The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-12-17

Solomon when he cridd for wisdom, hear me
and save the nationp" see we don't need
to 20 back to Bible times for evidence that
prayer is heard and answered.
But some one may say that Christ at Ca
pernaum healed that courtiers child, yet
would not have done it for one in humble
life. Why, in that very Capernaum He did
the same thing for dying slave belonging
to tho man who had made present to the
town of the church Of which Jesus was pas
tor, the synagogue among whose ruins I to-
day leap from fragment to fragment. This
was the cure Of Roman soldiers slave,
whose only acknowledged rights were the
wishes of his owner. And none are now so
enslaved or 80 humble or so sick or 50 sinful
but the all-sympathetic Christ Is ready to
help them, ready to cure them, ready to
Mercy for all. Help for all. Comfo.o for
ALL Heaven for en. Oh, this lake Galileei
What refreshment for Christ it must have
been after sympathizing with the sick, and
raising the dead, and preaching to the multi
tudes all day long to come down on these
banks in the night time, and feel the cool air
Of the sea on His hot face and look up to the
stars, the lighted lamps around the heavenly
palaces from which He had descended!
All heaven and earth were still: from the high post
OF stars to the hilled lake and mountain coast.
All heaven and cart were stIll-though not In
But breathless, as we gov when feeling most.
But" says somei one, "why was it that
Christ, coming to Aave the world, should
spend so much Of His, lime on and around 80
solitary a place as take Galilee2 There is
only one city Of anyifze on its beach, and
both the western aIM eastern shores are
solitude, broken only by the so1nds coming
from the mud novels St the degraded. Why
did not Christ begin & Babylon the mighty,
at Athens the learned at Cairo the historic,
triumphant? II Christ IVES going to save
the world, why not 20 where the worlds
people dwell? WouA man wishing to
revolutionlze for good the American con-
tinent, pass his time aid the fishing huts on
the shores Of Newfoundland
My friends, Galile6swas the hub Of the
wheel Of civilization ahd art and the center
of population that s4ggers realization. On
the shore of the lab we sail to-day stood
nine great cities Scythopolis Tarich,
Hippos, Gamals, Qerazin, Capernaum,
Bethsaida, Magdala, Giberies--and many
villages, the smallest which had Is 600 In
habitants, according { Josephus, and reach..
ing from the beach bal into the country In
all directions. Palaca.temples, coliseumns,
gymnasiums, amphitht tres, towers gardens
terracsi on the hillside fountains bewilder-
ing with sunlight, bat1 upon whose mosaic
floors kings trod: whilSthis lake, from where
the Jordan enters iti where tne Jordan
leaves it. was beautAfl with all styles Of
shallop or dreadful wittn,all kinds of war gal
10y. -Four thousand stfls, history says, were
at one time upon theseI aters. Rs.siss were
fought there, which shtSed all nalons with
their CONSEQUENCE ..t
Here mIngIng blood with Iprsa and sparkling foam,
In her last thfoes Judaa fO9ht with Rome
Upon those sea figts looked vespasian
and Titus and Trajat and whole empires.
From one Of these nava encounters so maly
Of the dead hoated to ae beach they could
not soon enough be elit.mbed, and plague
was threatened. Tw'eve hundred soldiers
% DAY %massacred % IN Sne s4pniGneatrs at Tibs.
rias. For three hum1ed years that almost
continuous city encircihg Lake Galilee was
the metropolis of our planet. It was to the
very heart Of tho worl that Jesus came to
soothe its sorrows, anG pardon its sins, and
heal Its sick, and emanopate its enslaved and
reanimate Its dead.
And let the church md the world take the
suggestion. While the solitary places are
not to bs neglected, we must strike for the
great cities, il this word Is ever to be taken
Tor Christ. Evanselize al the earth except
the cities and in one Year the cities would
corrupt the earth. Bit bring the cities and
all the world will conn. Bring London and
England will come. 3ring Berlin and Ger
many will come. Brirg Paris and France
will come. Bring st. Istsrsburg and Russia
VIII come. BRING v1eina ana Ausgrla Will
come. Bring Cairo led Egypt will come.
Bring the near thre Etillion people in this
cluster Of cities on th .tiantic coast and all
America will soon SCI 70 salvation of God.
Ministers Of religior 81 us intensity our
vangelism. Editor ad publishers purify
YOUR printing pres&s Asylums Of mercy
enlarge your plans d endeavor!
And instead Of th| absurd and belittliug
and wicked rivalryl mong our cities as to
which happens to live the most men and
women and childrel not realizing that the
more useless and bd people city has the
worse it is of, and &eity which has ten thou
sand good people is hore to be admired than
a city with one hu kred thousand bad peo-
ple let us take u ral census, and see how
many good men and good women are lead
ing forth. how lar g generation OF good
children who will tsecrate themselves and
consecrate the rou14 world to holiness and
to God. Oh, thou blessed Christ, who didst
come to the mighty cities encircling Lake
Galilee! come in mercy to all our great cities
Of to-day.
ana MAKE rnem Ils down at my reel, nusn al
the raging passions Of the world Oh, Thou
blessed Christ, who on the night when tn!
disciples were trying to cross this lake and
s'the wind was contrary" after nine hour
Of rowing had made only three miles, dds!
come stepping on water that at the touch OF
Thy foot hardened Into crystal meet all oul
shipping, whethe Obj placid or stormy seas,
and say to all Tn, p6ople now. by whatevei @ %!
style Of tempest to .Sssd or driven, as inou
didst to the drenchf disciples in the cyclone;
WBe of good cheer. TT I. Be not afraid r
Thank God that have seen this lake OF
Christly memorie I'd and l can say wltn
Robert McCheyne, he assembled mnlsSsr o.
Scotland. who, seatsd on the banks Of this
lake wrote in his Hat sick days, and just be-
fore he crossed thd ,ordan, not the Jordan
that empties intcS ialilee, but the Jordan
chat empties intoite "sea Of glass mingled
with Ara. y these sNket words At to be eplaved
by human fingeris, on strung strings oi
earthly lutte, or byIalsehc fingers on seFapn''
harpS:
1t Is not that the }wld gazelle
But He that was pieaced to save from he'll
Oft wandered BY thy side.
Graceful Ground thee the mountains meeI
Thou calm, reposng sea;
But ah! far more, the beautiful feet
or Jesus walked Ger thee.
o Saviourl gone to Gods right hsnd,
Yet the same Saviour still,
Graved on Thy hesrt Is this lovely strand
And every frsgran: hill.
CURIOUS FACTS.
Sugar was unknown to the ancient
Greeks and Romans,
St. Peters Church at Rome, Italy,
has seating capacity of $4,000.