Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-01-29
A SERMON ON BABYLON,
DISCOURSE PREACHED SUNDAY, JAN.
25, BY DR.. TALMAeE.

|
Graphic Description of the wonders
Of this Ancient Pagan city-some Les
sons That Should BE Needed to BE
Drawn from Its FALL
BROOKLYN, Jan. 25. - DR.. Talmaee
preached the following sermon this morn
ing in the Academy OF Music in this city,
and be repeated it tonight at The Chris
tian Herald service in the New York Acad-
envy of Music. His text was Daniel v, 30:
In that night was Belshazzar, the king of
the Chaldeans, slain.'
After the site of Babylon had been Sc
lected, two million of men were employed
for the construction of the wall and prin-
cipal works The walls of the city were
sixty miles in circumference. They were
surrounded by trench, out OF which had
been dug the material for the construction
of the city There were twenty-five gates
OF solid brass on each side of the square
city. Between every two gates a great
tower sprang up into the heavens. From
each of the twenty-five gates on either side
a street ran straight through to the gate
on the other side, so that there were fifty
streets, each fifteen miles long. which gave
| to the city an appearance of wonderful
| regularity
The houses did not join each other on the
ground, and between them were gardens
| and shrubbery From housetop TO house
top bridges swung, over which the inhab-
itants were accustomed to pass. A branch
Of the Euphrates went through the city,
over which bridge OF marvellous structure
was thrown, and under which tunnel ran.
To keep the river from overlooking the city
in time of freshet, a great lake was ar
ranged to catch the surplus, in which the
water was kept as in "A reservoir until times
of drought. when it was sent streaming
down over the thirsty land. A palace
stood at each end of the Euphrates bridge
one palace mile and three-quarters il.
compass, and the other palace seven and II
half miles in circumference. The wife of
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, having been brought up
among the mountains of Media, could not
stand il in this fiat country of Babylon,
and so to please her Nebuchadnezzar had
mountain four hundred feet high built in
the midst of the city
This mountain was surrounded by ter
races, for the support of which great arches
were lifted. On the top of these arches fiat
stones were laid; then layer of reeds and
.bitumen; then two rows of bricks, closely
cemented then thick sheets of lead, upon
which the soil was placed. The earth here
deposited was so deep that the largest trees
had room TO anchor their roots All the
glory of the fiowery tropics was spread out
at that tremendous height, until it must
have seemed to one below as though the
clouds were all in blossom, and the very
sky leaned on the shoulder Of the cedar.
At the top an engine was constructed
which drew the water from the Euphrates,
far below, and made il spout up amid thia
garden of the skies. All this to please his
wifel think she must have been pleased.
THE TEMPLE OF BELus.
In the midst of this city stood also the
temple of Belus. One of its towers was
one-eighth of mile high, and on the top
of it an observatory, which gave the as
tronomers great advantage, as, being at so
great a height. one could easily talk with
the stars This temple was full of cups
and statues and censers, all of gold. One
image weighed thousand Babylonish Ia
Tents. which would be equal to ffty-two
million dollars. All this by day; but now
night was about to come down on Babylon
The shadows of her two hundred and fifty
towers began TO lengthen. The Euphrates
the setting sun, and gates of brass bur
nished and glittering opened and shut
like doors of fame The hanging gardens
of Babylon, wet with the heavy dew, began
TO pour from starlit flowers and dripping |
leaf a fragrance for many miles around. |
The streets and squares were lighted for
dance and frolic and promenade The
theatres and galleries of art invited the
wealth and pomp and grandeur Of the
city to rare entertainments. Scenes of
riot and wassail were mingled in every |
street goddess mirth, and outrageous ex-
cess, and splendid wickedness came to the
kings palace TO do their mightiest deeds
of darkness.
A royal feast tonight at the kings pal
acel Rushing up to the gates are chariots,
with precious cloths from De
dan and drawn by fire eyed horses from
Togarrnah, that rear and neigh III the
CRASH of the charioteers, while Il thousand
lords disnount, and women dressed in All
the splendors of Syrian emerald and the
color blending of agate, and the chasteness
of coral. and the somber gsocy OF Tyrian
purple, and the princely embroideries
brought from afar by camels across the
desert. and BY ships from Tarshish across
the sea.
LET THE GUESTS COME IN.
Open wide the gates and let the guests
come in The chamberlains and cup bear
ers are all ready Hark to the rustic OF
the robes, and to the carol of the musici
See the blaze of the jewels Lift the ban
ners Fill the cups. Clap the cymhals.
Blow the trumpets Let the night go by
with song and dance and ovation; and let
that Babylonish tongue be palsied that
will not say, "Oh. King Belshazzar. live
Ali my friends. it was not any common
banquet to which these great people came.
All parts Of the earth had sent their rich
est yiands to that table. Brackets and
flashed their light upon tank
ards of FURNISHED gold. Fruits, ripe and
luscious. in baskets Of silver. entwined
with leaves. plucked from royal conserva-
tories Vases, inlaid with emerald ard
ridued with exquisite traceries, filed with
nuts that were thrashed from forests OF
Instant lands Wine brought from the royal
"a