Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-11-20

oeration But she sheltered them only
title while. and while she kept them from
,rrest she could not change their hearts aud
Inc guilty remained guilty. But. our God
In Jesus Christ is refuge into winch we
nav Ay from all our sins and all our pur-
suers, and not only be safe for time Dut SAFE
for eternity, AMI the guilt is pardone1 am
The nature is TRANSFORMED. Wha' Dlant
could not do for her worshipers, our CHRIST
Accomplishes for W.
Pock Of ages cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee.
Then i'm that temple were deposited
treasures from all the earth for safe keeping
Chrysostom says it was the treasure house
Of nations; they brought gold and silver ana
precious stones and coronets from across the
sea, and put them under the care OF Dana OF
the Ephesians. But again and again were
those treasures ransacked, captured or de-
stroyed Nero robbed them, the Scytniahs
scattered them, the Goths burned theui'
Diana failed those who trusted her win
treasures. but our God, TO whom we may IN
trust all our treasures tor this world and the
next. aud fail any one who puts confidence
in Him be never will After the last jasper
column has fallen. and the last temple on
Earth has gone into ruins and the worl1
itself has suffered demolition, the LORD VIII
keep for us our best treasures.
But notice what killed Ephesus anu "nat
has killed most of the cities that lie burleIln
The cemetery of nations. Luxury Inc
costly baths, which had been the means o.
health 10 the city became its ruin. Instead
If the cold baths that had been the invigora-
lion of the people. the hot baths, which are
only intended for the infrm or the invalid,
wsre substituted. In these hot baths many
law most of the time. Authors wrote books
while in these baths. Business was neglected
md a hot bath taken four or five times a
Law. When the keeper of the baths was rep
fimanded for not having them warm enough
,ne of the rulers said, "You blame him for
making the bath warm enough; blame you
because you have it warm at all"
But that warm BATH which elervlte1
Ephesus, and which is always eneryatin5 eX'
,ept when followed by cold baths (no refer
rnca, of course, to delicate constitutions,
was only tyoe of what went on in all de-
partments of Ephesian life, and IN luxurious
indulgence Ephesus fell, and the last triangle
Of music was tinkled in Diana's temple, anu
the last wrestler disappeared from her gym,
nasiums, and the last racer took his garland
in the Stadium, aud the last plea was heard
in her Forum, and even the sea, as II 10
withdraw the last commercial opportunity
from that metropolis, retreated down the
beach. leaving her without the har0or III
which had ioated thousand ships BROOK
lyn New York London and all mo1ern CIT
les, cisatantc and Transatlantic, take warn
ing. What luxury unguarded ana LOT EPhe-
sus. luxury unguarded may do FOR an. Opu-
lence and splendor God grant to all the peo-
pie. to all the cities, to all the land, but at
the same time, may He grant the righteous
use of them.
Gymnasiumsy Yes but see that the yigor
gained in them be consecrated to God. Mag
nificent temples of worship? Yes, but see that
in them instead of conventionalities and cold
pomD of service there be warmth OF devotion
and tho pure Gospel preached. Imposing
court houses Yes. but in them let justice
and mercy rule Palaces of journalism, Yes,
but let all the printing presses be marsnaled
for happiness and truth. Great postoinc'
buildings? Yes but through them day by
day. may correspondence helpful, elevatlng
and moral pass. Ornate dwelling houses
Yes. but in them let there be affairs OF de-
yotion. and cOnju gal. flial paternal and
Christian fidelity rule. London for magnl
tule. Berlin for universities. Paris FOR
fashions. Rome for cathedrals, Athens for
classics Thebss for heroglyphics, Memphis
for tombs. Babylon for gardens, EphesuS Tor
idolatry. but what shall be the Characters.
tics of our American cities when they shall
have attained their full staturey Would
that ''holiness to the Lord might be in
scribe1 upon all our municipalities. One
thing is certain, and that is that oil idolatry
must come down When the greatest god
de,s OF the earth Diana, enshrinet in the
greatest temple that ever STOOL was pros
trate1 at EDhesus. it was prophecy OF the
overthrow of all the idolatries that have
cursed the earth, and anything we love more
than God is an idol AMI there Is as much
iaolatry in tho Nineteenth century as IN the
First. ami in Amsricl as in Asia.
As our train pulled ont from the station
at Ephesus the cars surrounded by the
worst looking group Of villains | ever gazosd6
on. all Of them seeming in wrange with
each other and trying to get into wraugle
with rs. aul we moved along the columns Oh
ancient aaueiucts each column crowned
with storSs. having built their nests there,
and we rollcioa down toward Smyrna, and
that night in a sailors bethel as we spoke
of the Christ whom the world must know or
nerish we felt that between cradle ana
rravs there could not be anything much
more enthralling for body, mind ana SOU
than oiir visit to EDhesus,