The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-12-03
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Queen Of Sheba's Visit to
King Solomon.
The Manner In Which the jewish Nom
arch's hIagniicence Impressed His
Royal Visitor and the Useful Les
sons to be Drawn Therefrom.


subject of the Queen of Sheba's visit to
King Solomon for his theme. The text
was
Behold the half was not told NEIL Kings,
x..7
Solomon had resolved that Jerusalem
should be the center of all sacred, regal
and commercial magnifcence. He set
himself to work and monopolized the sur
rounding desert as highway for his car
avans. He built the city of Palmyra
around one of the principal wells of the
East, so that all the long trains OF mer"
chandise from the East were obliged to
stop there, pay toll and leave part of their
wealth in the hands of Solomon's mer-
chants. He named the fortress Thapsa-
Gus of the chief part of the Euphcates, and
put under guard everything that passed
there. The three great products of Pales-
tine-wine pressed from the richest clus-
tiers and celebrated all the world over; oil,
which in that hot country is the entire
substitute for butter and lard, and was
pressed from the olive branches until every
tree in the country became an oil well; and
honey which was the entire substitute for
the country Solomon exported; and re-
ceived in turn fruits and precious woods
and the animals of every cline. He went
down to Ezion -geber and ordered feet of
ships to be constructed, oversaw the work
men and watched the launching of the flo
tilla which was to go out on more than
years voyage to bring home the wealth of
che then known world. He heard that the
Egyptian horses were large and swift and
long -maned and round limbed, and he re-
solved to purchase them, giving $50 apiece
for them, putting the best of these horses
in his own stall and selling the surplus to
foreign potentates at great profit. He
heard that there was the best of timber on
Mount Lebanon, and he sent out 10000
men to hew down the forest and drag the
timber through the mountain gorges to
construct it into RATS to be fioated to Jop-
pa, and from thence to be drawn by OK
teams twenty five miles across the land
to Jerusalem. He heard that there were
beautiful flowers in other lands. He sent
for them, planted them in his own gardens,
and to this very day there are flowers
found in the ruins of that city such as are
to be found in no other part of Palestine,
the lineal descendants of the very flowers
that Solomon planted. He heard that in
foreign groves there were birds of richest
voice and most luxuriant wing. He sent
out people to catch them and bring them
there, and he put them into his cages.
Stand back, now, and see this long train
of camels coming up to the Kings gate
and the OK trains from Egypt, gold and
silver and precious stones and beasts of
every hoof and birds of every wing and
fish of every scale. See the peacocks strut
under the cellars, and the horsemen run
and the chariots wheel. Hark to the or
chestra. Gaze upon the dance. Not stop
ping to look into the wonders of the Tenn.
pie, step right on to the causeway and pass
up to Solomon's palace. Here we find our
selves amid collection of buildings on
which the king had lavished the wealth Of
many empires. The genius of Hiram, the
architect, and of the other artists, is here
seen in the long line of corridors and tbs
suspended gallery and the approach to thu
throne. Traceried window opposite tracer
led window. Bronzed ornaments burst
ing into lotus and lily and pomegranate
Chapters surrounded by network of Leaves
in which imitation fruit seemed suspended
as in hanging baskets. Three branches
so Josephus tells us-three branches sculpt
ured on the marble, so thin and subtl
that even the leaves seemed TO culver.
2aver capable of holding 500 barrels of wa
ter on 800 brazen oxheads, which gushee
with water and filed the whole place witt
GOODNESS and crystal line brightness ant
iot wheel and lion and cherubim. Solomon
sat on throne of ivory. At the seating
place of the throne, on each end of each o
the steps, a brazen lion. Why, my friends
in that place they trimmed their candle
with shutters of gold, and they washes
their faces in basins of gold, and the,
scooped out the ashes with shovels of gold
and they stirred the altar fires with tong
of gold. Gold reflected in the water; gol
flashing from the apparel; gold blazing il
the crown. Gold, gold, gold.
OF course the news of the affiuence o
that place went out everywhere by ever,
caravan and by wing of every ship, unit
soon the streets of Jerusalem are crowde,
with curiosity seekers. What is that Ion
procession approaching Jerusalem?
think from the pomp Of it there must
royalty in the train. l smell the breath 0
the spices which are brought as presents
and hear the shout of the drivers, and
see the dust-covered caravan showing tina
they come from far away. Cry the new
up to the palace. The Queen of Sheba ad
vances. Let all the people come out to Sc,
Let the mighty men come out on the palac
corridors. Let Solomon come down tn
stairs of the palace before the Queen ha
alighted. Shake out the cinnamon and th
saffron and the calamus and the frank
incense, and pass it into the treas
ure house. Take up the diamond
until they glitter in the sun. TIL
Queen Of Sheba alights. She enters th
palace. She washes at the bath. She sit
down at the banquet. The cup-bearer
bow. The meats smoke. The mus
tremhles in the halls and through the col
ridors until it mingles in the dash of th
waters from the molten sea. Then sh
rises from the banquet, and she wall
through the Conservatives, and she gazs
on the architecture, and she asks Solomo
many strange questions, and she Learn
about the religion of the Hebrews, and 81
then and there becomes servant of th