Sharp County record., 1890-01-02
For circulars r19h Aatht0H
wilbur X. smith IL

put OH HIS royal loUOo "ii" P''V W
ers trapping and went out with his ar
rows to bring down the rarest specimens
of birds, and then, with his fishing ap-
paratus, he went down to the stream to
bring up the denizens of the deep and
plunged into the forest and found
the rarest specimens OF flowers;
and then he came back to his study
and wrote books about zoology, the sci
ence of animals; about ichthyolosy, the
science of fishes; about ornithology, the
science of birds; about botany, the
science of plants. Yet, notwithstand-
ing all this science and wealth, behold
his wretchedness and let him pass on.
Did any other city ever behold so won
derful man? Jerusalem, Jerusalem!
But here passes through these streets,
as in imagination l see him, quite as
wonderful and far better man. David,
the conqueror, the King, the poet. Can
it be that am in the very city where
he lived and reigned? David, great for
power and great for grief. He was
wrapped up in his boy Absalom. He
was splendid boy, judged by the rules
of worldly criticism. From the crown
of his head to the sole of his feet there
was not single blemish. The Bible
says that he had such luxuriant shock
of hair that, when once year it was
shorn, what was cut off weighed over
three pounds. But, notwithstanding all
his brilliancy of appearance, he was a
bad boy and broke his fathers heart.
He was plotting to get the throne OF
Israel. He had marshaled an army
to overthrow his fathers gov
ernment. The day of battle had
come. The conflict was begun.
David, the father, sat between the gates
of the palace waiting for the tidings of
the conflict. Oh, how rapidly his
heart heath with emotion! Two great
questions were to be decided-the safety
of his boy and the continyanco OF the
throne of Israeli After awhi} 9 servant
standing onS top os the e leatS
off and he sees some One runssg, He is
coming with great speed and the man on
top of Che house announces the coming of
the messenger, and the father watches
and waits, and as soon as the messenger
from the field of battle comes within
hailing distance the father cries out. Is
it question in regard to the establish
ment of his throne? Does he say: "Have
the armies of Israel been victorious? Am
l to continue in my imperial authority?
Have overthrown my enemies?" Oh,
no. There is one question that springs
from his heart to the lip and springs
from the lip into the ear of the be-
sweated and bedusted messenger flying
from the battlefield - the question:
SIS the young man Absalom safe?''
When it was told to David, the
King, that though his armies
had been victorious his son had
been slain the father turned his
back upon the congratulations of the
nation and went up the stairs of his
palace, his heart breaking as he went,
wringing his hands sometimes and
then again pressing them against his
temples as though he would press them
in, crying: go Absalom! my son! my
son! Would God L had died for thee,
o Absalom! my son! my sonw Stu
pendous grief of David resounding
through all succeeding ages. This was
the city that heard the woe. 0 Jerusa-
lem! Jerusalem!
l am also thrilled and overpowered
with the remembrance that yonder,
where stands Mohammedan mosque,
stood the temple, the very one that
Christ visited. Solomons temple had
stood there, but Nebuchadnezzar had
thundered it down; Zerubbabel's tenn
Pile had stood there, but that had been
prostrated Then Herod built a
temple, because he was fond of
great architecture, and he wanted
the preceding temples to seem in
significant. Put eight or ten mod
ern cathedrals together and they
would not equal that structure. 1t COW
cred nineteen acres. There were mar
BILE pillars supporting roofs of cedar, and
silver tables on which stood golden cups,
and there were carvings exquisite and
inscriptions resplendent, glittering
balustrades and ornament gateways. The
building of this temple kept ten thou
sand workmen busy forty-six years. Stu
pendous pile of pomp and magnificencel
But the material and architectural
grandeur of the building were very tame
compared with the spiritual meaning of
its altars and the holy of hollies and
the overwhelming significance of its GER
emonies. o jerusalem! Jerusalem
But standing in this old city all other
facts are eclipsed when we think that
near here our blessed Lord was born,
that up and down the streets of this city
He walked, and that in the outskirts of
it He died. Here was His only day of
triumph and His assassination. One
day this old Jerusalem is at the tiptop
of excitement. Christ has been doiin
some remarkable works and asserti n
very high authority. The police cof al
has issued papers for His arrest, forS "
thing must be stopped, as the G o