The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-11-13

God, in very deed dwell with men ON the carth9 be-
hold heaven heaven Of heavens, cannot contain
Thee; how much less this house which have built" Yet,
filed with light Solomon knew that God had commanded
the work be DONE and He offered to his service and
prayed that blessing of God might be there and
that the Spirit of the Lord might for ever dwell there;
that whoever offered there whether in joy or sorrow
whether the children of Israel the stranger moved by
the beginning OF faith by reverence for the God OF Israeli
that should come here TO pray-hat AL might be heard
mercy the God Of Israel might hearken to the words
and grant in mercy the boon OF grace prayed for And
the Lord answered Solomon In vision that he would
hear the prayer and that he would accept that house.
and that il should be his dwelling place Obi
SUCH my brethren was the Temple that God caused
to build to himself under the old law. That
law has passed away from men. In the funess Of time
Divine revelation the human through Christ
Jesus Not alone in Jerusalem were sacrifices offered
to the Lord but from the rising Of the sun to the going
down Of the same everywhere IN AL ages shall saeri
the God Of heaven and earth The new law
the Christian law-the new Gospel dispensation was
given TO man, and the Apostles went forth from Galee
entering the ports OF the Genties raversng strange
countries crossing and mountains travelling every
where preaching Christ crucihcd the Redeemer Of the
the world. Thus the Apostles preached God to man.
They carried the glad tdngs of Divine revelation TO all
lands to all they brought chrsts law 70 sanctfy and
might be saved from their sins and attain everlasting
e And the Apostles too found the same great human
Law prevail everywhere they found the same need Of
external worship which had existed in all previous ages
And we find that from the beginning they gathered
together disciples and they united in
bies, and when they together they brake bread
and Offered the mystic sacrifices and practised all the
outward symbols OF devotion anu worship
most interesting study to look back to tho early ages
OF Christianity and TO what manner Of churches or
temples. to call them, they first used Tho days Of the
Apostles and the days which Immediately succeeded
them were days of danger and OF peril Christianity
was not permitted religion. According to the law Of
the Roman empire Christian temples were forbidden
And we find from the beginning that the churches.
chapes they called, all Of them In the
private houses Of the weather. converts who generally
set aside some room some apartment, some conve-
nicnt part OF large mansion wherein they might re-
ceive the faithful ones near by and wherein the Divine
M rbt la nNpr aud vhnraw nrdg
struction might be spoken and the holy rites admins
tered To so farther than the central city OF Chris
tanity we find the early churches occupying the sites
OF the palaces OF the various mobiles and senators who
first converted Christianity. We find the Church
ace Stood and in the excavations being made rs thy
go down they find remains OF the foundations OF the
earlier structure You have among others the churches
OF ST. Sabcna and ST. Celestpe and other churches
the sites of Roman mansions. II was the universal Gus
tom at the beginning to have chapcs or churches within
the palaces houses of the weather. Christians Soon
however, these became insufficient; but at the
time the sword Of persecution cleaned more rapid and
fierce, and the early Christians forced to take
refuge within the catacombs outside the city or in some
convenient spot of land belonging to some wealthy Chris
tan Here they dug their way deep under ground and
having attained certain depth, they made excavations
widening about every side and forming perfect net
work of passages and abyrnhs where thousands could
assemble Tor the purposes OF worship Here they buried
their dead for while worship forbidden the burial
OF the dead not orbidden and II these asscmbages
they worshpped Christians, yet they were safe for
another reason for they gathered together to do
honor to the departed Along those abyrnthne passages
leading here and herc-SOmetimes widening and again
narrowing-were thdombs Of the Christians, where the
dead bodies were laid In inches in the walls Here
laid beside them, preserved for the purpose por
ton of their blood If it possible to itpcrhaps
caught il fell from The by which their heads
severed their bodies Perhaps the arrow was pre-
served and laid beside tho body it had deprived OF e
perhaps the sword Of the executoncr that struck him
down, or the hooks that tore the martyr flesh.
