The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-29
SOLOMON IN HIS GLORY.
REV. TALMAGE breaches ON THE
GREAT SURPRISE.

How the King Made Jerusalem the
Center Of All Sacred. Regal and Com
mercial Maguifcence-The Visit o
the Queen of Sheba-The Lessons
Drawn From the Story.
BROOKLYN, n. Y, Feb. 2s.-The congre
CATION at the Tabernacle this morning
listened to a glowing description Of the mag
nifcencs of Solomon, which DR.. Talmagt
likened to the glories Of the Christian relig-
ion, which would, he said, be a surprise tc
all who tried it for themselves. His text
was: I. Kings. K, a. behold, the half was
not told me.n
Solomon had resolved that Jerusalem
should be the center of all sacred, regal and
commercial magnifoence. He set himself
70 work and monopolized the surrounding
desert IS a highway for his caravans. He
built the city of Palmyra around one 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
Solomonis merchants. He manned the fort
ress Tqapsacus at the chief ford of the
Euphrates. and put under guard everything
that passed there The three great products
of Palestine-wine pressed from the richest
clusters and celebrated all over the world;
oil which in that country is the entire sub
stitute 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 substitute for sugar
these three great products OF the country
Solomon exported, and received in return
fruits and precious woods and the animals
of every cline.
he went down to Ezion-geber and ordered
a feet of ships to be constructed, oversaw
the workmen and watched the launching Of
the fotilla which was to go out on more
than years voyage 10 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 be resolved to purchase them, giving
eighty-dve 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 tim
Der on Mount Lebanon and he sent out one
hundred and eighty thousand men TO hew
down the forest and drag the timber
through the mountain gorges, to construct
st into RATS to be floated to Joppa, and
from thence 30 be drawn by OK teams
twenty-five miles across the land to Jeru-
salem. He heard that there we're 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 are to be found In
no other part OF Palestine, the lineal de-
scendants Of the very flowers that Solomon
planted. he heard that in foreign groves
there were birds Of richest voice aHd most
luxur1ant 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 TO the kings gate, and
the ox-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 horseman run, and the
chariots wheel Hank to the orchestra I
Gaze unon the dancel Not stopping to look
into the wonders Of the temple, step right
on to the causeway, and pass up to Solo,
mons palace!
Here we find ourselves amid collection
of building 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 cor
ridors and the suspended gallery and the APP
proach to the throne. Traceried window
opposite traceried window. Bronzed orna-
ments bursting into lotus aud lily and
pomegraDate Chapters surrounded by
network OF leaves in which imitation fruit
seemed suspended as in hanging baskets.
Three branches-so Josephus tells us-three
branches sculptured on the marble, so
thin and subtle that even the leaves
seemed to culver. A laver capable OF
holding five hundred barrels Of water on six
hundred brazen oxSheads, which Gushed
with water and filed the whole place with
GOODNESS and crystalline brightness and mu-
steal plash. Ten tables chased with chariot
wheel and lion and cherubim. Solomon sat
on a throne Of ivory. At the seating place
Of the throne, on each end of the steps, a
brazen lion. Why. my friends. in that
place they trimmed their candles with
shutters Of gold. aad they cut their fruit 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 in the water! Gold flashing
from the apparel! Gold blazing in the
crowni Gold gold goldl
OF course, the news OF the affluence of
that place went out everywhere by every
caravan and by wing Of every ship until
soon the streets of Jerusalem are crowded
with curiosity seekers. What is that long
procession approaching Jerusaleml | think
from the pomp of 1t there must be royalty
in the train. | smell the breath of the
spices which are brought as presents, and
hear the shout of the drivers, and 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. Let the
mighty men of the land come out on the
palace corridors. Let Solomon come down
she stairs of the palace before the queen
has alighted. Shake out the cinnamon. and
che saffron, and the calamus, and the frank
incense, and pass it into the treasure house
Take up the diamonds until they glitter in
the sun.
The Queen of Sheba alights. She enters
che palace. She washes at the bath. She
ats down at the banquet. The cup-bearers
bow. The meat smokes. You hear the
dash Of waters from the molten sea. Then
she rises from the banquet aud walks
through the Conservatives and gazes on
ehe architecture and she asks Solomon
many strange questions and she learns
about the religion Of the Hebrews and she
then turns and becomes a servant of the
Lord God.
She is overwhelmed, She begins &c
think that all the spices she brought and
all the precious woods which are intended
20 be turned into harps and psalteries and
into ratings for the causeway between the
temple and the palace, and the one hun
dred and eighty thousand dollars in money
she 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 a.
heard great deal about this wonderful
religion of the Hebrews, but l find it fal
beyond my highest anticipations. mus
add more than fifty per cent. to what ha
been related. 1t exceeds everything that
could have expected. The half-the hal
was not told me.n