be summer he fished with he !leonine for t he winter's Rip- ply, in the eutintin he went hunting welt hern, end in the winter his prin- ciple occupation, like that ef the In- ne were keeping %%etym. White. he w 8 fe-heng in the leImulike his lied her -in• h gene ep Itenenza Creek. which flows int he Klentlike, to t rack :1 brill her -in law didn't get the moose, but in stooping to pull up. his murk -luck en the way leek he RaW SoMel hitig• glistening by the side of the creek, whieh, un investigrilion, proved to be gold. POINTED PARAGRAPHS. It is e wise barber whn never illus - trifles his stories with cuts. The sins that pay beet are the last ones We Want to give up. ...tinny good examples are set, but few of them ere ever hatched. The confirmed Irichelor prefers to set- tle his effeirs nut of court.. Men glanee el the past -if sho who passed is young and pretty. 11 at a I wa ys rd 10 ;dense a mon who deeen't know n hal he %vales. Lois of people are too Hellish to as- sist. others in having a gond time. 11 isn't alweys The fighting person who puts his congregation to eleep. Luck sometimes goes up in (he ele- vator end then falls down the shaft. A girl's cenversation ie naturally flowery when she Wks through her hi I . It's the. income tecks that renders the bieyele repair kit ipdiseensable. No men even thinks enough of his minter -in -1;1w to make his wife jeal- ous. " Say some I h i ng end saw no wood," seems to be the tramp's version of it. But few people worry themeelves to denth because of other people's hntred. Ten cente in your pocket will pur- chase More than (be dollar ROMP one OW419 you. Physiciens ore called upon to pres- cribe for the imagination oftener than anything elite. Men never overlook a chance to take a vacation, but it's different with gas meters, Time improVes everything but wom- en; they, of course, have been perfect from the beginning.