Book: A Trip Abroad

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David was a fighting king, and his "reign was a series of trials and
triumphs." He not only subdued the Philistines, but conquered Damascus,
Moab, Ammon, and Edom, and so extended his territory from the
Mediterranean to the Euphrates that it embraced ten times as much as
Saul ruled over. But his heart was made sad by the shameful misconduct
of Amnon, followed by his death, and by the conspiracy of Absalom, the
rebellion following, and the death of this beautiful son. "The story of
David's hasty flight from Jerusalem over Olivet and across the Jordan to
escape from Absalom is touchingly sad. 'And David went up by the ascent
of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up, and he had his head
covered, and went barefoot.' Then what a picture of paternal love,
which the basest filial ingratitude could not quench, is that of David
mourning the death of Absalom, 'The king was much moved, and went up to
the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O,
my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would I had died for thee, O
Absalom, my son, my son!'" After finishing out a reign of forty years,
"the sweet singer of Israel" "slept with his fathers, and was buried in
the city of David."

His son Solomon succeeded him on the throne, and had a peaceful reign of
forty years, during which time the Temple on Mount Moriah was erected,
being the greatest work of his reign. David had accumulated much
material for this house; Hiram, king of Tyre, furnished cedar timber
from the Lebanon mountains, and skilled workmen put up the building,
into which the Ark of the Covenant was borne. This famous structure was
not remarkable for its great size, but for the splendid manner in which
it was adorned with gold and other expensive materials. Israel's wisest
monarch was a man of letters, being the author of three thousand
proverbs and a thousand and five songs. His wisdom exceeded that of all
his contemporaries, "and all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to
hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart." A case in point is the
visit of the Queen of Sheba, who said: "The half was not told me; thy
wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard." But the glory of
his kingdom did not last long. "It dazzled for a brief space, like the
blaze of a meteor, and then vanished away." Nehemiah says there was no
king like him, "nevertheless even him did foreign women cause to sin."

Solomon's reign ended about 975 B C., and his son, Rehoboam, was
coronated at Shechem. Jereboam, the son of Nebat, whose name is
proverbial for wickedness, returned from Egypt, whence he had fled from
Solomon, and asked the new king to make the grievous service of his
father lighter, promising to support him on that condition. Rehoboam
counseled "with the old men, that had stood before Solomon," and refused
their words, accepting the counsel of the young men that had grown up
with him. When he announced that he would make the yoke of his father
heavier, the ten northern tribes revolted, and Jereboam became king of
what is afterwards known as the house of Israel. The kingdom lasted
about two hundred and fifty years, being ruled over by nineteen kings,
but the government did not run smoothly. "Plot after plot was formed,
and first one adventurer and then another seized the throne." Besides
the internal troubles, there were numerous wars. Benhadad, of Damascus,
besieged Samaria; Hazael, king of Syria, overran the land east of the
Jordan; Moab rebelled; Pul (Tiglath-pileser), king of Assyria, invaded
the country, and carried off a large amount of tribute, probably
amounting to two millions of dollars; and thirty years later he entered
the land and carried away many captives. At a later date the people
became idolatrous, and Shalmaneser, an Assyrian king, reduced them to
subjection, and carried numbers of them into Assyria, and replaced them
with men from Babylon and other places. By the intermarriage of Jews
remaining in the country with these foreigners a mixed race, called
Samaritans, sprang up.

The southern section of the country, known as the kingdom of Judah, was
ruled over by nineteen kings and one queen for a period of about three
hundred and seventy-five years. Asa, one of the good kings, was a
religious reformer--even "his mother he removed from being queen,
because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut
down her image and burnt it at the brook Kidron." But he, like many
other reformers, failed to make his work thorough, for "the high places
were not taken away: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect with
Jehovah all his days." Joash caused a chest to be placed "at the gate of
the house of Jehovah," into which the people put "the tax that Moses,
the servant of God, laid upon Israel in the wilderness," until they
had gathered an abundance of money, with which the house of God was
repaired, for the wicked sons of Athaliah had broken it up and bestowed
the dedicated things upon the Baalim. But after the death of Jehoida,
the priest, Joash was himself led into idolatry, and when Zechariah, the
son of Jehoida, rebuked the people for turning from God, they stoned him
to death by the order of King Joash. The last words of the dying
martyr were: "The Lord look upon it and require it." This is strangely
different from the last expression of Stephen, who "kneeled down, and
cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."
Amaziah returned "from the slaughter of the Edomites," and set up the
gods of the idolatrous enemies he had whipped, "to be his gods." Ahaz
was a wicked idolater, worshiping Baal and sacrificing his own sons.

