Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-02-06
AMONG THE HOLY HILLS.
SERMON PREACHED BY aEV. 7. DE
WITT TALMAGE.

the Land of Holy wrlt-Great Interest
Manifested.
BROOKLYN, n. Y, Nov. 23.-The
interest in the series of sermons in
which DR.. Talmage is describing his
recent tour in Palestine, and inculcat-
ing gospel lessons suggested by his
theme, increases from week to week.
There was never so large crowd ut
any one of the previous eight sermons
as there was today around the Brook
Ign Academy of Music in the morning
and at The Christian Herald service in
the evening to hear the ninth sermon.
It's subject was Among the Holy
Hills and the text Luke iv, IS: 'He
came to Nazareth, where be was
brought up" Following is the sermon:
What splendid sleep | had last
night in q Catholic convent, my first
sleep within doors since leaving Jeru-
salem, and all of us as kindly treated
as though we had been the pope and
his college of cardinals passing that
way. Last evening the genial sister
hood of the convent ordered a hundred
bright eyed Arab children brought out
to sing for me, and it was glorious!
This morning | come out on the steps
of the convent and look upon the most
beautiful village Of all Palestine, its
houses of white limestone. Guess its
name Nazareth, historical Nazareth;
one of the trinity Of places that all
Christian travellers must see or feel
that they have not seen Palestine,
namely, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Naza-
reth. Babyhood, boyhood, manhood
of him for whom | believe there are
fifty million people who would now, if
it We're required, march out and die
whether under AK, or down in the
floods or straight through the fire,
GRAND OLD NAZARETH.
Grand old village is Nazareth, even
putting aside its sacred associations.
First of all, it is clean and that can
be said of few of the oriental villages.
Its neiehboring town of Nablous is the
fllthiest town ever saw, although its
chief industry is the manufacture of
soap. They export all of it. Nazareth
was perhaps unusually clean the morn
ing l speak Of, for as we rode into the
village the afternoon before the show
ers which had put our macintoshes to
the test had poured floods through all
the alleys under command of the clouds,
those thorough street commissioners.
Besides that, Nazareth has been the
scene of battles passing it from
Israelite to Mohammedan and from
Mohammedan to Christian, the most
wonderful of the battles being that in
which twenty-five thousand Turks were
beaten by twenty-one hundred French,
Napoleon Bonaparte commanding, that
| greatest of Frcnchnen walking these
very streets through which Jesus walked
for nearly thirty years, the morals of
the two, the antipodcs, the SHOWS OF
/ Russia and the plaques of Egypt APP
propriately following the one, the dox-
ologies of earth and the hallelujahs OF
heaven appropriately following the
other
And then this town is so beautifully
situated in a great green bowl, the
sides of the bowl the surrounding tif
teen hills. The God of nature, who is
the God of the Bible, evidently scooped
out this valley for privacy and separa
ton from all the world during three
most important decades, the thirty
years of Christ's boyhood and youth
for of the thirty three years of Christ,
stay on earth he spent thirty of then
in this town getting ready-a startling
rebuke to those who have no patience
with the long years of preparation
necessary when they enter on any
special mission for the church or the
world.
The trouble is with most young mer
that they want to launch their shin
from the drydock before it is ready
and hence so many sink in the first cy
clone Stay in the store as a subordi
nate until you are thoroughly equipped
Be good employe in your trade unit
you are qualified to be an employer
Be content with Nazareth until you ar,
ready for the butretings of Jerusalem
You may get SO gloliously equipped il
the thirty years that You can do mort
in three years than most men ear
accomplished in n prolonged lifetime
These little suggestions am apt to pa
into my sermon, hoping to help people
for this world, while | am chiefly anx
ious to have them prepare for the mex
world
All Christ's boyhood was spent il
this village and its surroundings. Their,
is the very well called 1.-The Fountain
of the Virgin, to which 10y his mother
side he trotted along holding her hand
No doubt about it; it is the only wei
in the village, and it has been the only
well for three thousand years. Thi'
morning We visit it, and the mother
have their children with them now Il.
then The work of drawing water il
all ages in those countries has beer
womens work. Scores of them arr
waiting for their turn at it, three great
and everlasting springs rolling out int
that well, their barrels, their hogs
heads of water, in floods glorously
abundant. The well is surrounded 10y
olive groves and wide spaces in which
people talk and children, wearing
charms on their heads rs protection
against the EVIL eye, are playing, anJ
women with their strings of coin OF
either side of their face, and in skirt
of blue and scarlet and white ant