The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-12-12

4
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 emotion
Two great questions were 10 be decided: the
| safety of his boy, and the continuance of
the throne Of Israel After awhile, a
servant, standing on the t.p Of the house.
looks on and he sees some one running. He
Is coming with great speed, and the man
on the top OF the house announces the COM
ing 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 IL a ques-
ton In regard to the establishment OF his
throneg Does he say: Have the armies of
Israel been victoriousp Am to continue in
my imperial authority? Have overthrown
my enemiesY Oh, no. There is one uues-
tion that springs from his heart 10 the lip,
and springs from the lip into the ear of
the besweated and bedusted messenger
flying from the battle feld-the question:
us the young man Absalom safey" When IL
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 i'm.
crying: 20 Absaloml my SOM my son.
Would God had died for thee. q Absalom! {!
my sonl my sonT Stupendous grief of
David resounding through all succeeding
ages This was the city that heard the woe.
q Jerusalem, Jerusalem.
am also thrilled and ovcrpowered with
the remembrance that yonder, where now
stands a Mohammedan mosque stood the
temple, the very one thnt Christ visited
Splpmpnig fafppla hal utpnI H,,tN Nj
uchadnezzar thundered IL down Zeruhba-
bells temple had stood there but that had
been prostrated. 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. aud they would not equal
that structure. IL covered nineteen
acres. There were marble pillars sup
| porting roof Of cedar, and silver ia
bles ON which stood golden cups, and there
were carvings exquisite and inscriptions re-
| splendent glttering balustrades and orna-
mented gateways. The building of this tenn
pie kept ten thousand wurkmen busy forty
six years. Stupendous pile OF pomp and
magnificcnccl But the material and archi-
| tectural grandeur of the building were very
tame compared with the spiritual meaning Of
its altars and holy of holies and the over
whelming Significance of its ceremonies. q
Jerusalem, Jerusalem!
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 IL 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 Tor His arrest, for this thing must be
stopped, as the very government il
i AI IaI NnNN slas
night this stranger arrived mt suburban
| village and that tie is stopping at the house
| OF "A 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 mr-
| nicipal and royal authorities and take
everything in His own hands They
pour out Of the city gates until the
procession reaches 10 the village. They
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, il is n lively
night in yonder Bethany! The heretofore
quiet village is filled with uproar and outcry,
and loud discussion about the strange acting
countryman. | do not think there was any
| sleep in that house that night where the
! stranger was stopping. Although He came
IN weary lie finds no rest, though for
once i'll His lifetime He had n pillow
But the morning dawns, the olive gar
dens wave in the light, and all
along yonder road, reaching over the top of
Olvet toward this city. there is u vast sway
ing crowd of wondering people. The excite
ment around the door of the cottage is wild
! fl.t .
colt that had never been mounted and after
His friends had strewn their garments on the.
beast for a saddle the Savior mounts il, aud
the populace excited and shouting and fever
lsh, push on back toward this city OF Jerusa-
lem. Let none jeer now or Scoif ut this rider
or the populace will trampe him un-
der foot III an instant. There il one
long shout of two miles and rs far as
tho eye can reach you see wayings of demon
strations and approval. There was some
thing in the riders YiSage, something in His
majestic brow, something In His princey be
havior that stirs up the enthusiasm Of the
people. They run up against the beast and
try To pull the rider Off into their arms and
carry ON their shoulders the illustrious
stranger. The populgce are SO excited that
they hardly know what 10 do with them
selves, and some rush up to the roadside trees
and wrench OH branches and throw them in
His way; and others doff their gar
mentS, what though they be new
and costly, and spread them for n car
pet for the conquerer To ride over. "Hosan-
ma cry the people NJ the foot OF the hill
"Hosarna" " cry the people all up and down
the mountain. The procession has now come
to the brow of yonder Oliyet Magnificent
prospect reaching out in every direction
vineyards, olive groves, jutting rock, slvery
Sloan, aud above all, rising on its throne of
Ellis this most highly honored city of all the
earth, Jerusalem Christ there, in the midst
Of the procession. looks OF and secs here for
tressed gates, and yonler the circling wall,
and here the towers blazing in the sun, Phas-
aelus and Marianne. Honder 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 tie limestone rock YOU
see the palace of the richest traiiicker 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 root, while the building rises up beautiful
grand, majestic, the architectural skill aud
glory Of the earth lifting themselves there in
one triumphant doXology, the frozen prayer
of all nations.
The crowd looked around 10 see exhilara-
tiOn and transport in the face OF Christ Oh
no. Out from amid the gates and the
domeS, and the palaces, there arose vision
of this city's sin, and OF this city's DOOM
which obliterated the landscape from horizon
TO horizon, and He burst into tears, crying:
20 Jerusalem, Jerusalem But that was
the only day of pomp that Jesus saw in and
around this city Yet He walked the streats