The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-10-15
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES SUM-
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "S1y First Day in Palestine"

Subject: "N1y First Day in Palestine.'
DR.. Talmage has begun series Of sermons
on his recent trip to the Holy Land. The
following is the first sermon of the series:
TEXT: "7Ac half aras not told mel
Kings x.,7.
This is the first sermon in q course of Sat-
bath morning sermons on "My Recent Jour-
Ley Through the Holy Land and Neighbor-
ing Countries: What I Saw and What
Learned" Out of the sixty-four millions Of
our present American population and the
millions of our past only about five thousand
have ever visited the Holy Land. OF all
those who cross to Europe less than five per
cent. ever get as far as Rome, and less than
two per cent. ever get to Athens, and less
than q quarter of one per cent ever get to
Palestine. Of the less than quarter of one
per cent. who do go to the Holy Land some
see nothing but the noXious insects and the
filth of the Oriental cities, and come back
wishing they had never gone. Of those who
see much of interest and come home only a
small portion can tell what they have seen,
the tongue unable to report the eye.
The rarity of a successful, l,intelligent and
happy journey through the Holy Land is
very marked. But the time approaches when
Journey to Palestine viii be common.
Thousands will go where now there are
scores. Two locomotives were recently sent
up from Joppa to Jerusalem, and railroads
are about to begin in Palestine, and the day
will come when the cry will be, "-All out for
Jerusalem!" Twenty minutes for break
fast at Tiberias" 'Change cars for Tyrem
"Grand Trunk Junction for Ninevah" "All
r. ri, ,lo fl,n1 -at1 M
of the Atlantic Ocean and Adriatic and Medi-
terranean Seas are being shorn, and not only
is the voyage shortened but after q while,
without crossing the ocean, you or your chill
dren will visit the Holy Land. A company
of capitalists have gone up to BehrinS
Straits, where the American and Aslatlc
continents come within thirty-six miles or
meeting.
These capitalists or others will build a
bridge across these straits, for midway are
three islands called The Diomades," and
the water is not deep and is never disturbed
with icebergs. Trains Of cars will run from
America across that bridge and on down
through Siberia, bringing under more In
against exiles and consequently abolishing
them; and there are persons here to-day,
who, without one qualm of sea-sicSness, will
visit that wonderful land where the Christ
like, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, Sole.
monic and Herodic histories overlap each
other with such power that by the time
took my feet out of the stirrups at the close
of the Journey felt so wrung out with emo
tion that it seemed nothing else could ever
absorb my feelings again.
The chief hindrance for going to Palestine
with many is the dreadful sea, and though !
have crossed it ten times it is more dreadful
every time, and I fully sympatsze with what
was said one night when Mr.. Beecher and
went over to speak in New York at the an
niversery of the Seamen's Friend Society,
and the clergyman making the opening
prayer quoted from ST. John, "There shall
be no more sea-" and Mr.. Beecher, seated be-
side me, in memory Of a recent ocean voyage
said, "Amen; am glad Of that" By the
partial abolition of the Atlantic Ocean and
the putting down Of reil tracks across every
country in all the world, the most sacred
land on earth will come under the observe-
ton Of so many people who will be ready to
tell Of what they saw that infidelity vii! be
pronounced only another form of insanity,
for no honest man can visit the Holy Land
and remain an infdel.
This Bible from which Ipreach has almost
fallen apart, for read from it the most OF
the events in it recorded on the very places
where they occurred. And some of the
leaves got wet as the waves dashed over our
boat on Lake Galilee, and the book was
jostled in the saddle bags for many weeks,
but it is new book to me, newer than any
book chat yesterday came out OF any OF our
great printing houses. All my life l had
heard Of Palestine, and had read about it,
and talked about it, and preached about 1t,
and surg about il, AMI dreamed about it,
and prayed about it, until my anticipations
were piled up into something like Hlmalayan
proportions, and yet have to cry out, a:
did the Queen of Sheoa when she first visited
the Holy Land, 1.-THE half was not told
me-"
In order to make the moro accurate and
vivid book have been writing, life OF
Christ, entitled From Manger to Thrope,"l
left home last October, and on the last night
of November we were walking the decks OF
the Senegal. a Mediterranean steamer. II
was ship Of immense proportions. There
were but few passengers for it is generally
rough at that time of year, and pleasurlsts
are not apt to be voyagers there and then
The stars were all out that night Those al.
mics Of light seemed to have had their shields
newly FURNISHED. We walked the polished
deck. Not much was said, for in all our
hearts was the dominant word tomorrow
Somehow the Acropolis, which few days
before had thrilled US at Athens, now in our
minds lessened in the height of its columns
and the glory of its temples. And the Egyp
tian pyramids in our memory lessened their
wonders OF obsolete masonry, and the Coils
cum Of Rome was not so vast ruin as it
few weeks before had seemed to be.
And all that we had seen and heard
dwindled in Importance, for tomorrow, to-
morrow we shall see the Holy Land. Gap
tain, what time will we come in sight OF
Palestiue:' "Well," he said, '!if the wind
and sea remain ss they ere, about daybreak."
Never was so impatient for night to
pass. I could not see much use for that
night. anyhow. I pulled aside the curtain
from the portfolio of my stateroom, so that
the first hint of dawn would waken me. But
it was O useless precaution. Sleep was
among the impossibilities. Who could be SO
stupid as to siuinber when any moment there
might start out within sight Of the ship the
land where the most stupendous scenes OF all
time and all eternity were enacted-land OF
ruin and redemption land where was fought
the battle that made our heaven possible,
land Of Godfrey ana oa.adin, OF Joshua and
Jesus?
Will the night ever be gone? Yes, it is
growing lighter, and along the horizon there
is something like a bank OF clouds, and as q
watchman PAGES the deck I say to him,
"What is that out yonder?" .'That is land.
SIR" said the sailor. THE landr' 1 cried, and
soon all our friends were arrousad from sleep
and the shore began more clearly to reveal
itself. With roar and rattle and bang the
anchor dropped in the roadstead half mile
from land. for though JopPa Is the only ha.-
tor of Palestine it is the worst harbcr on all
the coasts. Sometimes for weeks no ships
stop there. Between rocks about seventy
five feet apart small boat must take the
passengers ashore The depths are strewn
with the skeletons Of those who have at
tempted to land or attempted to embark.
pilgrims perished with one