Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-12-18
THE TREES OF PALESTINE
SUBLIME LANGUAGE OF THE SCRIPT
URES ON THE CEDARS.


Lessons Tlicrefrom-The Prophets Loved
10 Gaze Upon the Mighty Forests.
ss'..E q ~, To-day Dr Talmaoe
nreached the twelfth sermon of his series
on pnlostine and the adjoining countries.
After delivering it in the morning in the
Academy of Music in this city. he preach
cd il again in the evening in New York, at
the service held under the auspices of The
Christian Herald Before commencing his
sermon DR. ralmage stated that in spite OF
all the efforts that were being put forth TO
hasten the completion of his new Taber-
naele. the work was on so magnificent a
scale and the necessity for care in its con
struction so imperative that judging by
present indications, it would not be ready
for dedication before Easter He was
bappv to say. however that the hospitality
of The Cllrstian Herald, through which
these Sunday evening services in New YORK
had been held, would be continued, and
The publisher of that journal had already
secured an extension Of the lease OF the
Academy of Music He would therefore
be able to hold services there every Sunday
evening until the new Tabernacle was fin
ished Owing to the inclemency OF the
weather he would discontinue the custom
of giving an address out of doors after the
regular exercises to the crowd of people
who had been unable to gain admission to
the Academy; but the publisher of The
Christian Herald was endeavoring TO OBJ
tain the use Of a church or public building
in the neighborhood in which an overflow
service could be held. DR. Talmage then
announced as his text Psalm civ, l6, The
cellars of Lebanon which be hath planted
and preached the following sermon:
In our Journey we change strrup for
wheel It is four o'clock in the morning
at Damascus, Syria, and we are among the
lanterns Of the hostelry waiting for the
stage to start a Mohammedan in high
life is putting his three wives on board
within an apartment by themselves and
our party occupy the main apartment OF
one of the most uncomfortable vehicles in
which mortals were ever jammed and half
strlngulated But we must not let the dis
comforts annul or disparage the oppor
tunities. We are rolling out and up the
mountains Of Lebanon, their forehead
under Il crown of snow, which coronet the
fingers Of the hottest summer cannot cast
down.
CLIMBING UP LEBANON
We are ascending heights around which
is garanded much of the finest poesy Of
the Scriptures and are rising toward the
mightiest dominion that botany ever recog
nized. reigned over by the most imperial
tree that ever swayed leafy scepter-the
Lebanon cedar; a tree eulogized in my text
as having grown from nut put into the
ground by God himself, and no human
hand had anything to do with its planting;
"The trees Of Lebanon which be hath
planted
The average height of this mountain is
seven thousand feet, but in one place II
lifts its head TO an altitude of ten thou
sand No higher than six thousand feet
can vegetation exist, but below that line
at the right season are vineyards and orch
ards and olive groves and flowers that
dash the mountain side with "A very ear
mage Of color and ill the air with aromatics
that Hosea, the prophet, and Solomon, the
king, celebrated as the smell Of Lebanon
AT a height OF six thousand feet Is grove
of cedars, the only descendants Of those
vast forests from which Solomon cut his
timber FOR the temple OF Jerusalem, and
where AT one time there were one hundred
thousand aXmen hewing out the beams
from which great cities were constructed
But this nation of trees has by human
iconoclasm been massacred until only
small group is left. This race Of giants
is nearly extinct, but have no doubt that
some of these were here when Hiram, king
Of Tyre. ordered the assassination of those
cedars Of Lebanon which the Lord planted
From the multitude OF uses 90 which it
may be put and the employment of it in
the Scriptures, the cedar is the divine ia
vorite. When the plains to be seen from
the window Of this stage in which we ride
trsaftDr hNlFs
and not a grass blade survives the fervid
ity. this tree stands ia luxurignce. defying
the summer sun And when the storms
Of winter terrify the earth and hurl the
rocks in avalanche down this mountain
side this tree grpples the hurricane Of
snow in triumph and leaves the spent fury
at its feet From sixty o eighty feet high
are they, the horizontal branches OF great
sweep. with their burden of leaves needle
shaped. the TOP of the tree pyramidal,
throne Of foliage on which might and
splendor and glory sit But 50 continu-
ously has the determination Of trees gone
on that forthe most part the mountains of
Lebanon are bare Of foliage. while, am
sorry to say. the carth in all lands is being
likewise denuded.
BE spARtNG OF GODS TREES.
The az is Staying the forests all round
the earth 10 stop the slaughter God
opened the coal mines of England and
Scotland and America and the world, prac
tically saying by that. Here is fuel; as far
as possible let my trees alone. And by
opening for the human race the great
auarries of granite and showing the human
family how to make brick God IS practi
cally saying, Here is building material;
let my trees alone" We had better stop
the axes among the Adirondaeks. We bad
better stop the axes in all our forests, as 1t
would have been better for Syria II the
axes had long ago been stopped among the
mountains Of Lebanon. To punish us for
our reckless assault on the forests we have
the disordered seasons and now the
droughts because the uplifted arms Of the
trees do not pray for rain, their presence
according 70 all scientists disposing the
descent Of the showers, and then we have
the cyclones and the hurricanes multiplied
in number and velocity because there is
nothing 10 prevent1heir awful sweep.
Plant the trees in your parks that the