In strong contrast with such men as these we have the name of
Hezekiah, whose prosperous reign was a grand period of reformation and
improvement. He was twenty-five years old when he came on the throne,
and in the twenty-nine years he ruled, "he removed the high places, and
brake the pillars, and cut down the Asherah." The brazen serpent,
made by Moses in the wilderness, had become an object of worship, but
Hezekiah called it "a piece of brass," and broke it in pieces. The
passover had not been kept "in great numbers in such sort as it is
written," so Hezekiah sent messengers from city to city to call the
people to observe the passover. Some "laughed them to scorn, and mocked
them," but others "humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem," and in
the second month the "very great assembly * * * killed the passover. * *
* So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the
son of David, king of Israel, there was not the like in Jerusalem."

Manasseh, the next king, reestablished idolatry, and his son Amon,
who ruled but two years, followed in his footsteps. Josiah, who next
occupied the throne, was a different kind of a man. "He did that which
was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in all the way of David his
father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left." In his
reign, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law in the temple, and
delivered it to Shaphan the scribe, who read it, and took it to the king
and read it to him. "And it came to pass when the king heard the words
of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes," and commanded that
inquiry be made of the Lord concerning the contents of the book. As a
result, the temple was cleansed of the vessels that had been used in
Baal worship, the idolatrous priests were put down, the "houses of the
sodomites," that were in the house of Jehovah, were broken down, the
high places erected by Solomon were defiled, and a great reformation was
worked.

Zedekiah was the last king in the line. In his day, Nebuchadnezzar, king
of Babylon, invaded the land, and besieged Jerusalem for sixteen months,
reducing the people to such straits that women ate the flesh of their
own children. When the city fell, a portion of the inhabitants were
carried to Babylon, and the furnishings of the temple were taken away
as plunder. Zedekiah, with his family, sought to escape, going out
over Olivet as David in his distress had done, but he was captured and
carried to Riblah, thirty-five miles north of Baalbec, where his sons
were slain in his presence. Then his eyes were put out, and he was
carried to Babylon. In this way were fulfilled the two prophecies, that
he should be taken to Babylon, and that he should not see it.

Thus, with Jerusalem a mass of desolate, forsaken ruins, the Babylonian
period was ushered in. Some of the captives rose to positions of trust
in the Babylonian government. Daniel and his three associates are
examples. During this period Ezekiel was a prophet. No doubt the frame
of mind of most of them is well expressed by the Psalmist: "By the
rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea we wept when we remembered
Zion. Upon the willows in the midst thereof we hanged up our harps."

The Medo-Persian period began with the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus, who
brought the Jews under his rule. The captives were permitted to return
to Palestine, and Zerubbabel soon had the foundations of the temple
laid; but here the work came to a standstill, and so remained for
seventeen years. About 520 B.C., when Darius was king of Persia, the
work was resumed, and carried on to completion. For some years the
service of God seems to have been conducted in an unbecoming manner.
Nehemiah came upon the stage of action, rebuilt the city walls, required
the observance of the Sabbath, and served as governor twelve years
without pay. Ezra brought back a large number of the people, repaired
the temple, and worked a great reformation. Under his influence, those
who had married foreign wives put them away, and "some had wives by whom
they had children." As the Samaritans were not allowed to help build the
temple, they erected one of their own on Mt Gerizim. A few Samaritans
still exist in Nablus, and hold services on Gerizim. "After Nehemiah,
the office of civil ruler seems to have become extinct."

