The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-08-04
BULWER ON THE DESTRUCTION
OF. JERUSALEM.

ID A few weeks ago, Sir E. Bulwer Lyt
g ton delivered lecture in Lincoln, whic
city he has for number of years, reI
'e resented in Parliament, on the earl
1t history of Eastern nations. He CAV
'e an outline of the history Of the Baby
It lonian, Assyrian, Persian, Egyptian
Greek, and Jewish nations, and close,
e with the following dranatic description
}, of the destruction of Jerusalem b,
Titus:
J. Six years after the birth of our Lord
Judea and Samaria became a Romsr
province under subordinate governors
the most famous of whom was Pohtius
D Plate. These governors became SO op.
: pressive that the Jews broke out into
open rebellion; and seventy years after
Christ, Jerusalem was finally besieged
by Titus, afterwards Emperor of Rome.
No tragedy on earth has the Same ap-
palling scenes as are to be found in the
history of this siege. The city itself
was rent by factions at the deadliest
war with each other-all the elements
of civil hatred had broke lose-the
streets were slippery with blood of citi-
zens-brother slew Erother-the grana-
ries were set on fre-famine wasted
those whom the sword did not slay. In
the midst of these civil massacres, the
Roman armies appeared beford the walls
of Jerusalem. Then for a short time
the rival factions united against the
common foe; they were again the gal
liant countrymen of David and Joshua
they sailed forth and scattered the ca
giles of Rome. But this triumph was
brief; the ferocity of the ill-fated Jews
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 the splendor of
the city of Jehovah.
Let US here pause-and take, our
selves, mournful glance at Jerusalem,
as it then was. The city was fortified |
by triple wall, save on one side, |
where it was protected by deep and i'm
passable ravines. These walls, of the |
NEST solid masonry, were guarded by
strong towers; opposite to the loftiest
of these towers, Titus had encamped.-I
From the height of that tower the senti-
mel mig ght 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 ceder, its floors of the
rarest marble, its chambers filled with the
choicest tapestries, and vessels of gold
and silver. Groves and gardens gleam-
ing with fountains and adorned with
statues of bronze, divided the courts
of the palace itself. But high above all,
upon rock, rose the temple, fortified
and adorned by Solomon. This temple
was as strong without as citadel-with-
in, more adorned than palace. On en-
tering, you beheld porticoes of number
less columns of porphyry, marble and
gates adorned with gold and
silver, among which was the wonderful
gate called the Beautiful. Further on,
through vast arch, was the ed por.
tai which admitted into the interior of ,
the temple itsel-all sheeted over with :
gold, and overhung with vine tree of
gold, the branches of which were as
large as man. The roof Of the temple,
even on the outside, was set over with
golden spikes, to prevent the birds set
ting there and defling the holy dome.
At distance, the whole temple looked J
like mount of snow, fretted with gol-
den pinnacles. But alas the veil of }
that temple had been rent assunder by
IN incapable crime, and the Lord of
Hosts did not fight with Israel. But
ihe enemy is laundering at the wallis
ALI round the city rose immense ma
shines, from which Titus poured down
mighty fragments of rock, and showers
If fire. The walls gave way--the city
vas entered-the temple itself was }
Itormed. Famine, in the meanwhile,
lad made such havoc that the besieged :
we're more like specters, than living I I
men they devoured the belts to their !,
words, the sandals to their feet. Even
nature itself so perished away, that
mother dovoured her own infant; fulfill e
ng the awful words of the warlike pro-
,het who fist led the Jews towards
he land of promise--"The tender wo-
nan among you who would not venture
o set the sole of her foot upon the
round for de!icateness and tenderness
her eye shall be evil toward her young al
me and the children that she shall bear, d
Or they shall eat them for want of all W
hings secretly in the siege and strait N
ess wherewith thine enemy shall dis p
ress thee in thy gates" Still, as if N
he foe and the famine was not scourge d
uough, citizens smote and murdered Il
ach other as they met in the way m
alse prophets ran bowling through the d.
image of despair COM tt
letes the ghastly picture of the fall of to
-erusalem And now, the temple was bi
ct on fire, and the Jews rushing through
he flames to perish amidst its ruins
{ was calm summer night-the 10th ru
f August-the whole hill on which the is
smple stood was one gigantic blaze of as
roofs of cedar crashed-the ei
olden pinnacles of the dome were like m
pixies of crimson fame. Through the th
rid atmosphere all was carnage and
aughter; the echoes of shrieks and
ellis rang back from the Hill of Zion or
i'd the Mount of Olives. Amongst th
,e smoking ruins, and over piles of the m,
cad, Titus planted the standard of of
.ome. Thus were fulfilled the last II
7enging prophecies-thus perished Je- la
,salem. In that dreadful day men ia
ere still living who might have heard
,e warning voice of Him they crucifed
-"Verily say unto you all, these b.
,ings shall come upon this generation.
o Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou fr
,at killest the prophets and stonest
lem that are sent unto thee. pl
ehold your house is left unto you des- m
kl,,e HohraW