Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-01-01
CEDARS OF LEBANON.
DIR. TALMAGE TALKS ABOUT MEN
AND TREES.

Tho Famous Tree Used in the Con.
structton 0fSolomon's Temple Full.
ly Described.-Manyo OF the Trees
Characteristic Similar to Those of
the Christian.-An Emblem Of tho
Saviour.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, Dec. II, 1S90.-To-
day DR.. Talmage preached another sermon
Of his series on Palestine and the adioin-
ing countries. After delivering it in tho
morning in the Academy of Music in this
city, he preached it again in the evening in
New York. Tcxt-Psalm 104. 16: 1.-THE
cedars Of Lebanon which he hath planted"
In our journey we change stirrup for
wheel. 1t Is four o'clock in the morning,
at Damascus, Syria, and we are among
the lanterns Of the hosiery waiting for the
stage to start. A Mohommcdan IN high
life is putting his three wives on board
within an apartment by themselves, and
our party occupy tho main apartment Of
one Of the most uncomfortable vehicles in
which mortals were ever damned and half
strangulated. But VIC must not let the
discomforts annul or disparagc the oppor-
tunities. We are rolling on and out and
head under "a crown of snow, which coro-
net the fingers Of the hottest summer can
not cast down. We are ascending heights
around which is garlandcd much of the
finest poesy Of the Scriptures, and are
rising toward the mightiest dominion that
botany ever recognized. reigned over ny
the most imperial tree that ever swaycd 3
leafy sceptre-the Lebanon cedar; q trc"
eulogizcd in my text as having grown froal
nut put into the ground by God himself,
and no human hand had anything to do
with its planting: 1.-The trees of Lebanon
which he hath planted"
The average height of this mountain is
seven Thousand feet. but in ono place, it
lifts its head to an attitude of ten thousand.
No higher than six thousand feet can vege-
tation exist, but below that line at the right
season, are vineyards and orchards, and
olive groves, and flowers that dash the
mountain side with Il very carnage OF color.
ill the Dir with aromatics that Hosea, the
prophet, and Solomon, the king, celebrated
as 1.-THE smell of Lebanon At a height of
six thousand feet is grove of cedars, the
only descendants of those vast forests from
which Solomon cut his timber for the tenn
pie Of Jerusalem, and where at one time
there were one hundred thousand axemen
ACWAS Ouo VIZ AiOuI NhANu sACat
cities were constructed. But this nation
of trees has by human iconoclssm been
massacred until only a smaA group is left.
This race of giants is nearly extinct, but
] have no doubt that some of these were
here when Hiram. King of Tyre, ordered
the assassination of those cedars of Lebanon
which the Lord planted. From the multi
tude 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 we ride today arc parchcd
under summer heats, and not grass-bladc
survives the fervidity, this tree stands in
luxuriance defying the simmer sun. And
when the storms of winter tcrrify the earth
and hurl the rocks in avalanche down the
mountain side, this tree grapples the hurri-
cane OF snow in triumph, and leaves the
spent fury at its feet. From sixty to eighty
feet high are they, the horizontal branches
of great sweep, with their burden of leaves
needlc-shaped. the top of the tree pyramidal,
u throne of foliage on which might, and
splendor, and glory sit. But so continuous
ly has the determination OF trees gone on,
that for the most part the mountains of
Lebanon are bare of foliage, while am
sorry 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 saying by that: Here is fuel;
as fur as possible let my trees alone" And
by opening for the human race the great
quarries Of granite, and showing the human
family how to make brick. God is practi-
cally saying: Here is building material;
let my trees alone"
Ono of the Lebanon cedar was examined
by a scientist, and from its conccntric cir
Giles, it was found to be thirty-iv
hundred years old and still standing, and
there Is such thing as everlasting
strength, and such stanchness of Chris
tian character that all time and all eternity
instead Of being its demolition shall be its
opportunity. Not such gre those vacillatine
Christians who are so pious on Sunday that
they have no religion left for the week
day. As the anaconda gorges itself with
food, and then seems for a long while to lie
thoroughly inscnsible, so there are men
who will on Sunday get such relisio
surfeit that the rest of the week they seem
thoroughly dead to all religious emotion.
They weep in church under a charity SER
mon, but if on Monday subject Of wan,
presents itself at the door. the beygar's
safety will depend entirely on quick limbs
and an unobstructed stairway. 1t takes all
the grace they can get to keep them from
committing assault and battery on those
! intruders 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 char.
acter, to be deep like the cedar, high like
| the cedar, broad -branched as the cedar. A
traveller measured the spread Of the
boughs Of one of these trees and found il
| one hundred and eleven feet from branch
| tip to branch tip, and have seen cedars OF
Christian character that through their
prayers and charities put out one branch to
the uttermost parts of America, and an.
| other branch to tho uttermost parts OF
Asia, and these wide-branched Christians
! will keep on multiplying until oil the
earth is overshadowed with mercy
But mark you. these cedars Of Lebanon
could not grow If planted in mild climates
/ f.,h.