The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-05-26
, PALESTINE.
FROM TYRE TO MT. CARMEL.

A LECTURE DELIVERED BY REV. L. b.
PLATT, AT THE CONGREGATIONAL
/, CHURCH, MAY II, 1882.
isaThere is high cliff of perpendic-
ular rock overhanging the Mediter-
ranean Sea-. Below, the continual
beating of the surf has followed out
huge caverns into which the waves run
believing. Above and on the very
edge alta dizzy height above the water
lis a narrow winding path hewn in the
solid rock, and rutted here and there
by the wheels of crusaders wagons
and of, Roman chariots which from
the beginning of history has been
called the Ladder of Tyre"
1t is the only passage across the
mountain range which separates the
plain of Tyre from the ancient
country of the tribes of Israel. And
we knew that down this Ladder Of
Tyre Christ must have come, when as
the Bible says she went into the coasts
of Tyre and Sidon."
Now | am not going to tell YOU as
pious pilgrims are apt to do, who 60
through the Holy Land like a wet
cloud through an April sky, drop
ping tears, shifting and sobbing, and
stopping over, everywhere and on
everything, how we approached this
hallowed spot with trembling rever-
ence, how the first thing we did, was
to feel instinctively for our pocket
handkerchiefs, but unable to check
the fast flowing tears, we gave way to
uncomfortable emotion, fell upon our
knees and pressed our lips to the
rock-Oh holy!- Oh precious rock!
where the feet of Christ may have
rested, (but probably didn't, and
how long we remained there in ecsta-
tic rapture of devotion we didn't
know, we foxgot to time ourselves,
but we nbticed when we rose to de-
part that our tears had flowed together
into considerable of puddle, and l
mention it not with pride but l hope
with humility. that l observed that
my puddle was the biggest "of all"
We didn't do that way exactly, but
nevertheless it was sacred place to
us. 1t was the first place we had yet
visited where we were positive that
the young Prophet of Nazareth, whom
half the world now believes to have
been the son Of God, passed over with
sandalled feet on his mission of Love.
| tried to picture him in my imigina-
ton coming down the mountain as
we went up, stepping carefully along
the edge of the precipice. If he had
slipped would the Angels have born
him up in their hands1 How did He
lookp What did He say when He
stood on the highest crag and looked
down at the wild surges boiling be-
meath him and the blue sweep of the
ocean dotted with white sails going
and coming like the "doves to their
windows?" Did there occur to Him
that old tradition which He had
heard in childhood-that when the
Messiah should come He should stand
on the shore of the western sea and
at His presence the waves should
snatch up treasures from the buried
wealth of the ocean, pearls and prec-
ious stones, and come running with
crested top to lay them down at the
feet Of their King? Or was He think
ing rather of the great deep ocean of
Humanity never resting, swept over
by storm winds OF passion, turbid with
mire and dirt Of sinfulness, out of
which by patience, by charity, by a
love even unto death He was to bring
forth treasures of purity and beauty
and radiant glory that should shine
as the sun in the armament and as the
stars forever and ever2
And now we descended the ladder
upon the other side and set foot for
the first time upon the sacred terri
tory of Israel. 1t was the wide plain
of Acre and the northernmost border
of Israel where the tribe of Asher
"abode in his creeks" that thread
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