The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-01-22
THESURPRISES OF RELIGION.
DR.. Talmage breaches at Vienna on
This Subject.
The Queen Of Sheba's Visit to Solomon and
Her Surprises at What She Found
The Beautiful Picture Of a Queen
Surrendering Herself
to God.

Rev. T. De Witt Talmage D. D.,
preached recently in Vienna on the
"The Surprises of Religion" His text
was I. Kings X, 7:"Behold, the half was
not told me-" The sermon was as fol-
lows:
Appearing before you to-day, my mind
yet agitated with the scenery OF the
Holy Land, from which we have just ar
rived, you will expect me to revert to
some of the scenes once enacted there.
Mark a circle around Lake Galilee, and
another circle around Jerusalem and you
describe the two regions in which clus-
ter memories of more events than in
any other two circles. Jerusalem was a
spell of fascination that will hold me
the rest of my life. Solomon had re-
solved that that city should be the CEN
ter of all sacred, regal, and commercial
magnifcence. He set himself to work,
and monopolized the surrounding desert
as a highway for his caravans. He built
the city of Palmyra around one OF the
principal wells of the East, so that all
the long trains Of merchandise from the
East were obliged to stop there, pay toll
and leave part of their wealth in the
| hands of Solomons merchants. He
manned the fortress Thapsacus at the
chief ford Of the Euphrates, and put I'M
der guard every thing that passed there.
The three great products of Palestine
wine pressed from the richest clusters
and celebrated all the world over; oil,
which in that hot country is the entire
substitute for butter and lard, and was
pressed from the olive branches until
every tree in the country became an oil
well; and honey, which was the entire
substitute for sugar-these three great
products of the country, Solomon ex'
ported, and received in return fruits and
precious woods and the animals of every
cline.
He went down to Ezion-geber and or
dered feet of ships to be constructed
oversaw the workmen, and watched the
launching of fotilla which was to &C
out on more than years voyage to
bring home the wealth of the ther
known world. He heard that the Egyp
tian horses were large and swift, and
long named and round limbed, and ht
resolved to purchase them, giving
eighty-fve dollars apiece for them, put
ting the best of these horses in his owr
stall and selling the surplus to foreign
potentates at great profit.
He heard that there was the best OF
timbers on Mount Lebanon, and he SEN
out one hundred and eighty Thousand
men to hew down the forest and drag
the timber through the mountain
gorges, to construct it into RATS to bt
foated to Joppa, and from thence to bt
drawn by OK teams twenty-five miles
across the land to Jerusalem. He heart
that there were beautiful flowers il
other lands. He sent for them, planted
them in his own gardens, and to this yer!
day there are flowers found in the ruins
of that city such as are to be found in nj
other part of Palestine, the lineal de
scendants of the very flowers that Solo
mon planted. He heard that in for
eign groves there were birds of riches
voice and most luxuriant wing. He sen
out people to catch them and bring then
there, and he put them into his cages
Stand back now and see this Ion,
, train of camels coming up to the King
gate, and the OK trains from Egypt, gol
and silver and precious stones, ant
. beasts of every hoof, and birds of ever
wing, and fish of every scale. See tn
peacocks strut under the cedars, and tn
horsemen run. and the chariots wheel
+ Hark to the orchestra! Gaze upon tn
, dance! Not stopping to look into tn
wonders Of the temple, step right on t
. the causeway, and pass up to Solomon
palace!
Here we find ourselves amid colleC
ton of buildings on which the king ha
lavished the wealth of many empires
the genius of Hiram, the architect
;. and of the other artists Is here seen i
the long line of corridors and the sus
:, pended gallery and the approach to tn
throne. Traceried window opposit
traceried window. Bronzed ornament
. bursting into lotus and lily and pomt
: granate. Chapters surrounded by ne
work Of leaves in which imitation frui
seemed suspended as in hanging basil
cts. Three branches-so Josephus tell
; us-three branches sculptured on tn
y marble. so thin and subtle that even th
: leaves seemed to culver. A laver cap;
i BILE Of holding five hundred barrels {
water on six hundred brazen OK head
which gushed with water and filled tn
Il whole place with GOODNESS and crySta
. line brightness and musical plash, TIE
tables chased with chariot wheel an
lion and cherubim. Solomon sat on
throne of ivory. At the seating plac
" of the throne, on each end of the step
II a brazen lion. Why, my friends, in tn;
" place they trimmed their candles wit
shutters o: gold, and they cut their frui
n with knives ofgold, and they washed the
o faces in basins of gold, and they SCOPE
7, out the ashes with shovels Of gold, ar
IS they stirred the altar fires with tongs
gold. Gold reflected in the water! GO
K flashing from the APPAREL Gold bla
II ing in the crown! Gold, gold, gold!
d OF course the news of the affluence
n that place went out every where
n every caravan and by wing of evel
ship, until soon the streets of Jerusale
IT are crowded with curiosity-seeker
70 What is that long procession approac
4. ing Jerusalem? l think from the pom
< of it there must be royalty in the trai
smell the breath of the spices whiC
Il are brought as presents, and hear Il
If shout of the drivers, and l see the dus
covered caravan. showing that thu
n come from far away. Cry the news