News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-12-19


Brooklyn Divine's sermon-Some of the
Scenes That Old Jerusalem Has Wit
messed During Her Eventful Existence
Treated by the Preacher.
ESPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE BOSTON HERALD
JERUSALEM, Dec 8, 1889. At large meet
ing of Christian people in this city today,
Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, D. D., of Brook
Ign, was the preacher. His text was Mat
thew xiii, 81: Jerusalem! Jerusalem ="
This exclamation, he said, burst from
Christ's lips as he came in sight of this great
city, and, although things have marvell0usly
changed, who can visit Jerusalem today
without having its mighty past roll over on
him, and ordinary utterance must give place
for the explanatory as we cry, o Jerusalem,
Jerusalem! Disappointed with the Holy
Land many have been, and 1 have heard
good friends say that their ardor about sa-
cred places had been so dampened that they
were sorry they ever visited Jerusalem. But
with me the city and its surroundings are a
rapture, a solemnty, an overwhelming
emotion. Jerusalem, Jerusalem The
procession Of kings, conquerers, poets and
immortal men and women pass before me as
/ stand here. Among the throng are Solo
mon, David and Christ.
Yes, through these streets and amid these
surroundings rode Solomon, that wonder of
splendor and wretchedness. 1t seemed as If
the world exhausted itself on that man. 1t
wove its brightest flowers into bis garland.
1t set its richest gems in his coronet. 1t
pressed the rarest wine to his lips. 1t robed
him in the purest purple and embroidery. 1t
cheered him with the sweetest music In that
land Of harps. 1t greeted him with the
gladdest laughter that ever leaped from
mirth's lip. 1t sprinkled his cheek with spray
from the brightest fountains. Royalty had
no dominion, wealth no luxury, gold no
glitter, flowers no sweetness song no melody
IOh M ro6i No
ness, waters no CLEAN, birds no plumage,
prancing coursers no mette, architecture no
grandeur, but it was all his. Across the
thick grass of the lawn, fragrant with tufts
of campfire from Engedi, fell the long shad-
ows Of trees brought from distant forests.
Fish pools, fed by artificial channels that
brought the streams from far away, were
perpetually ruf1ied 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 fluttered among the foliage, and called to
their mates far beyond the sea. From the
royal stables there came up the neigbing of
$4,000 horses, standing in blankets of Tyrian
purple, chewing their bits over troughs of
brought out in front of the palace when the
official dignitaries would leap into the saddle
for some grand parade, or, harnessed to some
of the 400 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 or without. the palace you
could not think of single luxury that could
be added, or of u single splendor that could
be kinded, down on the banks of the sea the
dry docks of Ezion-geber rang with the
hammers of the shipwrights, who were con-
structing larger vessels for a still wider COM
merce, for all lands and chimes were to be
robbed to make up Solomon's glory. No rest
till his keels shall cut every sea, his axemen
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 CLEAN. birds no plumage,
prancing coursers no mettle, upholstery no
gorgeousness. architecture no grandeur, but
It was all his.
HWeII,, you say, s.if there is any man
happy, he ought to be-" But 1 hear him
coming 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 amid all the splendor, the
tears start and his heart breaks and he eX-
claims s'Vanity of vanities; all is vanity"
What Solomon not happy yet? No, not
happy. The honors and emoluments of this
world bring so many cares with them that
they bring also torture and disquietude. If
wealth and wisdom could have satisfied
man, Solomon would have been satisfied. To
say that Solomon was millionaire gives but
a very imperfect idea OF the property he
inherited from David, his father. He had at
his command gold to the value of f6S0,000,-
900, and he had silver to the value of FL ,O29,-
000,3I7. The Queen of Sheba made him
nice little present of f720,000, and Hiram
made him present of the same amount.
If he had lost the value of whole realm
out of his pocket, it would have been hardly
worth his while to stoop down and pick it
I9 81, zoos songs He wrote 5000 prey
Bible says distinctly he wrote about plants,
from the cedar of Lebanon 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 hunters trapping
and went out with his arrows to bring down
the rarest specimens of birds; and then with
his fishing apparatus, he 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 his study and wrote books
about zoology. the science OF animals; about
the science of fishes; about Or
the science of birds; about botany,
the science of plants. Yet, notwithstanding
all his wisdom and wealth, behold his wretch
edness, and let him pass on. Did any other
Jerusalem, Jerusalem!
But here passes through these streets, az in
l see him, quite as wonderful
and far better man. David the conqueror,
the king. the poet. Can it be that / am in the
very city where he lived and reigned? David
was wrapped up in his boy Absolom. He
was a splendid boy, judged by the rules of
worldly criticism. From the crown of his
head to the sole of his foot there was not a
single blemish. The Bible says that he had
such luxuriant shock of air 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 a bad boy
and broke his fathers heart. He was plot
ting to get the throne of Israel, He had
an army to overthrow his fathers
government. 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 rap |
idly his heart beat with emotion
Two great questions were to be decided;
The safety of bis boy, and the continuance of |
The throne of Israel. After awhile, servant, |
on top of the house, looks off, and |
ne sees some one running. He is coming with
great speed, and the man on the top of the !
house announces the coming of the mes= |
;enger, and the father watches and waits, |
md as soon as the messenger from the field |
IF battle comes within hailing distance the |
he establishment of his throne? Does he
say 'Have the armies of Israel been victor
Gus? Am | to continue in my imperial
authority? Have | overthrown my enemies:"
Oh, no. There is one question that springs |
rom his heart to the lip, and springs from
he lip into the ear of the besweated and be-
lusted messenger flying from the battlefield |
the question; SIS the young man Absalom
'afer'
When it was told to David, the King, that,
hough his armies had been victorious, his
ION had been slain, the father turned his
back upon the congratulations of the nation
md went up the stairs of his palace, his heart
breaking as he went, wringing his hands
sometimes and then again pressing them
gainst his temples as though he would press
hem in, crying: 30 Absaom! my son! my
on! Would God l had died for thee. o
Absalom my son my sOn3' Stupendous
,rief of David resounding through all sue
eeding ages. This was the city that heard
he woe. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem
/ am also thrilled and overpowered with
he remembrance that yonder, where now
lands Mohammedan mosque, stood the
emple, the very one that Christ visited.
Solomon's temple had stood there, but
Numbered it down. Zerub-
label's temple had stood there, but that had
,een Frustrated. Then Herod built q temple
BECAUSE he was fond of great architecture,
nd he wanted the preceding temples to
Gem insignificant. Put eight or ten modern
together, and they would not equal
hat structure. 1t covered 10 acres. There
we're marble pillars supporting roofs of cedar,
nd silver tables on which stood golden cups,
nd there were carvings exquisite and in
criptions respondent, glittering balustrades
nd Ornamented gateways, The building of
his temple kept 10000 workmen busy 40
ears, Stupendous pile of pomp and mag
iticencel But the material and architectu-