The Shasta courier., 1861-02-09
The Destruction of Jerusalem.

Recently, Sir E. Bulwer Lytton delivered a
lecture in Lincoln, which city he has for years
represented in Parliament, on the early history
OF Eastern nations. He gave an outline of the
history of the Babylonian, Assyrian, Persian,
Egyptian, Greek and Jewish nations, aud closed
with the following powerful and dramstic de-
scripton of the destruction Of Jerusalem by
Titus:
"Six years after the birth of our Lord, Judes
and SSmaria became a Roman province, under
subordinate governors, the most famous of whom
was Pontius Plate. These governors became
so oppressive that the Jews broke out in rebel
lion; and seventy years after Christ, Jerusalem
was finally besieged by Titus, afterwards EN-
peror 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 it
self was rent by factions at the deadliest war
with each other-all the elements of civil ha-
| tired had broke loose-the streets were slippery
with the blood of citizens-brother slew bro
| ther-the granaries were set on hre-famine
wasted those whom the sword did not slay. In
| the midst of these civil massacres, 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 countrymen of 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 ave on the
strength and splendor of the city of Jehovah.
| Let US here pause-and take, ourselves, a
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
| impossible rayine. 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 fair territory of Judea, about to
pass from the countrymen of David. Within
these walls was the palace Of the kings-its roof
of cedar, its doors of the rareSt marbles, its
chambers filled with the costest tapestries, and
vessels of gold and silver. Groves and gardens
cleaning with fountains, adorned with statues
of bronze divided the courts cf the palace itself.
But high above all, upon a PERCEPTIONS rock,
rose the temple, fortified and adorned by Solo,
mon. This temple was as strong without as a
citadel, within more adorned than palace. On
entering, you beheld porticos of numberless col
umns of porphyry, marble and alabaster; gates
adorned with gold and silver, among which was
the wonderful gate called the Beautiful.
Further on, through vast arch was the sa-
4 cred portal which admitted into the interior of
the temple itself-alI sheeted over with gold, and
4 overhung by vine tree of gold, the branches
4 of which were as large as man. The roof of
4 the temple, even on the outside, was set
4 over with golden spikes, to prevent the birds
| from settling there and defling the holy dome.
il At distance, the whole temple looked like q
mountain of snow, fretted with golden pnnacles.
Il But alas the veil of that temple had bee,
q ready rent asunder by an inexpiable c,.h "a
the Lord of Hosts did norhg6i wlss ,a,asI slm But
4 the enemy is laundering at the wax Al around
ba citv in,x,x bsrxt
4 Titus poured down mighty fra ,o &c rock
6 and showers of FIRE. The wall ,rsx the
4 CITY was entered; the temple Is CIV s,orr,ed.
Famine, in fSc--sssanwbiie isssa M ~ sd h.
voc, that the besiege1 were a0rs Ike srssctres
i than living men; th3y deveefsx, the h5lts to-
4 their swords and tn sandals to their feet.
Even nature Itself so perished away that a
4 mother deyoured her own infant; fulfilling the
4 awful words of the warlike prophet who had first
led the Jews towards the land of promise -
i" The tender and delicate woman amongst Won.
who would not adventure to set the sole of her
foot upon the ground for delicateness and ten
1 derness-her eye shall be evil toward her young
| one and the children that she shall bear, for
she shall eat them for want of all things secret
ly In the siege and straitness wherewith thine
enemy shall distress thee in thy gates" Still, as
4 If the foe and the famine were not scourge
d enough, citizens smote and murdered each 9TH
| CT rs tucy met III tHe N3y-fdfSe prophets ran
| bowling through the streets-every image of
despair completes the ghasuy picture of the fall
ofJerusalem. And now the temple was set on
! fire, the Jews rushing through the flames to
| perish amidst its ruins. 1t was calm summer
nght-the 10th of August; the whole hill on
which stood the temple was one gigantic fire
the roofs of cedar crashed-the golden pima
cles of the dome were like spikes of crimson
flames. Through the lurid atmosphere all was
carnage and Slaughter the ecifcvs Of si5fieKs=
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 perished Jeru-
salem. In that dreadful day, men still were
living who might have heard the warning voice
of Him they crucined-Verily say unto you
all, these things shall come upon this genera
ton. Jerusalem, Jerusalem thou that
killest the prophets and stonest th- "A that are
sent to thee, < = behold your house il
left unto you desoatel And thus were the He
brew people scattered over the face of the earth,
still retaining to this hour their mysterious
identty-still living proof of those prophets
they had scourged or sain-still yainly await
ing that Messiah, whose divine mission was
fulfilled eighteen centuries ago, upon the Mount
of Calvary.