The Penn's Grove record., 1891-11-06
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE -BRooKLYN DIvINE,s auN
DAY SERMON,
Subject. Sailing Up the Nile.

Subject: Sailing Up the Nile"
TEXT: .The River Is Mine and I Havs
Made K."-Ezekiel XXX, Q.
Ahai This is the River Nile. A brown or
yellow or silver cord on which are hung
more jewels OF thrilling interest b on any
river that was ever twistei In the sunshine.
1t ripples through the book Of Esekiel, and
flashes in the book Of Deuteronomy and
Isaiah and Zscharia mi Nahum, md on its
banks stood the mighties Of many ages. 1t
was the crystal cradle of Moses and on It's
hanks, Mary, the refugee, carried the infant
Jesus. To find the birthplacs Of thu river
was the fascination and defeat Of sxpedi-
tons without number.
Not many years ago Bayard Taylor, our
gIeat American traveller, wrote, eSince Co
mmbus first looked upon San Salvador, the
earth has but one emotion OF triumph left
for her bestowal, and hat she reserves for
aim who shall first drink from the fountains
Of the White Nile under the snow fields Of
Kifima-Njaro." But the discovery OF the
sources of the Nile by most people was con-
sidered an impossibility. The malarias the
wild beasts the savages, the unclimable
sleeps. the vast distances. stopped al the ex-
petitions for ages.
An intelligent native said to Sir Samuel
W. Baker and wife as they were ON their
way to accomplish that in which others had
failed: ''Give up the mad scheme of the Nile
source. How would 1t be possible for . lady
young and delicate to endure what would
kill the strongest mani Give it ups But
the work went on until Spoke and Grant and
Baker found the two lakes which ara the
source OF what was called the White Nile.
and baptized these two lakes with the names
Of Victoria md Albert. These two lakes,
allied by great rsinfalls and by accumulated
SHOWS from the mountains, pour their
waters, laden with agricultural wealth such
as blesses NO other river, on down over the
cataracts, on between frowning mountAinS
on between cities living and citios dead, on
for four thousand miles and through q con-
tinent.
But the White Nile would do little for
Egypt II this were all. It would keep its
banks and Egypt would remain Q desert.
But from Abyssinia there comes what IL
called the Blue Nile, which. though dry or
nearly dry half the year, under tremendous
momentum, inc this Blue Nile dashes with
sudden influx into the White Nile, which 10
consequence rises thirty feet and their som
bined waters inundate Egypt with . rich soil
which drops On all the fields and gardens as
1t 10 conducted by bitches n sluices and
canals every whittier.
The greatest T. damage Ian that svsr &c came net. to
~ Dt S6Li0 W - ia hAk w VI t&2O ~
Nle. and the greatest blessing by its health
full and abundant dow. The famine in Jo-
seph's time arm from the lack Of sufficient
inundation from the Nile. Not enough Nils
Is drought; too much Nile 10 freshst and
plague. The rivers Of the earth are the
mothers Of its prosperity: II by some con-
taken from North America, or the Amazon
from South America, or the Danube from
Europe, or the Yenisei from AHa~what
hemispherio calamity Stu, there are other
rivers that could fertilize and save these
countries.
As we start where the Nile smpties into
derful fulfllment Of prophecy. The Nile in
very ancient times used to have seven
mouths. As the great river approached the
sea at seven different places. Isaiah prophe-
sled, 18th Lord shall utterly destroy the
tongue of the Egyptian sea and shall smits
it in the eve streams" The fact 10 they are
all destroyed but two, and Herodotus said
Nile we shall 60; part Of the way by
Egyptian rail train and then by boat, and
we shall understand why the Bible gives such
prominence to thisriver, which is the largest
river of all the earth with one exception.
But before we board the train we must
take q look at Alexandria. It was founded
by Alexander the Great, and was ones the
New York, the Paris. the London OF the
world. Temples. palaces. fountains, gar
dens pillared and efiorescent with all archi-
tectural and Edenic grandeur and sweetness.
Apollos, the eloquent. whom in the New
Testament times some people tried to make
q rival to st. Paul, lived here. Here Mark,
the author Of the second book Of the New
Testament, expired under Nero's anathema.
From here the ship sailed that left Paul and
the crew struggling in the breakers OF
Melita. Pompey's pillar Is here. about one
hundred feet high, its base surrounded by 20
much filth and squalor l was glad to escape
into an air that was breathable.
But Alexandria, fascinating for this or
that thing, according to the taste Of the Wis.
itor, was to mt most entertaining because 1t
had been the site of the greatest library
that the world ever saw, considering the
fact hat the art Of printing had not been
invented. Seven hundred thousand volumes
and all the work OF a slow PEN. But down
1t all ,went under the torch Of beseigers.
Built again and destroyed again. Built
again but the Arabs came along for ia
final demolition and the four thousand baths
of the city were heated with those volumes,
the fuel lasting six months, and were ever
6res kindled at such fearful COST What
| holocausts OF the worlds literature What
martyrdom Of booksl How many OF them
have gone down under the rage Of nations.
Only one book has bean able to withstand
the bombariment, and that has gone through
without smell Of fire on ito lids. No sword
or spsar q muskst for it, defense. An un,
armed New Testament. An unarmsd Oh
Tsstamsnt. Yet fnvulnerable and tri-
natural about 1t. Conqusror of boah1I
Monarch Of booksi AL the books Of all ~
ages In all the libraries outshone by this 6he
book which you and / carry to church in q
pocket. 80 msthought amid the ashes Of
Alexandrian libraries.
But all aboard the Egyptian rail train
going up the banks Of the Nilsl Look out
Of the window and $50 those camels knseling
for the imposition OF their load. And I
think We might take from them Q lesson,
and, instead OF trying to stand upright In
our own strength, become conscious Of our
weakness and need of divine help before we
take upon us thu heavy duties Of the year or
the week or the day, and 80 kneel for the
burden. We meet. proc ,sions Of men and
beasts ON the way from their days work,
but alas, for the homes to which the poor
inhabitants are going, for the most part
bowels Of mud. But there is something In
the scene that thoroughly enlists US. Il is
picturesque rags. For Thousands Of years
this land has been under q very damnAtion
to taxes. Nothing but Christian civilization
will roll back the Influences which are
.'spoiling the Egyptians.p There are gar
dens and palaces. but they belong to the
rulers.
This ride along the Nile Is ons Of the mos
solemn and impressive rides of all my life
time, and our emotions deepensd a. the cur
tains OF the night fall upon all surround
ings. But we shall not be satisied until we
can take . ship and pass right out upon
these wondrous waters n between the
banks crowned with the story Of empires.
According to the lead pencil mark in my
Bible it was Thanksgiving day morning,
November 20. 1889, that with my family
and friends we stepped aboard the steamer
on the Nile. The Mohammsdau call 70
prayers had been sounded BY the priests OF
that religion the Muezxins from the -four
hundred mosques Of Cairo ~ the cry went
tSsss d no Sod M God ~ b s1s, w,s s.ss
that Mohammed 10 the apostle Of God, Come
20 prayers Come to salvation. God Il great.
There ie no other but God. Prayer are het-
ter than sleep"
The sky and city and palm groves and river
thinning Ware bnfhad In tha uSht IL -ss