Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-02-29
A GREAT SURPRISE.
SERMON PREACHED SUNDAY, FEB. %,
BY REV. 7. DE WITT TALMAeE, o. D.

Amazed the Queen Of sheba-The Clio
rIes of the Christian Religion.
Brooklyn, Feb. 2S. The congrega
ton at the Tabernacle this morning
listened TO a glowing description ol
the nlagnificence of Solomon. which,
DR.. Talnage likened to the glories 0.
the Christien religion, which would
he said. be surprise TO all who triec
il for themselves. His text was
Kings X, z. Behold. the half was noi
told me"
Solomon had resolved that JeTIlsa
lem should be the center of all sa
cred. regal and commercial magnif
cence lie set himself to work and
mon0polized the surrounding desert
as highway for his caravans. He
built the city of Palmyra around one
of the principal wells of the east, 80
that all the long trains of merchan
dise from the east were obliged TO
stop there, pay toll AMI leave part OF
their wealth in the hands of Solo
mons merchants He manned the
fortress Thapsacus at the chief ford
of the Euphiates and put under
guard everything that passed there.
The three great products Of Pales
tine wine pressed from the richest
clusters and celebrated all the world
over; oil which in that hot country
is the entire substitute for butter
and lard. and was pressed from the
olive branches until every tree in the
country became an oil well; and
honey which was the entire substi
tute 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 a fleet of ships to be con-
str-ucted. oversaw the workmen and
watched the launching of the flo
tiifa which was TO go out on more
than years voyage, to bring home
the wealth Of the then known world.
He heard that the Egyptian horses
were large and swift and long named
and round limbed, and he resolved to
purchase them. giving eighty-fye
dollars apiece for 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 timber on Mount Lebanon, and he
sent out ono 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 floated 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 flowers found in the
ruins Of that city such as arc to be
found In no other part of Palestine,
the lneal descendants OF the very
flowers that Solomon planted. He
heard that in foreign groves there
were birds OF richest voice and most
luxlriaHt 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 catnels coming up TO the
kings gate. and tho 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 peacoclSs strut unc en-
the cedars. and the horsemen ren,
and the chariots wheel Hark 10 the
orchestral Gaze upon the dancei
Notstopping TO look into the wonders
OF the temple. step right on to the
causeway and pass up TO Solomon's
palacel
TlIE ARCHITECTURE or HIRAM
Here we find ourselves amid a col,
lection OF buildings on which the
king had lnviahed the wealth of
many empires. The genius of Iii
ram, the architect, and az the 9th sr
artists IL here seen in the long line Of
corridors and the suspended gallefy
and the approach to the throne,
T'raceried window opposite trnceried
window. Bronzed ornaments hurst
ing into lotus and lily and pomegran.
ate. Chapters surrounded by not
work Of leaves. in which lmita ion
fruit seemed suspended rs In hang
ing baskets.
Three brnnches-so Josephus tells
us-- three branches, sculptured ON
the marble, 80 thin and subtle that
even the leaves seemed 10 Quiver.
A layer capable OF holding five hun.
dred barrels of water on six hundred
braaen OK heads. which gnshed with
water and filed the whole place with
coolneas and crystalline brightness
and musical piash Ten tables chased
with chariot wheel aud lion and
cherubin solomon sat ON a throne
Of ivory At the seating place of the
throne. on each end Of tho steps.
brazen lion.
Why. my friends. IN that place
they trimmed their candles with
anulfers OF gold, aud they eat their
fruits with knives OF gold, and thoy
washed their faces ia hasins OF gold,
and they scooped out the eshns with
shoVels Of gold. aud they stirr'd the
altar fires with tongs Of gold 0oid
roflectod Ia the waterl Gold dash
ing from the APPAREL Gold ble.lne
ia thq cFownl Cold gold gold
of course the news of the aflln'nce
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