The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-10-14

First of the Series Of Lectures by DR..
Hoge On Sunday Night-His Subject
was .Places Connected With the Life
of Our Lords

ence room of the First Presbyterian
church Sunday night to near the first
of DR.. Hoge's lectures on the Holy
ries is places Connected With the
Life Of Our Lord" the discourse
Sunday night was on Bethlehem, the
Place Of the Nativity" DR.. Hoge
spoke in substance as follows:
To reach Bethlehem one leaves Je-
rusalem by the Jaffa Gate, crossing
the deep Valley of Hinnon, and up the
Hill Of Evil Council. About a mile
from the city the party turned aside to
visit an institution which would never
have existed but for the event which
took them to Bethlehem-the Moravian
Hospital for lepers. There they saw
thirty-eight Of these unfortunate crea-
lures, attended by two Moravian
nurses, who, while they lie not have
the Masters healing touch had the
Masters devoted spirit; while in an
other department the children of these
lepers, as yet untainted, were cared
for by another of the sisters. The
scenery along the roadsides is the
characteristic scenery of southern Pal
estine; bare limestone hills and here
and there green valleys between, and
terraces upon the hilisides where scan
ty crops were grown or vineyards Gull
tiVated.
About a mile from Bethlehem one
comes to a spot made sacred by the
mystery of human love and pain and
death and life, where Jacob lost the
wife whom he loved at sight, and for
whom he served fourteen years, and
who, as her soul was departing named
her child Benomi, Son of My Sor-
row." but whom Jacob named Benja-
min, Son of My Right Hand" NE
place is now marked by a Mohamme-
dan tomb; a square stone building,
with a round dome, the whole plaster
ed over. But in the eight century it
was marked by a pillar of stones, and
both in the times of the New and the
Old TeStamen the place was known
as "RacLeIS Tomb
The last stretch Of the road to Beth
lehem is up a long, steep hill, rodden
by many feet, in many ages. Down
this hill had gOne Naomi, rich in hus-
band and sons; up this hill she had
come, broken in spirit and body, ac-
~companied by the faithful daughter
in-IaW from the land Of Moab. Up this
hill had come Samuel, venerable with
years, seeking once more the Lords
anOinted. Up this hill had come the
gentle maiden bearing in her body the
worlds hope and accompanied by the
etrong and faithful companion who
was to be the guardian of the Savior's
infant years.
The speaker wished that all of them
might have been refreshed at the
summit of the hill by a draught Of
water as cool n sweet as that which
q~uenched his thirst; a draught which
recalled one of the most poetic Incl
dents in the life of the sweet Psalmist
of Israel. When returning from a
foray, hard pressed by the enemy, He
longed for water from the we'll al
Bethlehem, which is by the gate" and
three of his men broke through the
garrison Of the Phillistines and
brought it to him, from twelve miles
away, as the crow flies. But when he
had received it he would not drink it.
1t represented the blood of the men
who had jeopardized their lives, and he
poured it out as an offering to the
Lord; an incident in which love OF
home, loyalty to a leader, regard for
~sanctity of human life, and love for
God for all found intertwined.
The little town of Bethlehem, closely
built OF a long hill, with square stuc-
coed houses and fiat roofs, with here
and there a DOME, contains a popula-
ton Of about 5000 souls. With the
single exception of Nazareth it is the
Cleanest town and the most industrious
community in all Palestine. Through
the dOorways one hears the hum of the
simple machinery by which the natives
are busily carving the >mother-Of-pearl
into souvenirs, which find their way
all over the world. The secret of it's
prosperity is that it is a Christian
town. Ignorant and superstitious per-
haps in it's type of Christianity, but
still infinitely above the neighboring
Moslem town of Hebron. Like Naza-
reth it's women are celebrated for their
Hoo - II 49,. VI r~-
gary one finds is from the little chill
dren, pretty little beggars who walk
beside o and snatch your hand and
kiss it, then ask for aims.
The name Bethlehem, House of
Bread, and Ephrath, Fruitful both get
their significance from the fields that
lie in the little valley beyond the town.
The place is called the Field of the
Shepherds" but the land is too valu-
able to have been given up to pas
ture, and the true place where the
shepherds watched their f1ocks' must
have been on the rim Of hills that sur
round the little valley. Over these
fields and valleys Ruth CLEANED after
the reaperS of BOaZ, the blue hills of
her own land of Moab ever in her
sight. Over these h~illsides, from which
we can hea the distant tones of the
shepherds pipes, David first tuned
his harp to praise Israels God, and
followed his f1Ocks out into that will
derness where he slew the lion and the
bear. From these hillsides he was call
ed to receive the amounting oil of Sam
uel. From these fields he went down
to the Vale of Elah, where he met
the champion of the Phillistines and
wrought deliveranCe to Israel.
But we must now return to the
Church of the Nativity" built bv
Constantine. above the ave which
since the second century has beer
known as the place OF the Nativity
Caves evidently used as stables occur
throughout this land and all surround
ings of the spot indicate the Caravan
Serai, or Kahn, where Joseph and Mary
found refuge. These kahns were sim.
ply large square enclosures, with rooms
on the different sides, some enclosed
and some open. where travellers fount
shelter and straw to lie upon, anC
where they could cook their own fooC
or purchase VIA they needed. TIL;
crowded state of the town drove TIL
weary travellers from Galilee into tn
S-ab1A Of this inn tho hatrnr nI1a rtpy