The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-11-07
DIR. Talmage Compares 1t to
Spices of Queen Balkis
INSPIRATION FOR DAILY LABORS
Christisnity's I3risht side should Be Pre-
sented 10 Win Seal. 20 Gsd, TO Carryins
Blessings with Gifts 10 the Peer, and 10
Bring ComforE 20 the Afsiicted-Toe Much
soiemnity ana Net Essueh CkeerfuIness
In the Worship of To day.

Rev. Df. T. De Witt Talmage's dis
course yesterday was upon the subject:
The Spicery OF Religion" Dr.. Talmage
took for his text II Chron. ,ix;s: "of spices
great abundance. neither was there any
such spice as the Queen of Sheba gave
King Solomon" and said:
What Is that building out yonder. gilt
tering in the sun? Have you not heard
II Is the house OF the forest Of Lebanon.
King Solomon has just taken 10 10 his
bride, the Princess Of Egypt You see
the pillars of the portico, and a great
tower. adorned with one thousand shields
OF gold. hung on the ouside OF the tower
five hundred of the shields Of gold manu-
featured at Solomons order, five hundred
were captured by David, his father in
battle. See how they blaze in the noon
day sun! Solomon goes up the ivory
stairs OF his throne, between twelve Hons
In statuary, and sits down on the back OF
the golden bull, the head Of the beast
turned toward the people The family
and the attendants OF the king are so
many that the caterers of the palace
have to provide every day one hundred
sheep and thirteen oxen, besides the birds
and the venisOn. / hear the stamping and
paving of four thousand fine horses In
the royal stables. There were important
officials who had charge OF the work of
gathering the straw and the barley for
these horses. King Solomon was an early
riser, tradition says, and used to take
ride out at daybreak; and when. in
his white apparel. behind the sgiftest
horses of all the realm, and followed BY
mounted archers in purple. as the cavaI-
cade dashed through the streets of Jeru-
salem. / suppose IL was something worth
getting. up at o'clock in the morning to
look at
solomon was not Ike some OF the
kngs-crowned imbecility. All the spIen-
dor Of bis palace and retinue were eclipsed
by his intellectual power Why. he
seemed to know everything He was the
first great naturalist the world ever saw
Peacocks from India strutted the basaltic
walk. and apes chartered in the trees.
and deer stalked the parks. and there
were aquariums with foreign fish. and
aviaries with foreign birds: and tradition
says these birds were so well tanned that
Solomon might walk clear across the city
under the shadow of their wings as they
lowered and fitted about him More than
this, he had a great reputation for the
conundrums and riddles that he made and
guessed. He and King Hiram, his neigh
Dor, used 10 sit by the hour and ask i'd
dies, each one paying in money If he could
not answer or guess the riddle.
Magnificence of Qneen Balkis.
1.-THE Solomonic navy visited all the then
known world, and the sailors, Of course.
talked about the wealth of their king.
and about the riddles and enigmas that
he made and solved; and the news spread
until Queen Balkis. away off south, heard
of 1t. and sent messengers with a few
riddles that she would like to have Solo
mon solve, and a few puzzles that she
would like TO have him find out She sent,
among other things. to King Solomon a
diamond with hole so crooked that a
needle could not penetrate it, asking him
70 thread that diamond. And Solomon
took a worm and put it at the opening In
the diamond, and the worm crawled
through, leaving the thread in the dia-
mond. The Queen also sent a goblet to
Solomon, asking him TO fill II with water
that did not pour from the sky and that
did not rush out from the earth, and m
mediately Solomon put a slave on the
back Of swift horse, and galloped him
around and around the park until the
horse was nigh exhausted, and from the
pefsplratlon Of the horse the goblet vas
filled. She also sent to King Solomon
twenty boys and girls dressed alike. to
see IL he could detect the deception He
ordered bowls OF water to be brought.
Immediately Solomon, when he saw them
wash their faces knew from the way
they turned UP their sleeves to apply the
water, which were boys and which girls.
Queen Balkis was so pleased with the
acuteaess of Solomon that she said: II
will just go and see him for myself Yon-
der ii comes, the cavalcade, horses and
dromedaries. chariOts and charioteers.
Jingling harness and Gathering hoofs, and
blazing shields and flying ensigns and
clapping cymbals. The atmosphere is sat
urated with the perfume. She brings Gin
namon and saffron and calamus and
frankincense and ali manner of sweet
spices. as the retinue sweeps through the
gate, the armed guard inhale the aroma.
Halt! cry the characters, as the wheels
grind the gravel in front of the pillared
porticO Of the King. Queen Balkis alights
IN an atmosphere bewitched with perfume
As the dromedaries are driven up to the
Kings storehOuses, and the bundles of
camphor are unlOaded. and the sacks OF
cinnamon and the boxes of spices are
opened, the pGrVey0rS of the palace dis
cover what my text this morning an
nounces: OF spices, great abundance:
neither was there any such spices as the
Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon
You know that all theologians agree N
making solomon type of Christ, and IN
making the Queen of Sheba a type OF
every truthseeker; and l shall take the
responsibility OF saying that all the
spikenard and eassia and frankincense
which the Queen of Sheba brought 10
King Solomon is nightly suggestive Of
the sweet spices of our holy religion.
Christianity is not a collection OF sharp
technicalities and angular facts and chro-
biological tables and dry statistics.
Riches OF ReiiSion.
"Our religion is compared 10 franklin
eense and 10 cassia, but never to night
shade. II is d bundle of myrrh. 1t is
Dash of holy light. 1t is a sparkle of cool
fountains. II is an opening of opaline
gates. IT is a collection of spices. Would
God that we were as wise in taking spices
TO our Divine King as Queen Balkis was
wise in taking the spices TO the earthly
Solomon. The fact is that the duties and
cares of this life. coming 10 US from time
TO time. are stupid often, and inane and
intolerable. Here are men who have been
planning. selling. battering. climbing.
pounding. hammering for twenty years.
fCTty years. fifty years. One great. long
uFuuEefy mas thelr IRE DSSh- Their race
anxious their feelings benumbed, their
days monotonous. What is necessary to
brighten up that mans life. and to
sweeten that acid disposition, and TO put
sparkle into the mans spirits? The
spicery Of our holy religion. Why, IL be-
tween the losses OF life there dashed a
CLEAN OF en- eternal gain: II between the
betrayals OF life there came the CLEAN of
the undying friendship OF Christ; II In
dull times IN business We found minister
ing spirits flying 10 and fro In our office
and store and shop. everyday life. In
stead OF being stupid monotone. would
be a glorious inspiration. perdIluming De-
tween calm satisfaction and high rapture
How any woman keeps house without
the religion OF Christ 10 help her is a
mystery 10 me. To have 10 spend the
greater part of ones life. as many women
do in planning for the meals. and stitch