These mementoes were always IL possible secured and
laid beside the body of the martyr that might after
wards know they had died. marble or terracotta slab
enclosed these tombs with inscription telling the
OF The martyr, and manner of his DEATH These tombs
are found two three four five feet Deep above
thesc ana you may WAX a ana miles
tion and you traverse them you hardly stretch
out your hand on either side without touching the tomb
OF some maryred Christian; and you will often come to
spot where some holy parsonage, sone martyred
bishop, is entombed, perhaps to where virgin
saint In those days OF persecution lies-to the
burial place Of pre- eminent saint and where these
excavations large they lead perhaps through cham
bers to the right and TO the left TO where altar stands
or to the tomb OF some martyred priest which were
celebrated the holy mysteries of the Church in those
days of religious persecution; while overhead are the
divine revelation, and teaching the prosecuted to
fear not DEATH 10 fear not them who say the body
bat to fear who Stay both soul and body together
but who. when faithful to Him, call them to lifc
in the kingdom Of Heaven During tho ages Of persccu
shipped there for there thcy hidden from
the light OF the sun and from the slring anger and
wrath Of their prosecutors. These caacombs were the
refuge Of Christians for two hundred years There
many series OF passages and oors and when
filled up they went down another depth. and then
eecond story made and sometimes three and four
and even nve-and sometimes you may go yet
lower and find sixth series Of chambers. These
are not very large-mere cavcs-but in which few
hundred Christians might cluster closely packed
might worship before tho altar, offering up tho
mysteries and sacrifices Of the Church, and where
ton and tribuation. For time the Emperors sword
cpcrscuton would be sheathcd then the Christians
intervals passed away for the Ius in persecution were
brief, and they had not time to erect structures that
would withstand either the frenzy Of enemies or the
over all Its enemics-over heathcn philosophy,
heather mythology and heather priesthood, and all
bowed down before the God and Christianity claimed
the capital and Constantine the Great placed the glorious
banner OF the Cross In the OF the Roman armies
and the Christians came form radiant from the oata
combs. Then very indeed, over the tomb OF 81.
Peter was erected the gorgeous, magnificent Basc and
across the western wave over the tomb Of 81 Paul was
erected that noble structure which still magnificent
even Its ruins. Years rolled on and wherever Chris
tany was preached, wherever congregations gathered
These religious structures found in France in Ger
many, in Spain and in Great Dritanevery taking
thatjorm which was nrst given TO the Baslic. These
churches were seen rearing aoft their golden domes
everywhere and In all lands stretching from the East
the pillars OF Hercules; stretching to tile North til
stopped by inhospitabie SHOWS and impossible mount
aims; to the south to the very foot OF Mount Atlas
through the cities Of anclcnt Numidia Then came
change the history Of the world and hordcs Of bar
barans rushed upon Chrisendom destroying NIL thai
their hands could destroy OF sacred things and sacred
edhces yet these ruthless barbarans were themselves
vine revelations, the knowledge Of which was Inn
parted 10 them by tho very nations they had tri
umphed over Then tho world the work Of
Christianity spread further and wider and then
churches multiplied and religious structures were
erected IN that style which Is styled Christian by precmi
nence and with which the pagan antiquities seemed TO
have connecting link Then IL that the people
built those noble churches, which still stand uneqused
IN their artistic beauty and unequacd In the power
they have to impress devotion upon the souls OF
fben too, men began to give OF their wealth 20 build
time when crowned heads and crowds OF
M hiultb horn Wov nd
people Of all degrees giving OF their means and dceing
y an honor to bear even one stone basket Of
tera 10 De used in building churches 10 the Most High
Thus built noble cathedral of Amicns In France
and many others throughout the length and breadth Of the
hnd-always showing that man. II he has religion in
him, or true religious purpose will raise temples
the true God; and the forvcnt he the des
rou he will he that these temples can make
them shall be worthy TO be dedicated 10 tho service
nr Almahix God Ihn hiclast