St. Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1845-1863, 1858-06-24

| Bulwsr o she D asEioA Il Jsraszlaun. i
a few weeks $50 siz 3. Brlwer Istien de-
liveFsd texture il Kincoln. which city - haA
| fug number of year - presented u Parlia- /
ment Oh tlse early hEssoEy of Eastern nations: |
Re gave an outline .n ths history Of the Rahg-
l0pian. Assysia1s srsian. Rgypsisn. G5ss
and jewish nasi0ns end closed nth the sfoI- /
/ lowfng powerful and dramatic ription ofl
/ the destruction Of Jerusalem hy Inns
six years after ths birth Of our Lord. Judta
ard samaria Became Roman province under
snhordinate governors. the most fsneas pf
whom Nas Poniisls ialais. Tssss gpveEnaTs
/ becsts - r1spra i 4 4 tIse j ssos
INTO ftbelIion /; and seventy years alter Christ,
Jerusalem was finally besieged BY Titus, af-
terwards Emperor Of Rome No tragedy On
the stage has the same scenes Of appalling hoF-
ror as are to be found in the history of this
seige. The city itself was rent by factions at
the deadiiest war with each other-al the
elements Of civil hatred had broke loose-the
streets were slippery with the blood of her
| Ntizens-brother slew brother-the granaries
were set on fire-famine wasted those whom
the sword did not slay In the midst OF these
civil massacrcs, the Roman armies appeared
before the walls of Jerusalem. Then for
L
cummon foe; they were again the gallant
countrymen cf David and Joshua-they sailed
| forth and scattered the eagles of Rome. But
this triumph was brief; the ferocity of the ill-
fated Jews soon again wasted itself on each
other. And Titus marched on-encamped
his armies close by the walls-and from the
heights the Roman general gazed with awe on
the strength and splendOr Of the city of Jeho-
| vah.'. - ,-,
Let us here pause-and take ourselves, q
mournfnLgiance at Jerusalem. as 1t then was.
The city was fUrSj6ed by q triple wall, save on
one side, wheEe 1t was rskected by deep
and impossible 'ravipes. These walls, of the
most solld masonary, were guarded by strong
towers opposite to the loftiest of these towers
Titus had encampted. From the height of the
tower the sentinel might have seen stretched
below the whole of that fair territory of Judea,
about to pass from the countryrnen Of David.
Within these walls was the palace of the kings
Its roof of cedar, its doors of the rarest mar
bles, its chambers filed with the costliest ia
pestries, and vessels of gold and silver. Groves
and gardens, cleaning with fountains adorned
with statutes Of bronze, divided the courts of
the palace itself But high above all, upon
precipitious rock rose the temple, fortified and
adorned by Solomon. THIS temple was as
strong without as q citadel, within more adorn-
ed than a palace. On entering, you beheld
porticoes Of numberless columns of porphyry,
marble and alabaster; gates adorned with sill
yer, among which was the wonderful gate
called the Beautiful. Further on, through a
vast arch, was the sacred portal which admit
ted into the interior Of the temple itself-all
sheeted over with gold, and overhung by a
vine tree of gold, the branches of which were
large as a man. The roof of the temple, even
on the outside, were set over with golden
spikes, tn prevent the birds from setting there
! and defiling the holy dome. At distance the
whole temple locked like a mount of snow,
fretted with golden pinacles. But alas the
vale of that temple had been rent assunder by
an inexpiable crime, and the Lord of Hosts
did not fight with Israel But the enemy is
laundering at the wall. All round the city
arose immense machines, from which Titus
poured down mighty fragments of rock, and
showers OF fire. The walls gave way-the
city was entered-the temple itself was storm
ed. Famine in the mean while had made such
havoc, that the beSeged were more like spec
tres than living men they devoured their belts
to their swords, the sandals t. their feet. Even
nature itself so perished away, that a mother
devOured her own infant fulfilling the awful
words OF the warlike prophet who had first led
the Jews towards the land of promise-"The
tender and delicate woman amongst you. who
would not adventure to set the sule of her foot
upon the ground for delicateness and tender
ness-her eye shall be evil towards her young
one ard the children that she shall hear. for
she shall eat them for want of all things Sc
cretiy in the seige and straitness wherewith
thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates"
Still. as if the foe and the famine were not
scouFge enough, citizens sInote and murdered
j each as they met in the way-false prophets
ran howling down the streets-every image of
despair completes the CHASTITY picture ofthe fall of
Jerusalem. And now the temple was set on
fire. the Jews rushing through the flames to
i perish amidst the ruins. 1t was calm sum-
mer night-the 10th of August; the whole
hill on which stood the temple was otse gi-
gantic blaze Of fre-the roofs Of cedar crashed
| the golden pinacles of the dome were like
spikes Of crimson flame Thro' the lurid at
mosphere all was carnage and slaughter the
echoes Of shrieks and yells rang back from the
Hill Of Zion and the Mount of Olives Amongst
the smoking ruins, and over piles of the dead,
Titus planted the standard Of Rome Thus
were fulfilled the last avenging prophecies
thus peFished Jerusalem. In that dreadful
day, men were living who might have heard
the warning voice Of Him they crucified-
'Verily say unto you, all these things shall
come upon this generation. o o Je-
rusalena., thou that killest the prophets and
stonest them that are sent unto thee, . be-
hold your houses are left unto you desolater'
And thus were the Hebrew people scattered
over the face Of tie EARTH still retaining to this
hour their mysterious identity-still q Ewing
pronf Of those prophets they had scorned or
slain-still vainly awaiting that Messiah whose
divine mission was fulflled eighteen hundred
years ago upon the Mount Of Calvary