The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-10-31
REV. DR.. TALMAGE
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.

It is the morning of December In Jeru-
salem, and we take stirrups for the road
along which the wsyfarer Of old fell among
thieves, who left him wounded and half
dead. Jobs picture Of the horse I'm 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 pea5o.
heels Poorly fed and alid9l
whacked, they sometimes retort. To Ameri-
cans and English, who are accustomed to
guide horses by tho 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 n
hint that you want to outgallop the wind or
wheel in swift circles like the hawk. But
= ley can climb steps and descend precpiccS
eth skilled foot and the one choose for our
\vSirney in Palestine shall have the praise OF
going for weeks without ono stumbling step
amid rocky sleeps, where an ordinary
NVse 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 sbeik, with his black Nuban servant
carrying loaded gun I'm full sight, but IL is
the fact that this sheik represents the Turk
ish Government which assures tho safety of
the caravan.
We cross tho Jehoshaphat Valley, which,
IL 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 gorgcs of the Yosemite or the chasmS
of the Yellowstone Park. Tho sides OF this
and overlooked by Jerusalem wols-an eter-
nifty Of depths overshadowed by an eternity
of architecture. Within sight OF Mount
Olivct and Gethsemane and with tho heavens
and the earth full of sunshine, start out
on the very road mentioned in the text when
1t says "a certain man went down from
Jerusalem TO 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 II
highwayman might surprise and overpower
an unarmed pilgrim. Ills cry for help, his
shrek OF pain, his death groan would be All
Bwored 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, and that the great part OF
them became robbers. So late as 1920 Sir
Frederick Henn1ker, an English tourist, was
attacked on this very road from Jerusalem
to Jericho and shot and almost slain. There
has mover 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 tho good Samaritan who came along
had been set upon by villainous Arabs and
robbed and pounded and cut. We encamped
for lunch that noon close by an old stone
building, said to be the tavern whore tho
Tumbed In the dust and ghastly with
wounds the victim Of this highway robbery
lay i'll the middle Of the road--a fact of
which l am certain, because the Bible says
the people passed by on either side. There
were $4,000 priests living at Jericho, and
they had to go to Jerusalem to officiatc at
the temple. And one Of these ministers OF
religion, l suppose, was on his way
to the temple service, aud he is
startled as he sees this bleeding victim In the
n man that has been attacked Of thieves.
Why don't you go homer says the minister.
The man, in n comatose state, makes no an
swcr, OF, with n half ,lazed look, puts his
draws OUT, "What.' "Wcll," says the MIt4-
lister, ~ must hurry on 10 my duties at j JeuSN
salem. have to kill lamb and Two pig1e0k
in sacrifice to-day. J cannot spend any IRS
time with this unfortunate l YESy -
body else vi take care of him. SEfaS'
one OF tiro things that cannot be lHfphz4f6hy'
how. Beside that, my business sTftit souls
and not with bodies. Good morninSt Whc,
.you get well enough TO sit up viii, be glao
10 AnI SS yfh the az minister aHS sf' Curves way ou
toward the overnansing ,Fl.Gs- ef the
road and passes. Nou hypoef1tet One OF
the chief officers of rciiS ion il to heal wounds
You might have done here kip1nass tina
would have been more accaptV4a 80 G""
than all the incense that will smoke up from
YOU censcr for the next three weeks, and you
missed the chance. Go on your way-eXe-
Grated by the centuries.
Soon afterwarL n Levite came npon the
scene. The Levtos looked after the musc
OF toe temple and waited upon the priests
and provided the supplies Of the temple
This l:vite, passing along this road where
we are tO.dav, took n lCok ut the mass ,ot
bruises and laceration in the middle OF the
road my! myw sGys the Levite, this
man i nwfully hurt ani he ought to be
helped. But my business Is To sing III the
choir at the temple. Ii am not there IL"
,onc will carry my part. Besides that there
may rot hc enough tranl;lncensc for the cen
serS and the wine or oil may have given out.
and what fearful bali in tho service that
Nouid make. Then one of the priests might
get his breaStplate on crooked. But it Stems
too bad to leave this man I'm this condition
Perhaps | had better try TO stanch this bleeL
ing and give him little stimuant. Bhthol
The ceremony Mt Jerusalem is Of more i'm
portanco than taking care of the wounds OF q,
n %%1 who will grSssasl{f faaa b Sdes ase $
MP to the temple. There l have lost five
minutes already! Go along. you beast" hc
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
official.
But third person is coming along this
- d. You cannot expect him to do any.
= by way of alienation, becaliSo he ami
~ wounded man belong to different ma
tionS which have abominated each other
for centuries. The wounded man Is ni
1srarlitc, and tho stranger now coming on
the scene Of suffering is II Samaritan. They
belong to nations which hatet each other
with AN objurgatlon and malediction dia.
boic. They had opposition temples-onc on
Mount GeriZim and the other on Mount
Moriah-and | guess this Samaritan, when
ne comes up, will give the fallen lsraclitc
another clip and say: Good for you!
will Just finish the WORK these bandits began.
anil give you ono more kick that will put
YOU ont OF your misery. And here is rag
Oi your coat that they did not steal, and
will take that. What! Do you dare to ap
peal to me for mercy Hush up. Why, you
ancestors w0rshipei at Jerusalem wh"'
they ought - have wOrshiped at GcrIlnN
Nov. take that. and that ! a"i thatH "'
shy tho Samaritan as he pounds tho faller
1sraclitS
No: tho Samaritan rides up to the scene q
suffering, gets ON his beast and steps dow,
and looks into the face OF the wounded mi,
and says: This poor fellow does not bnlonl
TO my nation, and our ancestors worshipet
III different places, but he is II man, and tha
makes us brothers. God pity him, "a do