The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-09-23
RAVENNA. THURSDAY, SEPT. %, 1858.

seventy years after Christ, Jerusalem was
finally besieged by Titus, afterwards EN-
peror of Rome. No tragedy on earth has
the same appalling scenes as are to be found
in the history of this siege. The city itsell
was rent 6y factions at the dead!est war
with each other-aIl the elements of civil
hatred had broke lose-the streets were
slippery with blood of citizens brother slew
brother-the granaries were set on fire
famine wasted those whom the sword did
not slay. In the midst Of these civil mas
sacres, the Roman armies appeared before
the walls OF jerusalem. Then for short
time the rival factions united against the
common foe; they were again the gallant
countrynen Of David and Joshua-they sal
lied forth and scattered the eagles of Rome.
But this triumph was brief; the ferocity Of
the i'll fated Jews soon nguin wasted itself
ON each other. And Titus marched on
encumped his armies close by the walls
and from the heights, the Roman general
gazed with awe on the strength and the
splendor of the city of Jehovah.
Let US here pause--and take, ourselves, O
mournfuI glance at Jerusalem, as it then
was. The city was fortified by triple
wall, save on one side, where it was protect
ed by deep and impassable ravines. These
walls, of the most solid masonry, were
guarded by strong towers; opposite to the
loftiest of these towers, Titus had encamped.
From the height of that tower the sentinel
might have seen stretched below, the whole
OF that territory of Judea, about to pass from
the countrymen of David. Within these
walls was the palace Of kings--its roof of
cedar, its floors of the rarest marble, its
! chambers filled with the choicest tapestries,
and vessels of gold and silver. Groves and
gardens cleaning with fountains and adorned
with statues of bronze, divided the courts of
the palace itself. But high above all, upon
q rock, rose the temple, fortified and adorn-
ed by Solomon. This temple was as strong
without as citudel-within, more adorned
than palace. On entering, you beheld
porticoes of numbcrless columns of phor.
phyry, marble and aabaster; gates adorned
with gold and silver, among which was the
wonderful gate called the Beautiful. Fur.
ther on, through vast arch, was the sa-
cred portal which admitted into the interior
of the temple itself-all sheeted over with
gold, and overhung with vine tree of gold,
the branches of which were as large as a
man. The roof of the temple, even on the
outside, was set over with golden spikes, to
prevent the birds setting there and defling
the holy dome. At distdiice, the whole
temple looked like a mount of snow, fretted
with golden pinnacles. But alas the veil
of that temple had been rent asunder by an
incapable crime, and the Lord of Hosts did
not fight with Israel. But the enemy is
laundering at the walls. An round the city
rose, immense machines, from which Titus
poured down mighty fragments of rock, and
showers of fire. The walls gave way-the
city was entered---thc temple itself was
stormed. Famine, in the meanwhile, had
made such havoc that the besieged were
more like specters, than living men; they
devoured the belts to their swords, the sand
ais to their feet. Even nature itself SO per
ished away, that mother devoured her owr
infant; fulfilling the awful words of the war
like prophet who first led the Jews towards
the land of promise--"1'he tender womar
among you who would not venture to set the
sole Of her foot upon the ground for delicate
ness and tenderness--her eye shall be ev
toward her young one and the children thai
she shall bear, for they shall eat them fol
want of all things secretly in the siege ant
stratness wherewith thine enemy shall dis
tress thee in thy gates." Still, as if the foe
and the famine was not scourge enough
citizens smote and murdered each other a,
they met in the way-false prophets raj
bowling through the streets--every image
of despair completes the ghastly picture o
the fall of Jerusalem. And now; the TEN
pie was set on fire; and the Jews rushing
through the flames to perish amidst it's ruins
1t was calm summer night-the 10th o
Augnst-the whole hill on which the TEN
pie stood was one gigantic blaze of fire.
the roofs Of cedar crashed-the golden pin
acles of the dome were like spikes Of Grim
son fame. Through the lurid atmosphere
all was carnage and slaughter; the echoes o
shrieks and yells rang back from the Hill 0
Zion and the Mount of Olives. Amongs
the smoking ruins, and over piles of th'
dead, Titus planted the standard of Rome
Thus were fulfilled the last avenging pro
phecies-thus perished Jerusalem. In tha
dreadful day men were still living win
might have heard the warning voice of Hin
they cruciied-"Verily say unto you all
these things shall come upon this genera
ton. X = x o Jerusalem, Jerusalem
thou that kiIlest the prophets and stones
them that are sent unto thee.
Behold ycur house is left unto you desc
late !" And thus were the Hebrew peopl
scattered over the face Of the earrh, still re
tanning to this hour their mysterious identit
still living proof Of those prophets the,
L = i Ia. = = "a