Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-12-18

SetfAA oAthSo ao yOu 1drCs 4Oa OtOukat
nothing into the world, and it is very GER
tain you can carry nothing out. "Coase ye
from man, whose breath is in his nostrils." !"
There is an honor that is worth possessing,
but it is an honor that comes from God.
This day rise up and take it. "Bshold what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed
upon us that We should be called the SONS
of God" Who aspires not for that royaltys
Come now and be kings and priests unto
God and the lamb forever.
If wealth and wisdom could have satisfied
man, Solomon would have been satisfied,
To say that Solomon VAS a millionaire gives
bat very imperfect idea of the property
he inherited from David, his father He
had at his command gold to the value OF
six hundred and eighty million pounds, and
he had silver to the value of one billion,
twenty nine million, three hundred and sew
enty- seven pounds sterling. The Queen OF
Sheba made him nice little present Of
seven hundred and twenty thousand pounds,
and Hiram mads him a present of the same
If be had lost the value of a
whole realm out of bis pocket, it would
have hardly been worth his while to stoop
down and pick it up. He wrote one thou
sand and five songs. He wrote three thou
sand proverbs. He wrote about almost
everything. The Bible says distinctly be
wrote about plants, from the cedar of Leb.
anon to the hyssop that groweth out Of the
wall, and about birds and beasts and fishes
No doubt he put off his royal robes, and
put on the hunters trapping, and went out
with his arrows to bring down the rarest
specimens of birds; and then with his fish
ing apparatus be went down to the stream
to bring up the denizens of the deep, and
plunged into the forest and found the rarest
specimens of flowers; and then he came
back to bis study and wrote books about
zoology, the science of animals, shout
ichthyology, the science of fishes; about
ornithology, the science of birds; about bot.
any, the science of plants. Yet, notwith.
standing all his wisdom and wealth, behold
bis wretcbedness, and let him pass on. Did
any other city ever behold SO wonderful q
man? U Jerusalem, Jerusaleml
But here passes through these streets, as
in imagination I see him, qnite as wonder.
full and far better man. David the con.
eueror, the king, the poet Can it be that
l am in the very city where he lived and
reigned? David great for power, and great
for grief. He was wrapped up in his boy,
Absalom. He was splendid boy, judged
by the rules of worldly criticism. From the
crown of his head to the sole Of his foot
there was not single blemish. The Bible
says that he had such a luxuriant shock OF
hair that, when once year il was shorn,
what was cut off weighed over three pounds.
But, Notwithstanding all bis brilliancy OF
appearance, he was bad boy, and broke
his fathers heart. He was plotting to get
the throEe of Israel. He had marshalled
an army to overthrow his fathers govern
ment. The day of battle had come. The
conflict was begun. David, the father, sat
between the gates of the palace waiting for
the tidings of the conflict. Oh. how rapid
ly his heart beat with emotion! Two great
questions were to be decided: the safety of
his boy, and the continuance Of the throne
of Israel. After awhile servant, stand
ing 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 of the house announces the
coming of the messenger, and the
father watches and waits, and as soon
as the messenger from the field Of battle
comes within hailing distance the father
cries out. Is it question i1 regard to the
establishment of his throne2 Does he say:
'Have the armies of Israel been victorious?
Am I to continue in my imperial authority2
Have l overthrown my enemies?' Oh, no.
There is one question 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 battlefeld-the
question: "Is the young man Absalom
safep" When it was told to David, the
King, that, though his armies had been vic
torious, his son had been slain, then IA
ther turned his back upon the congratula.
tions Of the nation, and went up the stairs
of his palace, his heart breaking as he went,
wrinpipg his hands sometimes, and then
again pressing them against his temples as
though he would press them in, crying: %
Ahsalom! my son! my con! Would God |
had died for thee, o Absaloml my son! my
sonr' Stupendous grief of David resound-
ing through all succeeding ages. This was
the city that heard the wee. o Jerusalem,
Jerusalem!
am also thrilled and overpowered with
the rememb brance that yonder, where now
stands Mohammedan mosque, stood the
temple, the very one that Christ visited.
Solomon's temple had stood there, but Ne
thundered it down. Zerub-
bsbePs temple had stood there, but that had
been Frustrated Then Herod built tenn
pie because he was fond of 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 supporting roofs
Of cedar, and silver tables on which stood
golden cups, and there were carvings ex-
quisits aud inscriptions resplendent, glitter
ing balustrades and oruamentcd gatewaps.
The building of this temple kept ten thou
sand workmen busy forty-six years. Stup-
endous pile of pomp and magniHcence! But
the mat erial aud architectural grandeur of
the building were very tame compared with
the spiritual meaning of its affairs and holy
Of hoies, and the overwhelming siguifi-
cance of its ceremosies. o Jerusalem, Je-
rusalem.
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 walk.
ed, and that in the outskirts of it He died.
Here was His OF ly day of triumph aud His
assassination. One day this old Jerusalem
is at the top of excitement. Christ has
been doing some remarkable works ard
asserting very high authority. The Polics
Court has issued papers for His arrest, for
this thing must be stopped. as the very
government is imperiled. News comes
that last nlgn6 thls stranger arrived at a
suburban village and that he is stopping at
the house of a man whom he had resusci
tated 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 be arrives, and others ex
pecting that on the morrow he will come in
to the town and by some supernatural force
oust the municipal and royal authorities
and take everything in his own hands
They pour out of the city gates until the
procession reaches the village. They come
all around about the house where the stran,
ger is stopping, and peer into the doors and
windows that they may get ono glimpse of
him or hear the hum of his voice. The
police dare not make the arrest, because be
has somehow won the affections of all the
people. Oh, it is lively night in yonder
Bethanyl The heretofore quiet village ia
filled with uproar, and outcry, and loud dis
cussion about the strange acting country.
man. do not think there was any sleep
in that house that night where the stranger
was stopping Although he came in weary
he finds no rest, though for once in his life
time he had a pillow. But the morning