The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-02-19
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE DIVINE WRITES A LETTER
OF SALUTATION.
His Tour of Inspection TO the Holy
Land Completed-An Inklfng
of What He Has Seen
Abroad.

tatloD, which VIII probably reach You ABOUT
the Monday that will find me on the Atlantic
Ocean, from which cannot reach you with
the usual sermon. I have completed the
Journey of inspection for which l came.
Others may write life of Christ without see
ing the Holy Land. did not feel competent
for such a work until 1 had seen with my
own eyes the sacred places; and so I
left home and church and native country for
a most arduous undertaking. have visited
all the scenery connected with our Lords his
tory. The whole journey has been to me
surprise, an amazenent, grand rapture or
a deep solemnity. l have already sent to
America my Holy Land observations for my
'Iife of Christ" )" and they were written on
horseback, on muleback, on camelback, on
ships deck, by dim candle in tent, in mud
hovel of Arab village amid the ruins of old
cities, on Mount of Beautitudes, on beach OF
Genesareth, but it will take twenty years Of
sermons to tell what have seen and felt on
this journey through Palestine and Syria.
All things have combined to make our tour
instructive and advantageous The Atlantic
and Mediterranean and Adriatic and -Egean
and Dardanelles and Marmora Seas have
treated us well. Since we left New York we
have had but half day and one night Of
storm, and that while crossing Mount Her
mon. But let only those in robust health at
tempt to 20 the length of Palestine and Syria
on horseback. do not think it is because of
the unhealth of the climate in Holy Land
that so many have sickened and died here or
afterward as a result of visiting these lands,
but because Of the fatigues of travel. The
number of miles gives no indication OF the
exhaustions of the way. A hundred and fifty
miles to Palestine and Syria on horseback
demand as much physical strength as
four hundred miles on horseback III
regions of easy journey. Because of the near
two months Of bright sunlight by day. and
bright moonlight or starlight by night the
half day of storm was to US the more memora-
BILE. 1t was about noon of December IS that the
tempest struck us and drenched the nlScnt-
aims. One of the horses falls and We halt
amid binding rain. 1t is freezing cold:
three-quartcrs before encampment. Verde
on in silence, longing for the terminus of to-
davis pilgrimage 1t is, through the awful
inclemency of the weather. the only
dangerous day of the journey, Slip
and slide and tumble and climb and
descend we must, sometimes on the
horse and sometimes off, until at last we halt
tering camp for the night we are glad to find
this retreat from the storm. 1t is a house
of one story, built out of mud. My room is
covered with roof of goats hair. feeble
FIRE mid-fioor, but no chimney. 1t is the best
house of the village. Arabs, young and old,
stand around in wonderment as to why we
come. There is no window in the room, but !
two little openings, one over the door and
the other in the wall, through which latter
thrust to see how am progressing. But the
door is open, so I have some light. This is
an afternoon and night never to be forgot
ten for its exposures and acquaintance with
the hardships of what an Arab considers q
luxurious apartment. I sat that night by a
fire. the smoke of which, fiuding no appro-
pirate place of exit, took lodgment in my
nostrils and eyes. For the first time IN my
life realized that chimneys were luxury
but not a necessity. The only adornments
in this room were representations of two
tree branches in the mud of the wall, circle
supposed to mean star, bottle hung from
the ceiling, and about twelve ldentatlons IN
the wall to be used as mantels for anything
that NAV be placed there. This storm was
not surprise. Through pessimistic proph-
cts we had expected that at this season We
should have rain and snow and hail through
out our Journey. For the most part it has
a moment has our journey been hindered. |
Gratitude to God is with us the dominant |
emotion.
Having visited the scenery connected with |
Christ's life I was glad to close my journey |
by passing through the apostolic lands and
seas. You can hardly imagine our feelings |
as we came in sight of Damascus, and on the |
very road where Saul was unhorsed at the |
fash Of the supernal light. We did not want,
hope for some great tspiritual blessing brighter
than any monday sun, and new prepare
ton for usefulness. Our long horseback ride
was ended, for carriage met us some miles
out and took us to the city. The impression
one receives as he rides along the walled /
gardens of the place are different from those
produced by any other city. But We cannot
describe our feelings as we entered the
city about which we have heard and read so
much, the oldest city under the sun, and
founded by the grandson of Noah; nor our
emotions as we pass through the street called
Straight, along which good Ananias went to
meet Saul; and by the site of the palace Of
Naamau the leper, and saw the river Abana,
as yesterday We saw Pharpar, the rivers OF
Damascus that Naaman preferred to wash IN
rather than the Jordan. Strange and unique
Damascus! 1t is worth while to cross the
Atlantic to Europe to see it. Though 1t mas
been the place of battle and massacre
and of ancient afflueuce and splendor
psrt well to as ms s i It's OF chief sSss Attraction es
arises from the fact that here the scales fell
from Pauls eyes, and that chief of apostles
here began that mission which will not end
until heaven IS peopled with ransomed
spirits So also saw day before yesterday
Patmos, where John heard the trumpets
and the waves of the sea dashed to his feet,
reminding him of the songs of heaven, 'like
the voice of many waters"
But this letter can only give hint of the
things we mean to tell you about when we
get home, where we expect to 90 before
this month is ended. I baptized by INNER
sion in the Jordan an American whom we
met and who desired the solemn ordi-
nance administered to him in the sa-
cred waters. l rolled down from Mount
Sava5y r tSy OF ass Stone of o a pss stone
lyn tabernacle. We bathed in the Dead
Sea" and in "Gideon's Fountain" where his
three hundred men Tapped the water from
their hands as they passed through; an we
sailed on Lake Galilee and stood on
Mount Zion and Mount Moriah and
Mount Hermon, and I saw the place
where the shepherds heard the Christ
mas anthem the night Christ was born;
and have been at Nazarneth, and Caper-
naum, and sat by Jacobs Well" and
saw Tel-el-Kebir of modern battle, and
Israelites crossed the desert, and slept at
Bethel where one fadder was let down into
Jacobs dream, but the night slept there
the heavens were full cf ladders, first lad
der of clouds, then ladder of stars and all
up and down the heavens were the angels Of
beauty, angels of consolation, angels of God
and descending; and I was on
nearly oil the fields Of Herodic, and Solomon
&c, and Davidic and Mosaic, and Abrahamic
and Alexandria, and Cairo on the way out
and take the Greek Archipelago, and Con-
5tantnople, and Vienna on the way back.
What more can God in His goodness grant