The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-12-20
CEDARS OF LEBANON.
DR. TALMAGE TALKS ArCUT MEN
AND TREES.

Characteristics similar so Those of
the Christian.--An Emblem or the
Saviour.
BgooKLrS, N. ", Dec. IA, 1890. To
day DIR. Talmage preached another sermon
OF his series on Palestine and the ad.oin-
ing countries. After delivering il In the
morning in the Academy OF Music in this
city, he preached il again in the evening in
New York. Tcxt-Psulm i04. 10: THE
eedars OF Lebanon which he hath planted"
la our journey we change stirrup for
wheel. II IS four o'clock In the morning.
az Damascus, Syria, and we are among
the lanterns OF the hostclry waiting for the
stage tosstart. Mohommcdan In high
lie Is putting his three wives on board
within an apartment by themselves. and
our party occupy the main apartment OF
one OF the most uncomfortable vehicles In
which mortals were ever Jammcd and half
strangulatcd. But we must not let the
discomforts annul or disparagc tho oppor-
tunitles. We are rolling on and out and
up the mountains OF Lebanon, their fore
head under "a crown OF snow, which coro-
net the fingers OF the hottest summer can
not cast down. We are ascending heights
around which Is garlandcd much OF the
finest pc,sy Of the Scriptures, and are
rising toward the mightiest dominion that
botany ever recognized. rcigned over by
the most imperial tree that ever swayci a
lealy sceptrc-the Lebanon cedar; a tree
cnlogizcd in my text as having grown from
a nut rpt into the ground by God himself,
and no huhan han1 had anything 70 do
with It's planting: 'sThe trees OF Lebanon
which he hath planted"
The average height OF thls mountain is
seven thousand feet, but in one place II
lifts its head 20 an altitude OF ten thousand
No higher than six thousand feet can we've
tatlon exist but below that liiIc al the right
season, arc vineyards and orchards, and
olive groves. and flowers thea dash the
mountain side with very carrago OF color,
flll tho mir with nromatics Flat Hosea. the
prophet, and Solomon, the king. celebrated
gs '.thc smell OF .Leba;s6n." AT a height OF
six thousand feet is q grove Of ccdars, the
only descendants OF those vast forests from
which Solomon cut his timber for the tenn
pic OF Jerusalem, and whore az one time
there were enc hundred thousand axemen
hcwing out the beams from which great
cities were constructed. But this nation
OF trees has by human iconoclasm been
massactcd until only small group Is left.
This race of giants is nearly extinct, but
have no doubt that some OF these were
here when Hiram. King OF Tyre, ordered
tho assassination OF those cedars OF Lebanon
which the Lord planted. From the multi
tudc of uses 10 which II may be put and
the employment OF IL ia the Scriptures, the
cedar Is the divine favorte. When tho
plains 10 be seen from tho window OF this
stage IN which we ride today arc parchod
under summer heats, and not grass blade
survives the fcrvidity, this tree stands in
luxuriancc defying the simmer sun. And
when the storms OF winter terrify the earth
aud hurl the rocks In avalanche down the
mountain side, this tree grapplcs tho hurri-
cane OF snow in triumph. and leaves the
spent fury at It's feet. From sixty 10 eighty
feet high are they. the horizontal branches
OF great sweep with their burden OF leaves
necdle-shaped, the top OF the tree pyramidal.
throne OF foliage on which might, aud
splendor, and glory sit. But so continuous
ly has the determination OF troes gone on.
that for the most part the mountains OF
Lebanon arc bare OF foliage, while | am
sorry 10 say. the earth In all lands is being
likewise denuded.
The axe Is Staying tho forests all round
the earth. To stop the slaughter God
opened the coal mines OF England, and
Scotland. and America. aud the world,
practically saying by that. Here "a fuel;
as far as possible let my trees alone And
by opening for the human race tho great
quarrics OF granite, and showing the human
family how 20 make brick God Is practi-
cally saying: Here is building material;
let my trees alone"
ono OF the Lebanon cedar was examined
by a scientist. and from It's conccutric cir
Ccs. il was found 90 DO thlrty-five
hundred years old and still standing, and
there Is such thing as everlasting
strength and such stanchncss OF Chris
tian character that all time and all eternity
instcad Of being It's demolition shall be It's
opportunity. Not such gro those vacillatinp
Christians who are SO pious on Sunday thni
they have no religion left for the week
day. As the anaconda gorgcs itsclt with
food, and then SCENE for long whllo 70 lic
thoroughly inscnsible. 80 there are men
who will on Sunday rot such religious
surfeit that tho rest OF the week they seem
thoroughly dcnd 10 all religious emotion.
They weep in church under charity ser
mon, but IN on Monday n subject OF want
presents itself at the door, tho begEar's
safety viii depend entirely on quick limbs
ana an unObMructon stiirWHN' ~ thhch az
the grace they can get TO keep them from
committing assault and battery on those
inirudcrs who como with pale faces and
stories Of distress and subscription
papers. The reason that God planted
these ccdars In tho bihlc was 10 suggest "a
us that we Ought IN our religious char
actor, TO be deep like tho cedar. high like
the cedar, broad-hranchcd as the cedar A
traveller measured tho spread OF the
boughs OF ono OF those trccs and found II
ono hundred and eleven feet from branch
tip 90 branch tip. and hnvc seen ccdars OF
lhrlafinn character TINT Lthrnu4h their