The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-04-25
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE's SUN
DAY SERMON.


leaving America | addressed some words OF
farewell to my sermonic readers and now,
ON my way home. | write this letter Of salu.
tation, which will probably reach you about
the Monday that will find me on the Atlantic
Ocean, from which cannot reach YOU with
the usual sermon. have completed the
journey of inspection for which [ came
others may write life Of Christ without see
ing the Holy Land. ! did not feel competent
Tor such work until l had seen with my
own eyes the sacred places; and so
LETT home and church and native country for
most arduOus undertaking. I have visited
all the scenery connected with our Lords his
tory The whole journey has been to me a
surprise, an amazement, a grand rapture or
deep solelnnity. 1 have already sent to
America my Holy Land observations for nv
Life of Christ, and they were written on
horseback, on mulebacE, 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 Egeau
and Dardanelles and MarmOra Seas have
treated US well. Since we left New York we
have had but half a day and one night Of
storm, and that while crossing Mount Her
mon. But let only those in robust health at
tempt TO go 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,
tut 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 in
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 nenora-
BILE 1t was about noon of December IS that the
tempest struck US and drenched the mount
aims One Of the horses falls and we halt
amid binding rain. 1t Is freezing cold
Fingers and feet like ice. Two hours and
three-quarters before encampment. Verde
on in silence longing for the terminus Of to-
days pilgrimage. it 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
in the novel of village, and instead of en-
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
severed with a roof of goats hair A feeble
Ere mid-hoor, but no chimney. It is the best
house of the village. Arabs. young and old.
stand around in wonderment as 10 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
opening l occasionally find an Arab face
thrust to see how l am progressing. But the
loor is open, SO l 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 a
luxurious apartment. l sat that night by a
tire. the smoke of which, finding no appro-
pirate place of exit, took Judgment in my
aostrils and eyes. For the first time IN my
Iife l realized that chimneys were a luxury
bctnot a necessity. The only adornments
in tbs room were representations of two
tree branches in the mud of the wall, circle
supposed TO mean star, bottle hung from
he ceiling, and about twelve identations in
the wall u be used as mantels for anything
mat 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 SpOw and hail through
out our Journey. For TIE most part it has
been sunshine and tonic atmosphere, and not
a moment has our journey been hindered.
Gratitude to God is with Us the dominant
emotion. S-
Having visited the scenery connected with
Christ's life was glad 10 close my journey
by passing through the apostolic lands and
seas. You can hardly imagine our feelings
Is we came in sight Of Damascus, and on the
very road where Saul was endorsed at the
fash of the supernal light. We did not want,
ike him, TO be flung to the EARTH but We did
nope for some great spiritual blessing brighter
ihan anEr5eHday sun, and a new prepara-
ton foTtslsefulneSs. 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
Naaman the leDer, and saw the river ALBANIA,
as yesterday we saw Pharpar, the rivers of
Damascus that Naamau 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 it has
been the place of battle and massacre,
and of ancient affiuence and splendOr
rs well as it is Of present pros
ltL1bN- 70 me us ClleI attraction
arises from the fact that here the scales fell
from Paurs eyes, and that chief of apostles
here began that mission which viii not end
until heaven is peopled with ransOmed
spirits. SO also l saw day before Yesterday
Patmos, where John heard the trumpets
ana 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
TO Oh
get home, where we expect TO go before
this month Is ended. 1 baptized by INNER
sion IN the Jordan an American whom we
met, and who desired the solemn ordi-
nance administered to HIM in the So
cred waters. rolled down from Mount
Calvary or place of Il skulln stone
for the corner stone of our new Brook
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; and we
sailed on Lake C1lilee and stood on
Mount Zion and Mount Moriah and
Mount Hermon, and l saw the place
where the shepherds heard the Christ
mas anthem the night Christ was born;
and have been at Nazareth, and Caper-
uaum. and sat by Jacobs Wel,n and
saw Tel-el-Kebir of modern battle, and
Megiddo Of ancient battle, and where the
Israelites crossed the desert, and slept at
Bethel where one ladder was let down into
Jacobs dream, but the night l slept there
the heavens were full of ladders, first lad
der of clouds, then ladder of stars and all
up and down the heavenc were the angels Of
beauty, angels of consolation, angels Of God
ascending and descending; and l was on
yearly all the fields of Herodie. and Solomon
&c, and Davidic, and Mosaic, and Abrahamic
history l took Rome, and Naples, and Athens,
and Alexandra, and Cairo on the way out,
aud take the Greek Archipelago, and Con-
stsntinople, and Vienna on the way back.
What more can God in His goodness grant
me in the way of natural scenery, and classic
and spiritual opportunity All
yesi l can think Of something gladder than
that He can grant me. Safe return to the
people of my beloved flock, the field of my
work, and the land where my fathers died, and
in the dust Of whose valleys I pray God
may be buried.
NORTH CAROLINA has 100000 acres
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