The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-03-16
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINEs SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Glories Of tho Chris.
tian Religion"
TEXT: "Behold, the half pas not told me.
KINGS K

TEXT: "Behold, the half ,oas not told n,en
Kings 4,
Solomon had resolved that Jerusalem
should be the centre Of all sacred, regal and
commercial magnifcence. He set himself
to work and monopolized the surrounding
desert as highway for his caravans. he
built the city of Palmyra around ons Of the
principal wells Of the east so that all the
long trains Of merchandise from the east
were obliged to stop there, pay toll and
leave part of their wealth in the hands OF
Solomon's merchants. He manned the
fortress Thapsacus at the chief ford OF the
Euphrates, and put under guard everything
that passed there.
The three great products Of Palestina-
wine pressed from the richest clusters, and
celebrated all ths world over; oil, which iu
that country is the entire substitute for but
ter and lard, and was pressed from the olive
branches until every tree in the country be-
came an oil we'll, and honey which was the
entire substitute for sugar-these three
great products Of the country Solomon ex-
ported and received in return fruits and
precious woods and the animals of every
cline. ..
He went down to Ezion-geber and ordered
o feet Of ships to be constructed, oversaw
the workmen, and watched the launching of
the fotilla which was to 60 out on more than
a years voyage to bring home the wealth OF
the then known world. He heard that the
long named and round imbed, and he re-
solved to purchase them, giving eighty-fve
dollars apiece Tor them, putting the best OF
these horses In his own stall and selling the
surplus to foreign potentates at great profit.
He heard that there was the best Of tim
ber on Mount Lebanon, and he sent one
hundred and eighty Thousand men to hew
down the forest and drag the timber through
the mountain gorges, to construct it into
RATS to be foated to Joppa, and from thence
to be drawn by OK teams twenty-five miles
across the land to Jerusalem. He heard that
there were beautiful flowers in other lands.
He sent for them, planted them in his own
gardens, and to this very day there are
as are to be found in no other part OF Pales-
tine, the ineal descendants Of the very
flowers that Solomon planted. he heard
that in foreign groves there were birds Of
richest voice and most luxuriant wing. he
sent out people to catch them and bring them
there, and he put them into his cages.
Stand back now and see this long train Of
camels coming up the kings gate, and the
OK trains from Egypt gold and silver and
precious stones, and beasts Of every hoof,
and birds of every wing, and fish OF every
scalel See the peacocks strut under the
cedars, and the horsemen run and the char
lots WHEEL Hear the orchestral Gaze
upon the dance! Not stopping to look into
causeway and pass up to Solomon's palace.
Here we find ourselves amid q collection
of buildings on which the king had lavished
the wealth of many empires. The genius Of
Hiram, the architect, and OF the other
artists is here seen in the long line Of .corri.
dors, and the suspended gallery, and thetap-
proach to the throne. Traceried window
opposite traceried window. Bronzed orna-
ments busting into lotus and lily and pome.
granate, Chapters surrounded by network
Of leaves In which imitation fruit seemed
suspended as in hanging baskets.
Three branches-so Josephus tells US
thin and subtle that even the leaves seemed
to culver. A laver capable Of holding five
hundred barrels OF water on six hundred
brazen OK heads, which gushed with water
and filled the whole place with coolness and
crystalline brightness and musical plash.
Ten tables chased with chariot wheel and
lion and cherubim. Solomon sat on throne
of ivory. At the seating place OF the throne,
on each end of the steps q brazen lion.
Why, my friends, in that place they
trimmed their candles with snuhers Of gold,
and they cut their fruits with knives Of gold,
and they washed their faces in basins Of gold,
and they scooped out the ashes with shovels
Of gold, and they stirred the altar fires with
tongs Of gold. Gold reflected j2 the wateri
Gold flashing from the apparel Gold blaz-
ing in the crown! Gold! gold gold!
or cou-se the news Of the af1uence OF that
hu
van and BY wing OF every ship, until soon
the streets Of Jerusalem are crowded with
curiosity ssskers What Is that long pro-
cesson approaching Jerusalema I think
from the pomp Of it there must be royalty in
the train. l smell the breath OF the spices
which are brought as presents, and hear
the shout Of the drivers, and I see the dust
covered caravan showing that they come
from far away. Cry the news up to the
palace. The Queen Of Sheba advances. Let
all the people come out to see. Lat the
mighty men Of the land come out on the
palace corridors. Let Solomon come down
the stairs Of the palace before the Queen has
alighted. Shake out the cinnamon and the
saffron and the calamus and the franS1n-
cence and pass it into the treasure house.
Take up the diamonds until they glitter In
the sun.
The Queen of Sheba alights. She enters
the palace. She washes at the hath. She
sits down at the banquet. The cupbearers
bow. The meat smokes. You hear the dash
of waters from molten sea. Then she rises
from the banquet, and walks through the
conservatorles ana gazes on the archi.
lecture, and she asks Solomon many strange
questions, and she learns about the religion
Of the Hebrews, and she then and there be.
comes aservsnt Of the Lord God.
She is overwhelmed. She begins to think
that all the spices she brought, and all the
precious woods which are intended to ba
turned into harps and psalteriss and into
ratings for the causeway between the
temple and the palace aud the one hundred
and eighty thousand dollars in money-shs
begins to think that all these presents
amount to nothing in such place and she is
almost ashamed that she has brought them,
and she says within herself: II heard q
great deal about this wonderful religion Of
The Hebrews, but find it far beyond my
highest anticipations. I must add more
that fifty per cent. to what has been re-
lated. It exceeds everything that I could
have expected. The half-the half was not
told me-"
Learn from this subject what beautiful
thing it is when social position and wealth
surrender themselves to God. When religion
comes to neighborhood, the first to receive
it are the women. Some men say 1t is be-
cause they are weakminded. T say 1t is be-
cause they have quicker perception Of what
Is right, more ardent affection and capacity
for sublimer emotion. After the women
have received the Gospel then all the dis
tressed and the poor of both sexes, those who
have no friends accept Jesus. Last OF all
come the people of afauence and high social
position. Alas that it is so!
If there are those here to-day who have
been favored Of fortune, or, as might bet
ter put it favored OF God, surrender all you
have and all you expect to be to the Lord
who blessed this Queen Of Sheba. Certainly
you are not ashamed TO be found - this
o,oo,,e ,op,nonu am Glad that Christ