Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-09-29
SABBATH READING,
Destruction Of Jerusalem.

OeSGTuCIlOU OIL Jerusalem.
From lecture by Sir Il. Bulwcr Lyttou VIC
take the following thrilling description
Six years after the birth of our Lord ,Ju
dea and Samaria became a Roman province
under subordinate governors, the most famous
of whom was Pontus PLATE. The governors
became so oppressive that the Jews broke out
into rebellion; and seventy years after Christ,
Jerusalem was finally bcsicgcd by Titus, after
wards Emperor of Rome. No tragedy on the
stage has the same scenes of appalling terror
as are to be found in the history of this siege.
The city itself was rent by factions of the
dcadliest war with each othcr-all the clc
mcnts Of civil hatred had broke loosc-tho
streets were slippery with the blood of citizens
brother slew brothcr-thc granarcs were set
on frc-faminc wasted those whom the sword
did not slay In the midst of these civil mas
Sacrcs, 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 countrymcn
of David and Joshua-they sailed forth and
scattered the eagles of Rome But this tri-
umph was brief; the fcrocity of the ill-fated
Jews soon again wasted itself on each other.
And Titus marched cncamped his armies
close to the walls-and from the height the
Roman general gazcd with awe on the strength
and splcndor of the city of jehovah
=" Let us here pause-and take, ourselves,
mourful glance ut Jerusalem, as it then
was. The city was fortified by triple wall,
save on one side, where it was protected by
deep and impossible ravincs These walls,
of the most solid masonry were guarded by
strong towers; opposite to the lotticst of these
towers Titus had cncampcd. From the height
OF that tower the sentinel might have been
seen stretched below the whole of that fair
territory OF Judca, about to pass from the
countrymcn of David. Within hose walls
was the palace of the kings-its roof of cedar,
its door of the rarcst MARBLE it's chamber filled
with costlicst tapestries, and vessels of gold
and silver. Groves and gardens cleaning
with fountains, adorned with statues of bronze,
divided the courts of the palace itself But
high above all, on a prccipitous rock, rose the
temple, fortified and adorned by Solomon
This temple was as strong without as eta
del; within more adorned than palace On
entering, you bchcd porticos Of numbcrlcss
columns of porphyry, marble and alubastcr;
gates adorned with gold and silver, among
which was the wonderful gate called the
Beautiful
" Further on, through a vast arch was the
sacred portal which admitted into the interior
of the temple itself all shceted over with
gold and overhun9 by 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 spirits, to prevent
the birds settling there and dcfling the holy
dome. At distance the whole temple looked
like mount of snow, frettcd with golden pin
nacles. But, alas, the veil of the temple had
been already rent asundcr by an inexpiable
crime, and the Lord of Hosts did not fight
with Israel. But the enemy is laundering ut
~ A III bn oft
machines, from which Titus poured down
mighty fragments of rocks and showers of fire.
The walls gave way-thc city was entered,
the temple itself was stormed.
:" Famine, in the meanwhile, had made such
havoc that the bcsicged were more like spec
tres than living men; they dcvoured the belts
of their swords, the sandals Of their feet
Even nature itself so pcrished away, that
mother dcvourcd her own infant; fulfilling
the awful words of the prophet who had first
led the Jews towards the land of promise
" The tender and delicate woman amongst YOU
who would not venture to set the sole of her
foot upon the ground for deicatcncss aLd ten
derncss-hcr eye shall be evil towards her
young one and the children that she shall bear,
for she shall cat them for want of all things
secretly in the seige and straitness whercwith
thine enemy shall encompass thee in thy
gates"
"Shll, as if the foe and famine were not
scourge enough, citizens smotc and murdered
each other as they mctn the way-falsc proph-
cts ran bowling through the streets-every
image Of despair completes the ghostiy picture
of the fall of Jerusalem. And now the temple
was set on fire, the Jews rushing through the
flames to perish amid it's ruins.
{" 1t was a calm summer night--thc 10th
of August--tho whole hill on which stood the
temple was one gigantic blaze Of fire, the roofs
of cedar crashed-the golden pinnacles of the
dome were like spikes of crimson fame.
Through the lurid atmosphere all was carnage
and slaughter, the echoes Of shrieks rang back
from the hill of Zion to the Mount of Olives.
Amongst the smoking ruins, and over piles
of the dead, Titus planted the standard of
Rome"
THAT every day has its pains and sorrows
is universally experienced, and almost univer-
ILL, non faesad. hut LET rs not attend on1u IN