Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1889-12-20
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Weekly Discourse Of the Great
Brooklyn Preacher.
Subject: "Thc Holy City"
preached ai y erusne Ina.

TEXT "Jerusalem Jerusalem "-Matt
xiii, 81.
This exclamation burst from Christ's lips
as He came in sight of this great city,
and, although things have marvelousy
changed who can visit Jerusalem to-day
without having its mighty past roll over on
him, and ordinary utterance must give place
for the explanatory as we cry, 0 Jeru-
salem, Jerusalem! Disappointed with the
Holy Land many have been, and | have
heard good friends say that their ardor about
sacred places had been so dampened that
they were sorrow they ever visited Jerusa-
lem. But with me the city and its surround
ings a rapt,ira snlernnity, n
whelming emotion Y 0 Jerusalem, Jerusa-
lem The procession of Kings, conquerors,
poets and immortal men and women pass be-
fore me as stand here. Among the throng
are Solomon, David and Christ Yes,
through these streets ana amid these sur
roundings rode Solomon, that wonder of
il the world exhausted itself on that
man 1t wove its brightest flowers
into his garland. 1t set its richest
gems in his coronet, 1t pressed the rareSt
wine to his lips. It robed him in the purest
purple and embroidery. It cheered him With
the sweetest music III that land of harps. 1t
greeted him with the gladdest laughter that
ever leaped from mirth's lip 1t sprinkled
bis Chez; with spray from the brightest
fountains: Royalty had no dominion,
wealth no luxury, gold no glitter, flowers no
sweetness song no melody, light no rediance,
upholstery no gorgeousness. waters no gleam,
birds no punlage, prancng coursers no,met-
tie, architecture. no grandeur, but it was all
his. Across the thick grass Of the lawn, fra
grant with tufts of campfire from Engedi,
fell the long shadows OF trees brought from
distant forests.
Fish pools, fed by artificial channels that
brought the streams from hills far away,
were perpetuslly ruffled with fins, and golden
scales Shot from water cave to water cave
with endless dive and swirl, attracting the
gaze of foreign potentates. Birds that had
been brought from foreign aviaries glanced
and huttered among tie foliage, and called
to their mates far beyond the sea. From the
royal stables there came up the neighing of
twelve thousand horses, standing in blankets
of Tyrian purple, chewing their bits over
troughs of gold, waiting for the Kings order
to be brought out in front Of the palace when
the official dignitaEies would leap into the
saddle for some grand parade, OF, harnessed
to some of the fourteen hundred chariots of
the King, The fiery chargers with Haunting
name and throbbing nostril would make the
earth jar with the tramp of hoofs and the
thunder of wheels While within and with
out the palace you could not think of single
luxury that could be added, or of a single
splendor that could be kindled, down on
the banks Of the sea the dry docks of
Ezion-geber rang with the hammers
If tho shipwrights who were con
structing larger vessels for still wider COM
merce, for all lands and climes were to be
robbed to make up Solomon,s glory. No rest
till his keels shall cut every sea, his axmen
hew every forest, his archers strike every
rare wing, his fishermen whip every stream
his merchants trade in every bazaar, his
name be honored by every tribe. and royalty
shall have no dominion, wealth no luxury,
gold no glitter, song no melody, light no
radiance, waters no gleam, birds no plumage,
prancing coursers no mettle upholstery no
gorgeousness, architecture no grandeur, but
it was all his.
"Well," You say, ''if there is any man
happy, he ought to be-" But hear him cons
ing out through the palace and see his robes
actually incrusted with jewels as he stands in
the front and looks out upon the vast domain.
| What does he say? King Solomon, great is
your dominion, great is your honor great is
| your Joy? No. While standing here amidst
all the splendor, the tears start and his heart
breaks and he exclaims: Vanity of
vanites; all is vanty.n What! Solomon
| not happy YETI No, not happy. The
| honors and the emoluments Of
this world bring so many cares with them
| that they bring also torture and disquietude.
| Pharaoh sits on one of the highest earthly
eminences, yet he is miserable because there
are some people in his realm that do not want
any longer TO make bricks. The head of
| Edward aches under his crown because the
people will not pay the taxes, and Llewellyn,
| Prince Of Wales, will not do him homage,
and Wallace will be hero Frederick
William III, of Prussia, is miserable because
France wants to take the Prussian provinces.
The world is not large enough for Louis XIV.
and william Ill. The ghastliest suffering, the
most shriyeling fear, the most rending jeal-
ousies, the most gigantic disquietude, have
walked amidst obsequious courtiers, and been
clothed in royal apparel, and sat on judgment
seatsof power.
Honor and truth and justice cannot go so
high up in authority as to be beyond the
range of human assault. The pure and good
in ali ages have been oxecrated by the mob
who cry OUT mot this man, but Barabbas.
Now, Barabbas was robber" By honesty,
by Christian principle, | would have you
seek for the favor and the confidence of your
fellow men. but do not look upon some high
position as though that were always sun.
shine. The mountains of earthly honor are
like the mountains of Switzerland, covered
with perpetual ice and snow. Having OBJ
tanned the confidence and love of your asso-
ciates, be content with such things as you