The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-12-25
TA.L.MAGE'S TALK.
he Visits Mount Lebanon and
Describes its Historic
Cedars.
And Draws a Moral From
Their Strength and
Influence.


BROOKLYN, Spccial.-Dr. Talmage contin-
ded his sermons, on Palestine, his text
being from civ. 16: 1.-The cedars of Lebanon,
which he planted"
At a height Of 5000 feet is u grove of
cedars the only defendants of those vast for
ests from which Solom on cut his timber for the
temple at Jerusalem, and where at one time
there were 100000 axemen hewing out the
beams from which great cities were construct
ed 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 l have no doubt that
some Of these were here when Hiram, king of
Tyre, ordered the assassination of those
cedalrs of Lebanon which the Lord planted.
From the multitude of uses to which it may
be put and the employment of it in the
Scriptures, the cedar is the divine favorite.
When the plains to be seen from the window
OF this stage in which ride to-day are
parched under summer heats. and not
grass blade survives the terviGity, this tree
stands in luxuriance, deiying the summer
sun. And when the forms Of winter terrify
the earth, and hur the rocks in avalanche
the hurricane Of snow in triumph. and
leaves the spent fury at it's feet. From 60 to
80 feet high are they, the horizontal branch
es Of great sweep with their burden of leaves
needle-shaped, the top OF the tree pyramidal,
u throne o" foliage on which might and
>splendor, and glory sit. But so continually
mas the determination Of trees gone on,
that for the most part the mountains Of
nhnr how s fol; I
~ to say, the earth in all lands is being
likewise denuded.
The axe is Staying the forests all round the
earth. TO stop the slaughter God opened
the. coal mines of England, and Scotland.
and America, and the world, practically say
ing by that: Here is f:le az far az possible
let my trees alone" And by opening for the
human race the great quarres of granite,
and showing the human family how to make
brick. God is practically saying: Here is
building material; let my trees alone" We
mad better stop the axes among the Adrion-
dacks We had better stop the axes in all
our forests, as it would have been better for
syria II the axes had long ago been stopped
among the mountains OF Lebanon. TO pun
1sh US io1 our reckless assault on the forests,
we have the disordered seasons: now the
drouths because the uplifted arms Of the
trees DO not pray for rain, their presence ac-
cordlng to all scientists disposing the de-
scent OF the showers; and then we have the
cyclones and hurricanes multiplied in num-
Der and velocity because there is nothing to
prevent their awful sweep.
AS we ride along on these mountains of
Lebanon, we bethink how it's cednrs spread
their branches, and breat ne their aroma,
and cast their shadows oil through the
bible. Solomon dlscoursed about them in
his botanical works, when he spoke Of trees
from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even
"a amin H.
wall The psamist says, The righteous
shall grow like cedar tree that is in Leban-
on, and in one OF his magnificent doxoo-
gles calls on the cedars to praise the Lord
AND Solomon says the countenance Of
Christ is excellent as the cedars, and Isaiah
declares: "The day Of the Lord shall be
upon all the cedars of Lebanon And Jere-
minh and Ezekiel anil Amos. and Zephaninh.
and Zechariah weave its foliage into their
Subllmest utterances.
AS the lion is the monarch of the fields,
and hehemoth the monarch OF the waters,
the cedar is the monarch Of the trees And
L think one reason why it is so gloriied all
up and down the Bible is because we need
more OF its characteristics in our religious
life. We have too much Of the willow and
are easily bent this way or that; too much Of
the aspen and we trem bic under every zeph-
VI OF assault too much OF the bran bic tree,
and our sharp points sting and wounds but
not enough OF the cedar, wide branched, and
heaven.aspirng, and tempest-grappling.
But the reason these cedar stand so we'll is
that they are dcep-rooted. They run their
anchors down into the caverns of the noun
tain and fasten into the very foundations of
the earth, ami twist around and clinch them
selves on the other side of the deepest laver
OF rock they can reach. And that is the diff
ference between Christians who stand and
Christians who fall. 1t is the difference be-
tween a superficial character and one that
has clutched its roots deep down around and
under the Rock o. Ages
One OF the Lebanon cedar was examined
by a scientist and from its concentric circles.
1t was found to be 3, 800 years old and still
standing, and there is such a thing as ever
lasting strength and such a stanchness of
Christian character that all time and eter-
nifty instead of being it's demolition shall be
ITS opportunity Not such are those vacillat-
ing Christians who nre so pious on Sunday
that they have no religion let Tor the week
Gay; AS the anaconda gorges itself with
1ood and them seems or long while to lie
thoroughly nsensible, so there are mon who
VIII on Sunday get such religious surfet
that the rest OF the week, they seem thor
oughiy dead to all religious emotion. They
weep in church under a charity sermon. hnt
If on Monday a subject of want presents #.
self at the door, the beegar's safety will de-
pend entirely on quick limbs and an unob-
structed stairway. 1t takes all the Grace
they can get to keep from committing rs.
oduiC anu bautefy on those lntruderS who
come with pale faces and stories of distress
and subscription papers. The reason that
God planted these cedars in the Bible was to
suggest to US that we ought in our religious
character, to be deep like the cedar. hirh
like the cedar, brondbranched like the cedar.
a traveller measured the spread Of the
'poughs OF one OF these trees and found it III
feet from branch tip to branch tip, and /
nave seen cedars of Christian character that
through their prayers and charities put out
one oranch TO the uttermost parts OF Amer
parts OF Asia, and these wide-branchpd
Christians will keep on multiplying until
ali erarth is overshadowed with mercy.
could not grow if planted in mild climates
and in so air, and in carefully watered
gardens. They must have the gymnasium
'ot the midnight hurricane to develop their
arms. They must play the athlete with q
thousand winters before their eet are
rightly planted and their arms rightly mus.
"ced. And if there be any other way for de-
veloping strong Christian character except