Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-13
DR.. Talmage on Scenes Observed
From a HOusetop in Jerusalem.
A JOURNEY UP MOUNT CALVARY.
Views of Ancient Temples and Spots of
HallORed Memory.
WORK FOR THE MODERN CRUSADERS
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE prsPArcH.l


was crowded, and numbers went away disap'
pointed. This was the more significant be-
cause II had been publicly announced that
the same sermon would be preached in the
evening at the New York Academy which
The CbriStian Herald had rented for thai
purpose. In spite of this fact, unprece
dented since the days OF Chalmers, both
buildings were crowded to excess, and many
were turned away from the doors, both
morning and evening. DR.. Talmage must
have preached to-day to 10000 different
persons. The doctor spoke as follows from
the text: "If l forget thee, o Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget her cunning.
Psalm 49, V.
Paralysis of his best hand. the withering OF
its muscles and nerves. is here invoked if the
author allows to pass out of mind the grand.
eurs of the Holy City where once he dwelt
Jeremiah, seated by the river Euphrates, wrote
this psalm and not David Afraid am OF any.
thing that approaches imprecation, and yet
can understand how any one who has ever been
1T Jerusalem should, in enthusiasm of soul cry
out whether he be sitting by the Euphrates, or
the Hudson or the Thames, IT forget thee,
o Jerusalem, may my right hand forget her
cunning You see, it is city unlike all others
for topography, for history, for signlhcance,
for style of population, for water works, Tor
ruins for towers. Tor domes, for ramparts Tor
literature, for tragedies, for memorable birth
places for sepulchres for confagrations and
famines. for victories and defeats
PLACES OF SACRED MEMORY.
am here at last in this very Jerusalem and
on 4 housetop, Just after the dawn of the
morning of December 8, with an old inhabi-
tant to point out the salient features of the
scenery Now l said, where is Mount
ZIOn?' Here at yoCr right" Where is
Mount Olivet?n In front of where you
sand Where is tie Garden of Gethsemane?'
In yOnder valley Where is Mount Cal
vary?" Before he answered. saw it, No un-
prejudiced mind can have a moments doubt as
tOwlele it Is. Nonder see hill in the shape of
A human skull and the Bible says that Calvary
the place OF a skull" Not only is il skull
shaped, but just beneath the forehead of the
hin is 4 cavern that looks like eyeless sockets.
Within the grotto under it, Is the shape of the
inside of a skull. Then the Bible SAYS that
Christ was crucifed outside the gate and this
Is outside the gate, while the site formerly
selected was inside the gate. Beside that this
skull hill was for ages the place where malefac-
tors were put to death, and Christ was slain as
malefactOr.
The Saviors assassination took place beside
thOroughfare along which people went ''wag-
ging their heads and there is the ancient
thoroughfare. l saw at Cairo, Egypt, clay
mold of that skull! hill made by the late Gen
eral Gordon. the arbiter OF nations. While
Empress Helena. 50 years of age, and imposed
upon by having three crosses eXhumed before
her dim eyes as though they were the three
crosses OF Bible story, selected another site
Calvary, all recent travellers agree that the one
1 point out 10 you was, without doubt the
scene Of the most terrific and overwhelming
tragedy this planet ever witnessed.
There were thousand things we wanted to
see that third day of December, and our drago-
man proposed this that and the other jour.
ney, but said: First of all, show us Calvary.
Something might happen if we went elsewhere
and sickness or accident might hinder our See
ing the sacred mount. If we see nothing else
we must see tha!, and see it this morning."
CIIMRING Up CALVARY
Some of us in carriage and some on mule
back, we were soon on the way to the most sa-
cred spot that the world has ever seen or ever
will see. Coming to the base of the hill we
first went inside the skull OF rocks. 1t is called
Jerem1ah's grOtto, Tor there the prophet wrote
his book of Lamentations. The grotto is S5
feet high and its top and side are Tnalachite,
green, brown. black, white, red and gray.