The Greek period begins with the operations of Alexander the Great in
Asia, 333 B.C., and extends to the time of the Maccabees, 168 B.C. After
Alexander's death, his empire fell into the two great divisions of Egypt
and Syria. The Egyptian rulers were called Ptolemies, and those of
Syria were called the Selucidae. For one hundred and twenty-five years
Palestine was held by Egypt, during which time Ptolemy Philadelphus had
the Septuagint version of the Old Testament made at Alexandria.
Syria next secured control of Palestine. The walls of Jerusalem were
destroyed, and the altar of Jehovah was polluted with swine's flesh. We
now hear of an aged priest named Mattathias, who at Modin, a few miles
from Jerusalem, had the courage to kill a Jew who was about to sacrifice
on a heathen altar. He escaped to the mountains, where he was joined by
a number of others of the same mind. His death soon came, but he left
five stalwart sons like himself. Judas, called Maccabeus, became the
leader, and from him the whole family was named the Maccabees. He began
war against the Syrians and apostate Jews. The Syrians, numbering fifty
thousand, took up a position at Emmaus, while the Maccabees encamped at
Mizpah. Although greatly outnumbered, they were victorious, as they
were in another engagement with sixty thousand Syrians at Hebron. Judas
entered Jerusalem, and repaired and cleansed the temple. Thus the
Maccabean period was ushered in. After some further fighting, Judas
was slain, and Simon, the only surviving brother, succeeded him, and
Jerusalem was practically independent. His son, John Hyrcanus, was the
next ruler. The Pharisees and Sadducees now come prominently into Jewish
affairs. The Essenes also existed at this time, and dressed in white.
After some time (between 65-62 B.C.), Pompey, the Roman general, entered
the open gates of the city, but did not capture the citadel for three
weeks, finally taking advantage of the day of Pentecost, when the Jews
would not fight. The Roman period began with the slaughter of twelve
thousand citizens. Priests were slain at the altar, and the temple was
profaned. Judaea became a Roman province, and was compelled to pay
tribute.

Herod the Great became governor of Galilee, and later the Roman senate
made him king of Judaea. He besieged Jerusalem, and took it in 37 B.C.
"A singular compound of good and bad--mostly bad--was this King Herod."
He hired men to drown a supposed rival, as if in sport, at Jericho
on the occasion of a feast, and in the beginning of his reign he
slaughtered more than half of the members of the Sanhedrin. The aged
high priest Hyrcanus was put to death, as was also Mariamne, the wife
of this monster, who was ruling when the Messiah was born at Bethlehem.
Herod was a great builder, and it was he who reconstructed the temple on
magnificent lines. He also built Caesarea, and rebuilt Samaria. After
his death, the country was divided and ruled by his three sons. Achelaus
reigned ingloriously in Jerusalem for ten years, and was banished.
Judaea was then ruled by procurators, Pilate being the fifth one of
them, ruling from A.D. 26-36. In the year A.D. 65 the Jews rebelled
against the Romans, after being their subjects for one hundred and
twenty-two years. They were not subdued until the terrible destruction
of the Holy City in A.D. 70, when, according to Josephus, one million
one hundred thousand Jews perished in the siege, two hundred and
fifty-six thousand four hundred and fifty were slain elsewhere, and one
hundred and one thousand seven hundred prisoners were sold into bondage.
The Temple was completely destroyed along with the city, which for sixty
years "lay in ruins so complete that it is doubtful whether there was a
single house that could be used as a residence." The land was annexed to
Syria, and ceased to be a Jewish country. Hadrian became emperor in A.D.
117, and issued an edict forbidding the Jews to practice circumcision,
read the law, or to observe the Sabbath. These things greatly distressed
the Jews, and in A.D. 132 they rallied to the standard of Bar Cochba,
who has been styled "the last and greatest of the false Messiahs." The
Romans were overthrown, Bar Cochba proclaimed himself king in Jerusalem,
and carried on the war for two years. At one time he held fifty towns,
but they were all taken from him, and he was finally killed at Bether,
or Bittir. This was the last effort of the Jews to recover the land by
force of arms. Hadrian caused the site of the temple to be plowed over,
and the city was reconstructed being made thoroughly pagan. For two
hundred years the Jews were forbidden to enter it. In A.D. 326 the
Empress Helena visited Jerusalem, and built a church on the Mount of
Olives. Julian the Apostate undertook to rebuild the Jewish temple in
A.D. 362, but was frustrated by "balls of fire" issuing from under
the ruins and frightening the workmen. In A.D. 529 the Greek emperor
Justinian built a church in the city in honor of the Virgin. The
Persians under Chosroes II. invaded Palestine in A.D. 614 and destroyed
part of Jerusalem. After fourteen years they were defeated and Jerusalem
was restored, but the Mohammedans under Omar captured it in A.D. 637.
The structure called the Dome of the Rock, on Mt. Moriah, was built by
them in A.D. 688.

