The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-10-29

think at that prayer Jerusalem Will como
again to more than its ancient magnihcence;
it may not be precious stones and architec.
tural majesty, but in moral splendor that
shall eclipse forever all that David or Solo
mon saw.
But must get back to the housetop where
stood early this morning, and before the
sun sets, that may catch wider vision OF
what the city now IS and once was. Stand
ing here on the honsetop see that the city
was built for military safety. Some old
warrior. I warrant selected the spot. It
stands on hill $500 feet above the level Of
tie sea, and deep ravines on three sides do
the work of military trenches. Compact as
no other city was compact. Only three miles
tourney round, and the three ancient towers,
Hippicus. Phasaeius. Marianne, frownlng
death upon the approach of all enemies.
AS stood there on the housetop In the
midst Of the city said, 20 Lord, reveal to
me this metropolis of the world that may
see it as it once appeared" No one was with
me, for there are some things you can see
more yividly with no one but God and your.
self present. Immediately the mosque OF
Moriah. the site OF the ancient temple, disap-
paared. and the most honored structure Of
all the ages lifted itself in the light, and l
saw 1.-THE temple, the ancient temple! Not
Solomon,s temple. but something grander
shan that. Not Zerubbabeps temple, but
something more gorgeous than that 1t was
Herod's temple, built for the one purpose Of
eclipsng all Its architectural predecessors.
There it stood, covering nineteen acres,
and ten thousand workmen had been forty
six years in building it. Blaze Of magnif.
cencel Bewildering range of pcrticos and
ten gateways and double arches and Corin-
l., 1AI fnfN ND
thus Masonry beve!ej and grooved into
such delicate forms that 1t seemed to tremble
in the light. Cloisters with two rows of Cor
inthian columns, royal arches, marble steps
pure as though made out Of frozen snow,
carving that seemed Ikea panel Of the door
of heaven let down and set in, the facade OF
the building on shoulders at each end
lifting the glory higher and higher,
and walls wherein gold put out
the silver and the carbuncle put out the
gold, and the jasper put out the carbuncle,
until in the changing light they would al!
seem to come back again into chorus or
harmonious color. The temple! The temple!
Doxology in stone! Anthems soaring IN raft
ers of Lebanon cedar! From side to side
and from foundation to gllde1 pinnacle the
frozen prayer Of all ages
From this housetop on the December after
noon we look out in another direction, and
see the kings palace, covering hundred and
sixty thousand square feet, three rows OF
windows illunining the inside brilliance,
the hallway wainscoted with styles of colored
marbles surmounted by arabesque, vermilion
and gold, looking down on moSaics, music OF
waterfalls in the garden outside answering
the music of the harps thrummed by dett
fingers inside; bauister5 over which princes
and princesses leaned, and talked to kinRs
and queens ascending the stairway. Jeru-
salem, Jerusalenl Mountain city! City of
God! joy of the whole earthl Stronger
than Gibraltar and Sebastopol, surely it
never could have been captured
But while standing there on the housetop
that December afternoon I hear the crash Of
the twenty-three mighty sieges which have
come against Jerusalem in the ages past.
Yonder is the pool of Hezekiah and Sloan,
but again and again were those waters red
dened with human gore. Yonder are the
towers, but again and again they fell. Yon-
der are the high walls but again and again
they are leveled. To rob the treasures from
her temple and palace and dethrone this
queen city OF the earth all nations plotted.
David taking the throne at Hebron decides
that be must have Jerusalem for his capital,
and coming up from the south at the headof
two hundred and eighty thousand troops no
captures it. Look, here comes another siege
of JerusalemI
The Assyrians under Sennacherib. en-
slaved nations at his chariot wheel, having
taken two hundred thousand captives in his
one campaign: Ph9ncian cities kneeling at
his feet, Egypt trembling at tho fash of his
sword comes upon Jerusalem. Look, an
other siegel The armies of Babylon under
Nebuchadnezzar come down aud take q
plunder from Jerusalem such as no other city
ever had to yield, ami ten thousand Of her
citizens trudge OFF into Babylonian bond
age. Look, another siege! and Nebuchad-
nezzar and his hosts by night go through
q breach Of the Jerusalem wall, and the
morning finds soms of them. seated tri.
umphant In the temple, and what they could
not take away because too heavy they break