Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-10-24
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divines Sun
day Sermon.
subject. @Ths Holly Land In winter"

1t is the morning of December 3 in Jeru-
salem, and we take stirruDs for the road
along which the wayfarer of old fell among
thieves, who left him wounded and half
dead Jobs picture Of the horse in the
orient as having neck clothed with thun-
DER is not true of most horses now in Pal
estine. There is no thunder on their necks
though there is some lightning in their
heels Poorly fed and numerically
whacked, they sometimes retort. To Ameri-
cans and English, who are accustomed to
guide horses by the bride, these horses OF
the orient, guided only by foot and voice,
make equestrianism an uncertainty, and the
pull on the bride that you intend for slow
ing up OF the pace may be mistaken for
hint that you want TO outgallOp Che wind or
wheel in swift circles like the hawk But
they can climb steps and descend precipices
with skilled foot. and the one choose for our
Journey in Palestine shall have the praise of
going for weeks without one stumbling step
and amid rocky sleeps, where an ordinary
horse would not for an hour maintain sure
footedness There were eighteen of our
party, and twenty-five beasts Of burden car
ried our camp equipment. We are led by an
Arab sheik, with his black Nubian servant
carrying a loaded gun in full sight, hut it is
the fact that this sheik represents the Turk
ish Government which assures the safety Of
the caravan.
We cross the Jehoshaphat Valley, which.
If it had not been memorable in history and
were only now discovered. would excite the
admiration of all who look upon it. 1t is
like the gorges Of the Yosemite or the chasms
of the Yellowstone Park The sides Of this
Jehoshaphat Valley are tunneled with graves
and overlooked by Jerusalem walls-an eter
nifty of depths overshadowed by an eternity
of architecture Within sight of Mount
Oiivet and Gethsemane and with the heavens
and the earth full of sunshine, we start out
on the very road mentioned in the text when
it says: "A certain man went down from
Jerusalem 10 Jericho and fell among
thieves" No road that | ever saw was so
we'll constructed for brigandage deep
gulleys sharp turns, caves on either side.
There are fifty places on this road where a
highwayman might surprise and OveTpower
an unarmed pilgrim. His cry for help, his
shrek Of pain, his death groan would be an
swered only by the echoes. On this road to-
day we met groups Of men, who, judging
from their cOuntenances, have in their veins
the blood OF many generations Of Rob ROys.
Josephus says that Herod at one time dis
charged from the service of the temple forty
thousand men, ami that the great part Of
them became robbers. So late as 1920 Sir
Frederick Henniker, an English tourist, was
attacked on this very road from Jerusalem
to Jericho and shot ard almost slain. There
has never been any scarcity Of bandits along
the road we travel to-day.
With the fresh memory Of some recent
violence in their minds Christ tells the
people Of the good Samaritan who came along
that way and took care of poor fellow that
had been set upon by villainous Arabs and
robbed an pounded and cut. We encamped
for lunch that noon close by an old stone
building. said to lie the tavern where the
scene spoken Of in the Bible eliminated.
Tumbled in the dust and CHASTITY with
wounds the victim Of this highway robbery
lay in the middle Of the road--a fact of
which l am certain because the Bible says
the people passed by Oh either side. There
were II. 900 priests living at Jericho, and
they had to 90 to Jerusalem TO oficate at
the temple. And one Of these ministers Of
religion, l suppose, was on his way
to the temple service, and he is
startled as he sees this bleeding victim in the
middle of the road. "Oh, he says there is
a man that has been attacked Of thieves.
Why don't you 90 home| says the minister.
The man. in a cOmatOse state, makes no an
swer, or, with a half dazed look. puts his
wounded hand to bis gashed forehead, and
draws out WHAT "Well says the min
lister. Il must hurry on to my duties at Jeru-
salem | have 10 kill lamb and two pigeons
in sacrifice to-day. / cannot spend any more
time with this unfortunate. l guess some
body else will take care of him. But this is
one of the things that cannot be helped, any
how Beside that, my business is with souls
and not with bodies. Good morning When
you get well enough to sit up viii be glad
to see you at the temple
And the minister curves his way out
toward the overhanging sides OF the
road and passes. You hypocrite One Of
the chief officers Of religion is to heal wounds.
You might have done here a kindness that
would have been more acceptable to God
than all the incense that will smoke up from
you censor for the next three weeks, aud You
missed the chance. Go On your way-eZe-
Grated by the centuries.
Soon afterward a Levite came npon the
scene. The Levitcs looked after the music
Of the temple and waited upon the priests
and provided the supplies Of the temple.
This Levite, passing along this road where
we are to-day. took look at the mass Of
bruises and laceraton in the middle of the
road. MY mym says the Levite, this
man is awfully hurt and he ought to be
helped. But my business is TO sing in the
choir at the temple. II ] am not there no
one will carry my part Besides that there
may not be enough frankincense for the cen
sers and the WINE or oil may have given out,
and what a fear al balk in the service that
would make Then one OF the priests might
get his breastplate on crooked. But it seems
too bad TO leave this man in this condition
Perhaps / had better try to stanch this bleed
ing and give him little stimulant. But no!
The ceremony at Jerusalem is Of more i'm
portance than taking care Of the wounds OF
man who will probably soon be dead any
how. This highway robbery ought to be
stoned. for it binders us Levites on our way
up to the temple. There ] have lost five
minutes already Go along, you beast" he
shouts as he strikes his heels into the sides OF
the animal carrying him, and the dust rising
from the road soon hides the hard hearted
officia
But a third person is coming along this
road. You cannot expect him to do any
thing by way of alienation, because he and
the wounded man belong to different ma
tons which have abominated each other
for centuries. The wounded man is an
Israelite, and the stranger now coming on
the scene of suffering is a Samaritan They
belong TO nations which hated each other
with an Objurgation and malediction dia-
bolic. They had opposition temples-0ne on
Mount Gerizim and the other on Mount
MOriah-and ! guess this Samaritan when
he comes up, will give the fallen lsraeite
another clip and say: Good for you'll
will Just finish the work these bandits began,
and give you one more kick that will put
YOU out of your misery. And here is a rag
OF your coat that they did not steal, and 1
will take that What Do you dare to ap-
cal to me for mercy? Hush up Why, your
ancestors worshiped at Jerusalem when
they ought to have worshiped at Gerizim.
Now. take that. and that and that" will
say the Samaritan as he pounds the fallen
lsraelite
No: the Samaritan rides up to the scene Of
suffering gets off his beast and steps down
and looks into the face of the wounded man
and says This poor fellow does not belong
10 my nation, and our ancestors worshiped
in different places. but he is a man, and that
makes us brothers God pity him, as / do"
And he get down on his knees and begins to
examine bis wounds and straighten out his
limbs TO see if any of his bones are broken,
and says: My dear fellow, cheer up; you
need have no more care about yourself, for
| am going to take care Of you. Let me feel
Of your pulsel Let me listen 10 your breath
ing. have in these bottles two liquids
that will help you. The one is oil, and that
viii soOthe the pain of these wounds, and the
OF er is wine, and your pulse is feeble and
you feel faint, and that viii stimulate you.
Now must get you to the nearest tavern
ooh, no, says the man. II can't walk; let
me stay here and die Nonsense" SAYS