The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1851-05-16
-. From the Western Missionary.
ii A RAILROAD SERMON. r.

N
On Saturday the ,22d day Of February
last, the opening Of the Cleveland, Col
. umbus and Cincinnati Railroad was eel
ebra.sd at Cleveland. On that occasion
the Legislature Of Ohio, The Common
Councils OF Columbus and Cinncinati and
Distinguished citizens from various paris
Of the State, participated in the festivi
ties-it was "a great and joyous occasion.
Guests and, strangers remained until the
following Monday; and on Sunday the
Rev. DR.. AIKEN, ofthe First Presbyterian
Church, preached sermon upon the
"Mordl VicD Of Raitroads." 'n '''.. '.
Dr.. Aiken is learned divine, possess
Ing a vigorous and comprehensive mind,
and his sermons always characterized by
''common sense" practical application,
Appropriateness to the occasion, and per.
tinency Of expression and illustration
This Railroad Sermon" we have heard
higly commended by those who heard ii,
and having read a printed copy Of it, we
can the better express our qualification in
it's perusal, by furnishing our readers wifi
the leading ideas. His tex, was: ita9
"7He cdariots shall rage in The streets;
they sAaH. jostle one against another in
Me road mays; they shall seem like torch.
cs;they shall ran like the lightaings"--
NAuAx ll.-4. h5-aJ 1aT .h1l'g
On reading this verse, he said, one
might suppose that the prophet lived in
tbs days Of Railroads and locomotives
bu: il was not so. His chariots of light.
ming were cl.ariots of war, armed and
sent forth by the King of Babylont6 ef.
feet the CONQUEST Of Nneveh.' From this
passage, he should taae occasion 10 speak
Of the development and progress of O
new power; which was destined to intro
duce into our world new order Of things
In moral and religious poiat Of view
lie said, as well as social and commercial
there is something Interesting, solemn
and grand in the opening of grea,
ihroughfarc. There is suBlimity abou,
it--indicating no. only march of mind il
ahigher type Of society, but the evolution
6fdivine purposes; infinite, e,ernal--con
Meeting social revolutions with the pro
gress Of Christianity and the coming O
Tho reign Of Christ. Tha, il was the
duty Of Christians, and especially o
Christian Ministers, 10 watch The signs o
the titIes 40 see God, and lead the peo
pie IL see Him, in all the affairs of the
world, whether commercial, political, o
religious, in The varied aspects in whicl
lie is presented to the view in Iii
word.
This history o9 roads is one Of the bes
commentaries upon the intellectual ant
social state Of society; a rad is a symbo
of civilixation-the want il, symbo
ofbarhafi.m, "Let US irave," says tht
Able Raynal, cover all the countries 0
the earth, aud whenever we shall fiad nj
facilities oftravelling fsom city 10 town
and from village to a hamlet, We maj
pronounce, the people TO be barbarous.
The road, then, is physical index of ,h,
condition and character Of any age o
nation. . Viewed from this stand point
its history may lead us TO see, that w
are not SO far in advance Of antiquity a.
was imagined. In the earlier periods 0
the world, Of which there IS any record
roads were the dividing line between civ
ilization and bsrbarism. le Thebes hat
its bundled gates, il had also its pave,
aud spacious avenues, leading therefron
into every part Of the 'kingdom., TIL,
Jewish commonwealth had its roads con
structed in the most durable manner
under the reigkof Solomon, those feadin,
10. aud from The cities VI fyrefuge, hav,
probably never been excelled;s while III,
uncivilizsd surrounding nations had NJ
roads. Mark also the Roman Empir,
in,ihe days ofi.s glory; there was th'
famous aAppian Way" built 800 year
before ChIis,, the remains of which ar,
nill visible after a lapse of over 90 cen
r.. L.. &