The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1884-12-31


bre. In politics as religion, Rome was
at once the east and the west It is a
city like that of Theseus, an empire like
that of Cyrus. Rome is like Janus, on
its head are two faces, the one symbolical
of oriental duration, and the other ot
Grecian movement. So great her ca
pacity for movement that she reaches the
confines of the world, and so gigantic her
duration that the world calls her
eternal. Created in the design of God
to prepare the way for Him who was to
come-her providental mission was to
assimilate all theologies and to domineer
over all nations. Obeying a mysterious
call all the gods mount the Roman capt.
tol, and the nations bow their heads to
the earth. Her gigantic empire regards
as peculiarly its own the intelligence
and discipline of the west-the multi
tude and legitimacy of the east Hence
it combines all and subiugates all-it
grades all and no one complains. Her
theology has at once something different
from and something in common with all
theologies. Hence Roman civilization is
stream of tendency made up of elements
from all those eclipsed by her gory-o'
severity from Sparta, culture from
Athens, pomp from Memphis, and gran
deur from Nineveh and Babylon. In a
word, the east is the thesis, the west its
anti thesis, Rome the synthesis, and the
Roman Empire signifies nothing else but
the oriental thesis and the Grecian anti
thesis, which became lost and confound-
ed IN the Roman synthesis. Analyze
now the constitutive elements of thai
powerful synthesis and you will find that
1t ! synthesis in the political and social
and intellectual orders only because it is
so in the religious order. In the Oriental
peoples, as in the Grecian republics and
IN the Roman empire, as well as the theo-
logical, serve to explain the social systems
1t is the definition of God-the paetic
and literary terms in which his name is
uttered that is the light OF history and
constitutes the stream OF tendency.
Christianity is the eliminating proof Of
the same truth. When the Son of God
assembled the cross and expired praying
for his executi2ners, everything was at
rest for the moment throughout the
world, but there were seen things never
before seen by the eyes of meu. The
abomination of desolation in the temple
the sepulchres yawning spen, Jerusalem
without inhabitants, her walls ievelled
with the ground, her people dispersed
through the world, and the world in arms
The eagles OF Rome Were heard scream
ing wildly. Rome was seen without
Caesars and without gods, the cities de
populated, the deserts peopled, men
made governors of nations who did not
know how to read, the multitudes obey
ing the voice OF Him who said, Take up
the cross and follow me-" Kings around
the cross and the cross raised on high IN
all places-the world turned upside down
and new stream Of tendency established
What is the cause of these great
changes? What the secret of the great
desolation and universal cataclysm
What has occurred Nothing only some
new theologians are going about through
the world announcing new theology
only some men throwing out some poetic
phrases, uttering some new names abou;
God, that he is Father aad we are sons
that His name is love and the Holy
Ghost within will help every man t.
comprehend and utter it if he will
Quench Him not. LIMO.