The Crusades next engage our attention. The first of these military
expeditions was made to secure the right to visit the Holy Sepulcher. It
was commenced at the call of the Pope in 1096. A force of two hundred
and seventy-five thousand men began the march, but never entered
Palestine. Another effort was made by six hundred thousand men, who
captured Antioch in 1098. A little later the survivors defeated the
Mohammedan army of two hundred thousand. Still later they entered
Jerusalem, and Godfrey of Bouillon was made king of the city in 1099. By
conquest he came to rule the whole of Palestine. The orders of Knights
Hospitallers and Knights Templars were formed, and Godfrey continued in
power about fifty years. In 1144 two European armies, aggregating one
million two hundred thousand men, started on the second crusade, which
was a total failure. Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, conquered Jerusalem
in 1187, and the third crusade was inaugurated, which resulted in
securing the right to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem free from taxes. The
power of the Crusaders was now broken. Another band assembled at
Venice in 1203 to undertake the fourth crusade, but they never entered
Palestine. The fifth effort was made, and Frederick, Emperor of Germany,
crowned himself king of Jerusalem in 1229, and returned to his native
land the next year. The Turks conquered Palestine in 1244 and burned
Jerusalem. Louis IX. of France led the seventh crusade, another failure,
in 1248. He undertook it again in 1270, but went to Africa, and Prince
Edward of England entered Palestine in 1271 and accepted a truce for ten
years, which was offered by the Sultan of Egypt. This, the eighth and
last crusade, ended in 1272 by the return of Edward to England. In 1280
Palestine was invaded by the Mamelukes, and in 1291 the war of the
Crusaders ended with the fall of Acre, "the last Christian possession in
Palestine." Besides these efforts there were children's crusades for the
conversion or conquest of the Moslems. The first, in 1212, was composed
of thirty thousand boys. Two ship loads were drowned and the third was
sold as slaves to the Mohammedans.

In 1517 the country passed to the control of the Ottoman Empire, and so
remained until 1832, when it fell back to Egypt for eight years. The
present walls around Jerusalem, which inclose two hundred and ten acres
of ground, were built by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1542. In 1840
Palestine again became Turkish territory, and so continues to this day.
The really scientific exploration of the land began with the journey
of Edward Robinson, an American, in 1838. In 1856 the United States
Consulate was established in Jerusalem, and twelve governments are now
represented by consulates. Sir Charles Wilson created an interest in the
geography of Palestine by his survey of Jerusalem and his travels in
the Holy Land from 1864 to 1868. Palestine was surveyed from Dan to
Beer-sheba and from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the years from 1872
to 1877. The Siloam inscription, the "only known relic of the writing *
* * of Hezekiah's days," was discovered in 1880. The railroad from Jaffa
to Jerusalem was opened in 1892. Within the last ten years several
carriage roads have been built. Protestant schools and missions have
been established at many important places. The population of the city is
now about fifty-five thousand souls, but they do not all live inside of
the walls. What the future of Palestine may be is an interesting subject
for thought.




CHAPTER X.

CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN GREAT BRITAIN.


No doubt many of my readers will be specially interested in knowing
something of my experience and association with the brethren across the
sea, and it is my desire to give them as fair an understanding of the
situation as I can. There are five congregations in Glasgow, having a
membership of six hundred and seventy-eight persons. The oldest one of
these, which formerly met in Brown Street and now meets in Shawlands
Hall, was formed in 1839, and has one hundred and sixty-one members. The
Coplaw Street congregation, which branched from Brown Street, and is now
the largest of the five, dates back to 1878, and numbers two hundred and
nineteen. It was my privilege to attend one of the mid-week services of
this congregation and speak to those present on that occasion. I also
met some of the brethren in Edinburgh, where two congregations have a
membership of two hundred and fifty-three. At Kirkcaldy, the home of my
worthy friend and brother, Ivie Campbell, Jr., there is a congregation
of one hundred and seventy disciples, which I addressed one Lord's day
morning. In the evening I went out with Brother and Sister Campbell and
another brother to Coaltown of Balgonie, and addressed the little band
worshiping at that place.

