The leader., 1889-12-14

single blemish. The Bible says that he
had such q luxuriant shock of hair
that. when once a year it was shorn,
what was cut off weighed over three
pounds. But, notwithstanding all his
brilliancy of appearance he was bad boy,
and broke his fathers heart He was plot
ting to get the throne of Israel. He had
marshaled an army to overthrow his fathers
government. The day of battle had come
and the conflict was begun David, the
father, sat between the gates of the palace
waiting for the tidings of the conflict Oh.
how rapidly his heart beat with emotionl
Two great questions were to be decided: the
safety of his boy, and the continuance of
the throne of Israel. After awhile a
I servant, standing on the top of the house,
looks off and he sees some one running He
| is coming with great speed. and the man
on the Top or the mouse announces tine COM
ing of the messenger, and the father watches
and waits and as soon as the messenger
| from the field of battle comes within haillng
distance the father cries out: Is it a ques"
| ton in regard to the establishment of his
throne? Does he say: Have the armies of
Israel been victorious? Am l to continue in
my imperial authority? Have overthrown
my enemies?' Oh, no. There is one queS-
| tion that springs from his heart to the lip
and springs from the lip into the ear of
the besweated and bedusted messenger
flying from the battle field-the question:
'Is the young man Absalom safe" When it
was told to David, the King, that, though
| his armies had been victorious, his son had
been slain, the father turned his back upon
| the congratulations of the nation and went
up the stairs of his palace, his heart breaking
as he went, wringing his hands sometimes,
and then again pressing them against his
temples as though he would press them III,
crying: 20 Absaloml my son! my son!
Would God had died for thee, o Absaloml
my sonl my sonp Stupendous grief of
David resounding through all succeeding
ages. This was the city that heard the woe.
o Jerusalem, Jerusalem.
am also thrilled and overpowered with
the remembrance that yonder, where now
stands Mohammedan mosque, stood the
temple, the very one that Christ visited
| Solomons temple had stood there, but Neb-
uchadnezzar thundered it down. Zerubba-
bells temple had stood there, but that had
been Frustrated. Then Herod built a temple
because he was fond of great architecture,
and he wanted the preceding temples to seem
insignificant. Put eight or ten modern ca
thedrals together, and they would not equal
that structure. 1t covered nineteen
acres. There were marble pillars sup
porting roof of cedar, and silver ta-
bles on which stood golden cups, and there
were carvings exquisite and inscriptions re-
splendent, glittering balustrades and orna-
mented gateways. The building of this tenn
pie kept ten thousand workmen busy forty
six years. Stupendous pile of pomp and
magnificence! But the material and archi-
tectural grandeur of the building were very
tame compared with the spiritual meaning of
it's affairs and holy of holies and the over
whelming significance of its ceremonies. 0
Jerusalem, Jerusalemi
But standing in this old city all other facts
are eclipsed when we think that near here
our blessed Lord was born. that up and
down the streets of this city He walked, and
that in the outskirts of it He died. Here was
His only day of triumph and His assassina-
tion. One day this old Jerusalem is at the
tiptop of excitement Christ has been doing
some remarkable works and asserting very
high authority. The police court has issued
papers for His arrest, for this thing must be
stopped, as the very government is
lmperiled. News comes that last
night this stranger arrived at suburban
village and that He is stopping at the house
of man whom He had resuscitated after
four days sepulture. Well, the people rush
out into the streets, some with the idea of
helping in the arrest of this stranger when
He arrives, and others expecting that on the
morrow He will come into the town and by
some supernatural force oust the mu-
nicipal and royal authorities and take
everything In His own hands. They
pour out of the city gates until the
procession reaches to the village. They
come all around about the house
where the stranger is stopping, and
peer into the doors and windows that they
may get one glimpse of Him or hear the hum
of His voice. The police dare not make the
arrest, because He has somehow won the af-
fections of all the people. Oh, it is lively
night in yonder Bethany The heretofore
quiet village is filled with uproar and outcry
and loud discussion about the strange acting
countryman. l do not think there was any
sleep in that house that night where the
stranger was stopping Although He came
raSt for
once in His lifetime He had pillow.
But the morning dawns, the olive gar
dens wave 10 the light and all
along yonder road, reaching over the top of
Olivet toward this city, there is a vast sway
ing crowd of wondering people. The excite
ment around the door of the cottage is wild
as the stranger steps out beside an unbroken
colt that had never been mounted, and after
His friends had strewn their garments on the
beast for saddle the Savior mounts it. and
the populace, excited and shouting and fever
lsh, push on back toward this city of Jerusa.
lem. Let none jeer now or scoff at this rider,
or the populace will trample him un-
der foot in an instant. There is one
long shout of two miles, and as far as
the eye can reach you see wavings Of demon
strationS and approval There was some
thing in the riders visage, something in His
majestic brow, something in His princely be
havior that stirs up the enthusiasm of the
try to pull the rider off into their arms and
carry on their shoulders the illustriouS
stranger. The populace are SO excited that
they hardly know what to do with them
selves, and some rush up to the roadside trees
and wrench off branches and throw them in
His way: and others doff their gar
ments, what though they be new
and costly, and spread them for car
pet for the conquerer to ride over. "Hosan-
nap cry the people at the foot of the hill
''Hosannar' cry the people all up and down
the mountain. The procession has now come
to the brow of yonder Olivet. Magnificent
prospect reaching out in every direction
vineyards, olive groves jutting rock, silvery
Sloan, and above all, rising ON its throne of
hills, this most highly honored city of all the
earth, Jerusalem. Christ there, in the midst
of the procession, looks off and sees here for
tressed gates, and yonder the circling wall,
and here the towers blazing in the sun, Phas-
aelus and Marianne. Yonder is Hippicus, the
Kings castle. Looking along in the range
of the larger branch of that olive tree you
see the mansions of the merchant princes.
through this cleft In the limestone rock you
see the palace of the richest trafficker in all
the earth. He has made his money by sell
ing Tyrian purple Behold now the temple
Clouds of smoke lifting from the simmer
ing roof, while the building rises up beautiful,
grand, majestic, the architectural skill and
glory of the earth lifting themselves there in
trim 1bop fbo