Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-11-06
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT: "SAILIN9 UP THE NILE"

TExT: "The River Is Mine and Hau
Made Hn-Ezekiel xxx, g.
Aha This Is the River Nile. A brown OF
yellow or silver cord on which are hung
more jewels of thrilling interest than on auy
river that was ever twiste in the sunshine
1t rpples through the book Of Ezekiel, aud
flashes in the books of Deuteronomy and
Isaiah and Zecharia and Nahum, and on its
banks stood the mighties OF many ages. Ii
was the crystal cradle of Moses, and on it,
hanks Mary, the refugee carried the infant
Jesus. To find the birthplace Of this river
was the fascination and defeat OF expedi-
tons without number.
Not many years ago BayRrd Taylor, our
great American traveller, wrote, "Since Co
lumhns first looked upon San Salvador the
earth has but one emotion of triumph left
for her bestowal, and that she reserves for
him who shall first drink from the fountains
OF the White Nile under the snow fields OF
kilima-NJaro.n But the discovery of the
sources OF the Nile by most people wa, con-
siderei an impos,lblity. The nalarias, the
Wild beasts, the savages, the uncimable
sleeps, the vast distances stopped all the cx
petitions for aces
An intelligent native said to Sir Samuel
W. Baker and wife as they were on their
way 10 accomplish that in winch others had
ialIed: Give no the mad schcmc Of the Nile
source. How would it be possible for a lady
young and delicate to endure what would
kill the strongest manr GIVE it up" But
the work went on until Speke and Grant and
Baker found the two lakes which are the
source OF what was called the White Nile
and LaptiZed these two lakes with the names
OF Victoria and Albert. These two lakes
hledby great ralntalls and by accumulated
SHOWS from the mountains, pour their
waters, laIen with agricultural wealth such
as blesses no other river, on down over the
cataracts, on between frownng mountains
ON between cities living and cities dead, on
Tor four thousand miles and through cou-
tinent.
But the White Nile would do lttls for
Egypt il this were all. 1t would keen its
banks and Egypt would remain a desert.
But from, Abyssinia there comes what is
called thd Blue Nile, which, though dry or
nearly dry half the year under tremendous
rains about the middle OF June rises to great
momentum, and this Blue Nile dashes with
sudden influx into the White Nile, which in
consequence rises thirty feet and their com.
bined waters inundate Egypt with rich soil
which drops on all the fields and gardens as
1t is conducted by bitches and suices and
canals every whittier.
The greatest damage that ever came to
Egypt came by the drying up Of the River
Nile, and the greatest blessing by its health
full and abundant flow. The famine in Jo-
sephs time came from the lack OF sufficient
inundation from the Mite Not enough Mic
is drought; too much Nile Is freshet and
plague. The rivers Of the earth are the
mothers Of its prosperity. II by some con-
vulsion OF nature the Mississippi should be
taken from North America, or the Amazon
from South America, or the Danube from
Europe, or the Yenisei from Asia-what
hemisphere calamity! Still, there are other
rivers that could tertilize and save these
countries
AS we start where the Nile empties into
the Mediterranean Sea, we behold a won
derful fullillmeut 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, The LORI shall utterly destroy the
tongue OF the Egyptian sea and shall smite
1t in the seven streams" The fact is they are
all destroyed but two, and Herodotus said
these two remaining ara artificial Up the
Nile we shall go; part of the way by
Egyptian rail train and then by boat, and
we snail 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 look at Alexandria. 1t was founded
| U1 AlcA buo unl was OHtt lue
New York, the Paris, the London OF the
world. Temples palaces, fountains gar
1ens pillared and etiiorescent with all archi-
| tectural and EIenic grandeur and sweetness.
| Apollos, the eloquent, whom in the New
Testament times some people tried to make
a 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 tss 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 so
much filth and squalor l was glad to escape
into an air that was breathabe.
| But Alexandria, fascinating for this or
that thing, according to the taste of the WIS.,
tor was to me most entertaining because it
had been the site of the greatest library
that the world ever saw, considering the
fact that the art Of printing had not been
invented. Seven hundred thousand volumes
and all the work OF slow pen. But down
| it all went under the torch of beseigers.
| Built again and destroyed again. Built
again, but the Arabs came along for its
final demolition and the four thousand baths
of the city were heated with those volumes,
the tG"l lasting six months, and wore ever
| fires kintled at such fearful cost? What
holocausts o; the worlds literaturel What
martyrdom of booksl How many OF them
have gone down under the rage of nations
Only one book has been able to withstand
the bombardnlent, and that has gone through
without smell OF fire on its lids. No swor
or spear or musket for its defense. An III
armed New Testament An unarmcd OIL
Testament Yet invulnerabe and tr
nmphant. There must be something supe
natural about it. COnqueror of books
Monarch of booksl All the books Of all tn
ages in all the libraries outshono by this on
book which you aud | carry to church i'll
pocket So methought amid the ashes o
Alexandrian libraries.
But all aboard the Egyptian rail trai
going up the ban1s of the NileI Look ou
of the window and see those camels kpeSln
for the imposition OF their load. And
think we might take from them a lesson
and, instead of trying to stand upright il
our own strength, become conscious of on
weakness and need of divine help before w
take upon us the heavy duties OF the year o
the week or the day, and so knael for til
burden. We meet professions of men AN
beasts on the way from their days wort
but alas, for the homes to which the poo
inhabitants are going, Tor the most par
novels Of mud. But there is something i
the scene that thoroughly enlsts Us. 1t
the novelty of wretclednes' and scene G
picturesque rags. For thousands OF year
this land has been under u very damnatio
to taxes. Nothing but Christian cvilzatlo
will roll bacS the influences whicd ar
"spoling the Egyptians" There are gar
dens ami palaces, but they be.ong to til
rulers.
This ride along the Milo Is one Of the mos
solemn and impressive rides of all my III
time, and our emotions deepened as the cul
tains of the night fail upon all surrounc
ings But we shall not be satisfied until "
can take ship and pass right out upo
those wondrous waters aud between th
banks crowned with the story of empires.
According to the lead pencil mark in m
Bible it was Thanksgiving day morning
November 20, 1889, that with my famil
and friends We stepped aboard the steam,
on the Nile. The Mohammedan call
prayers had been sounded by the priests
that religion the MuezZins. from the fol