My next association with the brethren was at the annual meeting of
"Churches of Christ in Great Britain and Ireland," convened at Wigan,
England, August second, third, and fourth. While at Wigan I went out to
Platt Bridge and spoke to the brethren. There are ninety members in this
congregation. One night in Birmingham I met with the brethren in Charles
Henry Street, where the congregation, formed in 1857, numbers two
hundred and seventy-four, and the next night I was with the Geach Street
congregation, which has been in existence since 1865, and numbers
two hundred and twenty-nine members. Bro. Samuel Joynes, now of
Philadelphia, was formerly connected with this congregation. While I was
in Bristol it was my pleasure to meet with the Thrissell Street church,
composed of one hundred and thirty-one members. I spoke once in their
place of worship and once in a meeting on the street. The last band of
brethren I was with while in England was the church at Twynholm, London.
This is the largest congregation of all, and will receive consideration
later in the chapter. The next place that I broke bread was in a little
mission to the Jews in the Holy City. To complete a report of my public
speaking while away, I will add that I preached in Mr. Thompson's
tabernacle in Jerusalem, and spoke a few words on one or both of the
Lord's days at the mission to which reference has already been made. I
also spoke in a mission meeting conducted by Mr. Locke at Port Said,
Egypt, preached once on the ship as I was coming back across the
Atlantic, and took part in a little debate on shipboard as I went out on
the journey, and in an entertainment the night before I got back to New
York.

In this chapter I am taking my statistics mainly from the Year Book
containing the fifty-ninth annual report of the churches in Great
Britain and Ireland co-operating for evangelistic purposes, embracing
almost all of the congregations of disciples in the country. According
to this report, there were one hundred and eighty-three congregations on
the list, with a total membership of thirteen thousand and sixty-three,
at the time of the annual meeting last year.

(Since writing this chapter, the sixtieth annual report of these
brethren across the sea has come into my hands, and the items in this
paragraph are taken mainly from the address of Bro. John Wyckliffe
Black, as chairman of the annual meeting which assembled in August of
this year at Leeds. The membership is now reported at thirteen thousand
eight hundred and forty-four, an increase of about eight hundred members
since the meeting held at Wigan in 1904. In 1842 the British brotherhood
numbered thirteen hundred, and in 1862 it had more than doubled. After
the lapse of another period of twenty years, the number had more than
doubled again, standing at six thousand six hundred and thirty-two.
In 1902, when twenty years more had passed, the membership had almost
doubled again, having grown to twelve thousand five hundred and
thirty-seven. In 1842 the average number of members in each congregation
was thirty-one; in 1862 it was forty; in 1882 it had reached sixty-one;
and in 1902 it was seventy-two. The average number in each congregation
is now somewhat higher than it was in 1902.)

Soon after the meeting was convened on Tuesday, "the Conference
recognised the presence of Mrs. Hall and Miss Jean Hall, of Sydney,
N.S.W., and Brother Don Carlos Janes, from Ohio, U.S.A., and cordially
gave them a Christian welcome." The address of welcome and the address
of the chairman, Brother James Anderson, of Fauldhouse, Scotland, came
early in the day. The meeting on Wednesday opened with worship and a
short address, followed by reports from the General Sunday-school,
Reference, General Training, and Magazine Committees. One interesting
feature of the proceedings of this day was the conference paper by Bro.
T.J. Ainsworth on the subject of "The Relation of Christianity to the
Social Questions of the Day." Besides a discussion of this paper, there
was a preaching service at night. Thursday, the last day of the meeting,
was occupied, after the morning worship and short address, with the
reports of committees and the appointment of committees. At the social
meeting at night several brethren, who had been previously selected,
spoke on such subjects as seemed good to them. Bro. W.A. Kemp, of
Melbourne, Australia, and the writer were the only speakers not
residents of the British Isles. At the close of the meeting the
following beautiful hymn was sung to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne":

Hail, sweetest, dearest tie, that binds
Our glowing hearts in one;
Hail, sacred hope, that tunes our minds
To harmony divine.
It is the hope, the blissful hope
Which Jesus' words afford--
The hope, when days and years are past,
Of life with Christ the Lord.

What though the northern wintry blast
Shall howl around our cot?
What though beneath an eastern sun
Be cast our distant lot?
Yet still we share the blissful hope
His cheering words afford--
The hope, when days and years are past,
Of glory with the Lord.

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