Coming forth from those pictured Subterra-
neous passages, we began to climb the steep
sides of Calvary. As we go up, We see cracks
and crevlces in the rocks which l think were
made by the convulslonS of nature when Jesus
died. On the hill lay a limestone rock white
but tinged with crimson the white so suggestive
of purity and the crimson of sacrifice, that 1
said. That stone would be beautifully appro-
pirate for a memorial wall in my church, now
building in America: and the stone now being
brought on camelS back from Sinai across the
desert, when put under il, how significant of
the law and the gospel And these lips of stone
will continue to speak of justice and mercy
long after all our living lips have uttered their
last message" So rolled 1t down the hill and
transported il. When that day comes for
which many of you have prayed-the dedica-
tion of the Brooklyn Tabernacle the third I'M
meuse structure we have reared in this CITY,
and that makes il somewhat difficult being the
third structure, work such as no other church
was ever called on to undertake-we invite you
in the main entrance of that building 20 look
upon a memorial wall containing the most sup-
gestve and solemn and tremendous antiquities
ever brought together; this. rent with the
earthquake at the giving of the law at Sinai,
the other rent at the crucifIion on Calvary
II is impossible for you to realize what our
emotions were we gathered, a group of men
and women. all saved by the blood of the Lamb
on bluff of Calvary, just wide enough to con-
tain three crosses. / said to my family and
friends: Il think here is where stood the cross
OF the impenitent burglar, and there the cross
of the miscreant, and here between, think
stood the cross on which all our hopes depend"
STORY OF CHRIST'S SUFFERINGS.
As opened the xix chaptertof John to read a
chill blast struck the hill and cloud lowered
The natural solemnIty impressIng the spiritual
solemnity. read a little but broke down. 1
defy any emotional Christian man sitting upon
Golgotha TO read aloud and with unbroken
voice, OF with any voice at ALL the whole of that
account in Luke and John, of which these senti-
mentS are a fragment: They took Jesus and
led HIM away and He bearing His cross went
ioTth INTO place called the place of a skull,
where they crucitied Him and two others with
Him. on either side one ana Jesus in the
midst" Behold thy motherr' II thirst"
This day shalt thou be with me in Para
disc" Father. forgive them, they know not
cup pass from me- What sigbs What sohs
what tears, what tempests OF sorrow what
surGing oceans of agony In these utterapcesi
While we sat there. the whole scene came be-
fore us. All around the top and the sides and |
the foot OF the hill, a mob RACES. They gpash
their teeth, and shake their Clenched fists ar
him. Here the cavalry horses champ their
bits, and paw the earth and snort at the smell
of the carnage Yovder group of gambIers
are pitching up as to 10 shall have the coat of
the dying Savior There are women almost
dead with grief among the crowd, His mother
and HIS aunt, and some whose sorrows He had
cOmforted, and whose guilt He had pardoned.
Here man DIPS sponge into sour wine, and
by stick lifts 1t TO the hot and cracked lips
The bemorrhage of the Eve wounds has done
its work.
The atmospheric conditions are such as the
world never saw before or since. 1t was not a
solar eclipse such as astronomers record or we
ourselves have seen. 1t was a bereavement of
the heavens. Darker! Until the towers of the
temlle were no longer visible. Darkeri Until
the surrounding hills disappeared. Darkerl
Until the inscription above the middle cross
became lllegIble. Darker, Until the chin of
the dying Lord falls upon the breast and he |
sighed with this last SIGH, the words, It is fin
lshed! AS we sat there
SILENCE TOOK POSSESSION
of us and we thought: this is the center from |
which continents have been touched, and all |
the world shall yet be moved. Toward this hill, |
the prophets pointed forward. Toward this |
hill. the apostles and martyrs pointed back |
ward. To his all heaven pointed downward |
To this with foaming execratons perdiIion |
pointed upward Round 1t circles all history, |
all time all eternity, and with this scene paint
ers have covered the mightiest canvas and |
sculptOrs cut the richest marble, and orches-
tras rolled their grandest oratorios and churches
lifted their greatest doxOlogies, and heaven
built its highest thrones.
Unable longer to endure the pressure of this