Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1891-11-18

ages TO come Why u the world 80
stupid that it can not see that nations
are prospered in temporal things in
proportion as they are prospered in re-
ligious things Goodness is profitable
not only for individuals. but for M
tions
Questions of tariff, questions of silver
bill. questions of republic or monarchy
have not so much to do with nations
temporal welfare as questions of relig-
ion Give Cyprus to Christ. give Eng
lnnd to Christ. give America to Christ,
give the world to Christ, and he will
give them all prosperity unlimited.
Why is Brooklyn one OF the queen cities
of the earth? Because il il the queen
city of churches Blindfold me and
lead me into any city of the earth SO
that 1 can not see u street or a ware
house or home. and then lead me into
the churches and then remove the band
age from my eyes, and l will tell you
from what i see inside the consecrated
walls, having seen nothing outside,
WHAT'S that city's merchandise, it's lit
crature. its schools, its printing presses,
its government, its homes, its arts, its
sciences it's prosperity. or its depres-
sion, and ignorance. and pauperism,
and outlawry. The altar of God in the
church is the high-wa mark of the
worlds happiness. The Christian re-
ligion triumphant, all other interests
triumphant The Christian religion
low down, and all other interests low
down. So thought as on the evening
OF that day we stepped from the filthy
streets of Larnaca, Cyprus, onto the
boat that took us back to the steamer
Minerva which had already begun to
paw the waves like a courser impatient
to be gone. and then we moved on and
up among the islands of this gospel
archipelago.
Night came down on land and sea
and the voyage became to me more
and more suggestive and solemn. II
you are pacing it alone, a ships deck
In the darkness and ut sea is n weird
place, and an active imagination may
con1ure up almost any shape he will.
and 1t shall walk the sea or confront
him by the smokestack, or meet him
under the captains bridge. But here
was alone on ships deck in the Gospel
archipelago. and do you wonder that
the sea was populous with the past. and
that down the ratlines Bible memo
ries descended? Our friends had all
gone TO their berths. Captain" l said,
when will we arrive mt tho Island of
Rhodes" Looking out from under his
glazed cap, he responded in sepulchral
voice, About midnight"
Though it would be keeping unreal
sonable hours, l concluded to stay on
deck, for must see Rhodes, one of the
islands associated with the name of the
| Or0QtaSt naiccins,oru Ia
saw or ever will see. Paul landed
there, and that was enough to make it
famous while the world stands and IA
nous in Heaven when the world has
become charred wreck.
This rs and has had wonderful his
tory With o 900 Knights of st. John
IL Mt one time stood ont against 200, 900
warriors under ''Solyman the Magnifi-
cent" The city had 5000 statues, and
statue TO Apollo called Colossus,
which has always since been considered
one of the seven wonders of the world.
1t was twelve years in building and
was seventy cubits high, and had n
winding stairs to the top 1t stood
hfty-six years, and then was FRUSTRATED
by an earthquakes
After lying in ruins for nine hundred
years, it was purchased to be converted
to other purposes, and the metal weigh
ing seven hundred and twenty thou.
sand pounds, was put on nine hundred
camels and carried away.
We were not permitted to go ashore.
but the lights all up and down the hills
show where the city stands and nine
boats come out to take freight and 10
bring three passengers Yet all the
thousands of years of its history are
eclipsed by the few hours or DAYS that
Paul stopped there As / stood there
on the deck of the Minerva. looking out
upon the place where the Colossus once
stood, / bethought myself of the fact
that the world must have a God OF
some kind.
1t is to me an infinite pathos-the
Colossus not only of Rhodes, put the
colossi in many parts of the earth.
This is only the worlds blind reaching
up and fee ling after God. Foundered
human nature must have a super.
natural arm to help it ashore. All the
statues and images of heathendom are
attempts to bring celestial forces down
into human affairs. Blessed be orr
ears that we have heard of an ever
present God, and that through Jesus
Christ He comes into our hearts and our
homes, and with more than fatherly
and motherly interest and affection He
is with us in all our struggles and be-
rcavements and vicjssitudes Rhodes
needs something higher than the Colos-
sus. and the day will come when the
Christ. whom Paul was serving when
he sailed into the harbor OF Rhodes
shall take possession of that land.
As we move on up through this archi
pelago ] am reminded of what an i'm.
portant part the islands have taken in
the history of the world. They are
necessary TO the balancing OF the
planet The two homispheres mus,
have them. AS you put down upon 4
scale the heavy pound weights, anc
then the small ounces, and no ono
thinks CT despising the small weights
so the continents are the pounds anS
the islands ore the ounces. A CONT
nent is only a larger island and ar
island only a smaller continent Some
thing Of what pnrt the islands hav,
taken in the worlds history YOU vii
see when reminded you that the ISL