Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-01-09
TALMAGE In AUSTRIA.
SERMON IN VIENNA, WITH NOTES ON
HIS TOUR OF THE HOLY LAND.
The Surprises in ReiIgiOn-The Fascination
that Surrounds Jerusalem and tho Sea Of
GaIIlee-sOlomon's Designs for His CaPI-
tol.

| Brooklyn, preached in Vienna Sunday,
Jan. 8. on aThe Surprises of Religion.
His text was Kings <, z: Behold, the
half was not told to me-" The sermon
| was as follows:
Appearing before you to-day, my mind
yet agitated with the scenery of the Holy
Land, from which We have Just arrived,
you will expect me to revert to some of
the scenes once enacted there. Mark a
circle around Lake Galilee, and another
circle around Jerusalem, and you de-
scribe the two regions in which cluster
memories Of more events than in any
other two circles. Jerusalem was a spell
of fascination that will hold me the rest
of my life. Solomon had resolved that
that city should be the center of all
sacred, regal and commercial magnifi-
cence. He set himself to work, and
monopolized the surrounding desert as
a highway for his caravans. He built
the city of Palmyra around one of the
principal wells of the east, so that all
the long trains of merchandise from the
east were obliged to stop there, pay toll
and leave part of their wealth in the
hands of Solomon's merchants. He
manned the fortress Thapsacus at the
chief ford of the Euphrates, and put
under guard everything that passed
| there. The three great products of
| Palestine-wine pressed from the rich
! est clusters and celebrated all the world
over; oil, which in that hot country is
the entire substitute for butter and lard,
and was pressed from the olive branches
until every tree in the country became
an oil we'll; and honey, which was the
entire substitute for sugar-these three
great products of the country Solomon
exported, and received in return fruits
and precious woods and the animals of
| every cline.
| He went down to Ezion- geber and or
dered fleet of ships to be constructed,
\ launching of the fotilla which was to go
bring home the wealth of the then
known world. He heard that the Egyp-
tian horses were large and swift, and
| long named and round limbed, and he
resolved to purchase them, giving $S5
apiece for them, putting the best of
| these horses in his own stall and selling
the surplus to foreign potentates at
great profit.
He heard that there was the best of
| timber on Mount Lebanon, and he sent
|
| to hew down the forest and drag the
timber through the mountain gorges, to
construct it into RATS to be hoated to
Joppa, and from thence to be drawn by
OK teams twenty-five miles across the
lard to Jerusalem. He heard that there
were beautiful flowers in other lands
He sent for them, planted them in his
| own gardens, and to this very day there
IN of hot
| city such as are to be found in no other
| of the very flowers that Solomon planted.
He heard that in foreign groves there
| were birds of richest voice and most
| luxuriant wing. He sent out people to
catch them, and bring them there, and
he put them into his cages.
Stand back now and see this long
train of camels coming up to the Kings
| gate, and the OK trains from Egypt, gold
and silver and precious stones, and
beasts of every hoof, and birds of every
wing, and fish of every scale! See the
peacocks strut under the cedars, and the
horsemen run, and the chariots wheel!
Hark to the orchestra! Gaze upon the
| dance! Not stopping to look into the
wonders of the temple, step right on to
oho SouoOWuy, dAu PnoC u w OoAoAou .
| palace!
Here we find ourselves amid collec-
| tion of buildings on which the king
had lavished the wealth of many en-
pires. The genius of Hiram, the archi-
! tect, and of the other artists is here seen
| in the long line of corridors and the
suspended gallery and the approach to
| the throne. Traceried window opposite
| fraoariaI ndow ,4o
| bursting into lotus and lily and pome-
granate. Chapters surrounded by
| network of leaves in which imitation
fruit seemed suspended as in hanging
baskets. Three branches-so Josephus
tells us-three branches sculptured on
| the marble, SO thin and subtle that even
| the leaves seemed to quiver. A laver
capable of holding 500 barrels of water
with water and filled the whole place
| and musical plash. Ten tables chased
with chariot wheel and lion and cheru-
BIN. Solomon sat on throne of ivory.
At the seating place of the throne, on
each end of the steps, brazen lion.
| trimmed their candles with snuffers of
|
| knives of gold, and they washed their
| scooped outthe ashes with shovels of
| tongs of gold. Gold reflected in the
water! Gold flashing from the apparel!
Gold blazing in the crown! Gold, gold,
gold!
OF course the news of the af1uence of
that place went out everywhere by every
caravan and by wing of every ship,
until soon the streets of Jerusalem are
crowded with curiosity seekers, What
| is that long procession approaching
Jerusalem2 think from the pomp of
it there must be royalty in the train. ]
smell the breath of the spices which are
brought as presents, and I hear the
shout of the drivers, and see the dust
covered caravan showing that they
come from far away. Cry the news up
to the palace. The Queen of Sheba
advances. Let all the people come out
to see. Let the mighty men of the land
come out on the palace corridors. Let
Solomon come down the stairs Of the
palace before the queen has alighted.
Shake out the cinnamon, and the SAT-
from, and the calamus, and the franklin
| cense and pass 1t Into the treasure
house. Take up the diamonds until
they glitter in the sun.
| The Queen ofSheba alights. She en-
ters the palace. She washes at the
bath. She sits down at the banquet.
The cup bearers bow. The meat smokes.
The music tremb1es in the dash of the
| waters from the molten sea. Then she
rises from the banquet, and walks
through the conservatories, and gazes
on the architecture, and she asks Solo