The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-11-06
DEAD SEA AND JORDAN.
DR.. TALMAGE'S FIFTH SERMON ON
HIS TOUR IN THE HOLY LAND.

Topography of tho Dead Sea Region.
Pompcii and tho Nolcano--The Lowest
Lake in tho NvorId--Evidcnces of Gods
Wrath.
BROOKLYN, Oct. 26.-Dr. Talmage
preached the fifth sermon Of the series
on his tour in the Holy Land in the
Academy of Music in this city this
morning. This evening at The Chris
tain lterald service in the Academy of
Music, New y ork, the sermon was re-
peatci before an audience which filled
the vast building in every part. Dr.
Talmage announced as his text, PS
civ, 80: "IIe tnucheth the hills and
they smoke" lie said:
David the poet here pictures VOL
cano, and what Church'S Cotopaxi does
on painters canvas this author does in
words. You see a hill, calm and still
and for ages immOvable, but the Lord
out of the heavens puts his finger on
the top Of it, and from it rise thick
vaporS intershot with fire. "IIe touch
eth the hills and they smoke"
God is the only being who can man
age Volcano and again and again has
he employed volcanic action. The pic
lures on the walls of POmpci, the eX-
humcd Italian city, us we saw them
last November, demonstrate that the
city vas nc~ tit to live. In the first
century that city, engirdlcd with
palaces, emparadiSed with gardens,
pillarcd into architectural exquisite
ness, vas ut the foot Of u mountain up
the sides of which it ran with vine
yards and villas of merchant princes,
and al, that marble and bronze and i'm
perial baths and arbOriculture and
rainDoWed fountains, and Il coliseum
at the dedication of which nine thOuS-
and beasts had been slain, and super
nal landscape in which the shore gave
roses to the sea and the sea gave cry.
tails TO the shore; yea, all that beauty
and pOmp and wealth could give was
there 20 he seen or heard. But the bad
morals Of the city had shocked the
world. In the year 70, on the 4th of
August, II black column rose above the
adjoining mountain and spread out,
Pliny Says, rs he saw it, like a great
pine tree, wider and wider. until 1t be-
gan to rain upon the city first thin
ashes and then pumice stone, and sui
phurouS fumes ScOOped, and streams
of mud poured through the streets till
few people escaped, and the city was
buried, and some Of the inhabitants
eighteen hundred years after were
found cmhalmed in the ScOri;p of that
awful doom. The Lord called upon
volcanic forces to obliterate that prolli-
gate city. lie touched the hills and
they smoked.
SCIENCE AND SCRIPTURE AGREE.
Nothing but volcanic action can eX-
plain what | shall show you at the
Dead sea upon which looked last De-
CemDer. and Of whose waters | took Il
bitter and Stinging taste. Concerning
all that region there has been contro-
Vcrsy enough to fill libraries, science
saying one thing, revelation saying an
other thiLG. But admit volcanic ac-
ton divincly employed and both testi-
monies are one and the same. Geology,
chemistry, geography, astronomy, ich-
thyolOgy, OrnitholOgy and zoology are
coming one by one to confirm the
Scriptures. Two leaves Of one book
are Revelation and Creation, and the
pcnnmanShip is hy the same divine
hand. Our horseback ride will not be
so steep to-day, and YOU can stay on
without clinging to the pommel Of the
saddle, but the scenes amid which we
ride shall, if possible. be more thrill
ing, and by the time the horses snuff
the SulphurOuS atmosphere of Lake
AShaltiteS, or the Dead Sea, we will be
ready to diSmOunt and read from our
Bibles about what was done that day
by the Lord when he touched the hills
and they smoked.
Take detour and pass along by the
rocky fortress Of MIasada, where occur
red something more wonderful in the
way OF desperation than you have ever
heard of, unless you have heard Of that.
HerOd built a palace amid these heaps
OF black and awful rocks which look
like a tnmbled midnight. A great
band Of robbers, about one thousand
including their families aftcrward held
the fortress. When the Roman army
stormcd that steep. and the bandits
could no longer hold the place, their
chlettain, EleaZar, made a powerful
speech which persuaded them to die
before they were captured First the
men kissed their families a loving and
fearful good-by and then put a dagger
into their hearts, and the women and
children were slain. Then ten men
were chosen by Lot to slay all the other
mep, and each man lay down by the
dead wife and children and waited for
these rXccutiOncrs to do their work
This Gone, one man Of the ten killed
the other nine. Then the survivor COM
mltted suicide. Two women and five
children had hid themselves, and after
all was over came forth to tell Of the
nine hundred and sixty slaughtered
Great and rugged natural scenery
makes the most tremendous natures
for good or evil. Great statesmen and
great robbers, great orators and great
butchers, were nearly all born or rear.
eu among mountain DrociDiceS Strong
natures are hardly ever born upon the
pam. When men have anything great.
w eood or greatly evil to do they como
down off the rocks.
TIE LAND OF DESOLATION.
faSS on from under the shadow OF
NlaSada, the scene Of concentrated dia
bolism, and come along where the sail
crystals crackle under the horses
hoofs. You are near the most God for.
saien region Of all the earth. You tc
whom the word lake has heretofore
suggested those bewitchments Of beau
ty, LuZcrnc or Cayuga, some great
pearl set 10y a loving Cod in the bosom