Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-05-15
REV. DR.. TAlMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE's SUN
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT, "HUMDRuM ABOLISHED"

neither teas there any such Spice as the
Queen OF Shebd gaze King Solomon. I'll
Chronicles, tx, Q.
What Is that building out yonder glitter.
ing in the sum- Have you not hearif IL is
the house OF the forest Of Lebanon. King
Solomon has just taken to it his bride, the
Princess OF Egypt. You see the pillars Of
the portico and great tower. adorned with
one thousand shields Of gold, hung on the
outside Of the tower hundred Of these
shields OF gold manufactured at Solomon's
order five hundred were captured by David,
bis father in battle. See how they blaze in
the monday sum
Solomon goes up the ivory stairs OF his
throne between twelve lions in statuary, and
sits down on the back OF the golden bull, ths
head OF the bronze beast turned toward the
people. The family and attendants OF the
king are so many that the caterers Of the
place have to provide every day one hundred
sheep and thirteen oxen, besides the birds
and the venison. hear the stamping and
paving OF four thousand fine horses in the
royal stables There were important officials
who had charge OF tho work OF gathering
the straw and the barley for these horses
King Solomon was an early riser tradition
says, and used to take ride out at daybreak:
and when in bis white apparel, behind the
swiftest horses Of all the realm, and followed
by mounted archers i'll purple, as the caval-
rade dashed through the streets OF Jerusalem
suppose it was something worth getting up
at five o'clock in the morning to look at.
Solomon was not like some of the kings OF
the present day-erownci imbecility. All
the splendor Of his palace and retinue was
eclipsed by his intellectual power. Why, he
seemed to know everything He was the first
great naturalist the world ever saw. Pea
cocks from India strutted the basaltc walk,
and apes chatted in the trees and deer stalked
the parks, and there were aquariums with
oreign fish and aviarieS with foreign birds
and tradition says these birds were so well
tanned that Solomon might walk clear across
the city under the shadow OF their wings as
they lowered and fitted about him
More than this, he had a great reputation
for the conundrums and riddles that he made
and guessed. He and King Hiram, his
neighbor, used to sit by the hour and ask
riddles each one paying in money if he could
not answer or guess the riddle, The Solo
monic navy visited all the world, aud tho
sailors, Of course, talked about the wealth OF
their king, and about the riddles and eugimas
that he made and solved, and the II ws
spread until Queen BalkiS away off south,
heard Of it, and sent messengers with few
riddles that she would like TO have solomon
solve, and few puzzles which she would like
to have him find out. She sent among other
things to King Solomon a diamond with a
hole so small that needle could not pene-
trate II, asking him 10 thread that diamond.
And Solomon took worm and put il at the
opening in the diamond, and the worm
crawled through, leaving the thread in the
diamond.
The queen also sent n goblet to Solomon.
asking him to fill it with water that did not
pour from the sky, and that did not rush out
from the earth, and Immediately Solomon put
a slave on the back of swift horse and
galloped him around and around the park
until the horse was nigh exhausted, and from
the perspiraton Of the horse the goblet was
filled. She also sent King Solomon five
hundred boys in girls dress, and five hun
dred girls in boys dress, wondering II he
would be cute enough TO find out the dec %.
tion. Immediately solomon, when he saw
( them wash their faces knew from the way
they applied the water that it was all cheat.
Queen Balkis was 80 pleased with the
acuteness OF Solomon that she said IN lust
go and see him for myself" Yonder il
comes-thc cavalcade and dromeda.
rieS, chariots aud chariotecrs jinging har-
ness and Gathering hoofs and blazing
shields, and flying ensigns, and clappinY
cymbals. The place is saturated with the
perfume. She brings cinnamon and saffron
and calamus and frankincense and all man
1
through the gate the armed guard inhale the
aroma. Haiti" cry the characters, as the
wheels griuds the gravel in front OF the pill
Jared portico of the king. Queen Balkis
alights in an atmosphere bewitched with per
fume. AS the dromedaries are driven up to
the kings store-houses, an | the bundles OF
camphor are unloaded. and the sacks OF Gin.
namon, and the boxes OF spices are opened,
| the purveyors of the palace discover what
my text announces, "Of spices, great abun-
dance; neither was there any such spices as
the Queen of Sheba gave to King solomon. "
Well, my friends, you know that all the
ologians agree in making Solomon type OF
Christ, and making the Queen of Sheba a
| type Of every truth seeker and shall take
the responsibility OF saying that all the
spikenard and cassia and frankincense which
the Queen of Sheba brought to King Solo
mon are nightly suggestive OF the sweet
spices of our holy religion. Christianity is
not collection OF sharp technicaities and
angular facts and chronological tables and
dry statistics. Our religion is compared to
! frankincense and to cassia, but never tc
nigbtshade. It Is a bundle OF myrrh. 1t is q
dash Of holy light. Ii is IA sparkle Of cool
fountains. 1t is an opening of opaline gates
1t is collection OF spices. Would God that
We were as wise in taking spices to our Di
vine King as Queen Balkis was wise in tax
ing the spices to the earthly Solomon! What
many of us most need is to have the hum
drum driven out OF our life and the hum
drum out of our religion. The American anc
English church will die OF humdrum unless
there be change.
An editor from San Francisco a few weeks
ago wrote me sayin he was getting up fol
his paper a symposium from many clergy
men, discussing among other things, "Why
do not people go to churchY' aud he wantet
my opinion, and | gave it in one sentence
People do not go to church because they
cannot stand the humdrum.n The fact i
that most people have so much humdrum il
their worldly calling that they do not wan
to have added the humdrum OF religion. w
need In all our sermons and exhortations anC
songs and prayers more OF what Queen Ba.
kis brought to Solomon-namely, NOR
spice.
The fact Is that the duties and cares OF thi
life, coming to us from time to time ar
stupid often and inane and intolerable Her
are men who have been bartering and ne
gotiating, climbing pounding, hammerinl
for twenty years, forty years fifty years
One great long drudgery has their life been
Their face anxious their feelings benumbed
their DAYS monotonous. What is necessar
to brighten up that mans life, and to sweete
that acid disposition, and to put sparkle int
|
religion. Why, il between the losses of lif
there dashed gleam Of an eternal gain;
between the betrayals Of life there came tn
CLEAN of the undying friendship Of Christ
IL In dull times in business we found minis
tering spirits flying to and fro in our offic
and store and shop, everyday life, instead c
being stupid monotone would be a glor
Gus Inspiration, penduluming between calr
satisfaction and high rapture.
How any woman keeps house without tn
religion Of Christ to help her Is a mystery
me To have to spend the greater part. c
ones life, as many women do in plannin
for the meals, in stitching garments that wi
soon be rent again, and deploring reakaSe
and supervising tardy subordinates an
driving of dust that soon again will SETTLE
and doing the same thing day in aud da
out, and year In and year out until thet
hair silvers, and the back stoops, and th
spectacles crawl to the eyes, and the grav
breaks open under the thin sole of the shoe
oh IL In A long monotonyl But when Chris