Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1891-11-16
WHAT DESTROYED EPHEsUs?

Then, in that temple were deposited
treasures from all the earth for safe
keeping. Chrysoston says it was the
treasure house of nations; they brought
gold and silver and precious stones and
corOnets from across the sea, and put
them under the care of Diana of the
Ephesians But again and again were
those treasures ranSacked, captured or
stroyed Nero robbed them, t'n
Scytiiians scattered them, the Cloths
burned them. Diana failed those who
trusted her with treasures, but our
God, to him we may intrust all our
treasures for this world and the next,
and fail any one who puts confidence
in him he never will. After the last
Jasper column has fallen and the last
temple on earth has gone into ruins
and the world itself has suffered dem
clifton, the Lord will keep for US our
best treasures
But, notice what killed Ephesus, and
what has killed most of the cities that
lie buried in the cemetery of nations.
Luxury! The costly baths, which had
been the means OF health to the city,
became its ruin. Instead of the cold
baths that h:l been the inauguration
of the people the hot baths, which are
only intended for the infrm or the in
valid, were substituted. In these hot
baths many lay most of the time.
Authors wrote books while in these
baths Business was neglected and
hot bath taken four or five times a
day. When the keeper of the baths
was reprimanded for not having them
warm enough, one of the rulers said
''You blame him for not making the
bath warm enough; | blame you be-
cause you have it warm at all. 4"
But that warm bath which enervated
Ephesus, and which is always enervat-
ing, except when followed by cold baths
mo reference, of course, to delicate con-
stitutiOns), was only a type of what
went on in all departments of Ephesian
life, and in luxurious indulgence Ephe-
sus fell, and the last triangle of music
was tinkled in Diana's temple, and the
last wrestler disappeared from her gym
nasiums, and the last racer took his gar
land in the Stadium, and the last plea
was heard in her Forum, and, even
the sea, as if to withdraw the last com
mercial opportunity from that netrop-
oils, retreated down the beach, leaving
her without the harbOr in which had
foated a thousand ships Brooklyn,
New York, London and all modern
cities, cisatlantic and transatlantic, take
warning! What luxury unguarded did
for Ephesus, luxury unguarded may do
for all. Opulence and splendOr God
grant to all the people, to all the cities
to all the lands, but at the same time
may he grant the righteous use of
them
USE THIS WORLD, BUT IN THE SERVICE
OF GOD.
Gymnasiums? Yes, but see that the
vigor gained in them be consecrated to
God. Magnificent temples of Worship
Yes, but see that in them instead of
conventionalities and cold pomp of
service there be warmth of devotion
and the pure Gospel preached. I'm
posing court houses? Yes, but in them
let justice and mercy rule. Palaces of
journalism? Yes, but let all of the
printing presses be marshaled for hap
piness and truth. Great postoffice
buildings Yes but through them,
day by day, may correspondence
helpful, elevating and moral pass.
Ornate dwelling houses? Yes, but in
them let there be affairs of devotion,
and conjugal, filial, paternal and Chris
tian fidelity rule London for magni.
fashions, Rome for cathedrals, Athens
for classics, Thebes for hieroglyphics,
Memphis for tombs, Babylon for gar
dens, Ephesus for idolatry, but what
shall be the characteristics of our
American cities when they shall have
attained their full stature? Would
that Holiness to the Lord" might be
inscribed upon all our municipalities.
One thing is certain, and that is that
all idolatry must come down.
When the greatest goddess of the
earth, Diana, enshrined in the greatest
temple that ever stood, was Frustrated
at Ephesus, it was a prophecy of the
overthrow of all the idolatries that
have cursed the earth, and anything
we love more than God is an idol, and
there is as much idolatry in the Nine
tenth century as in the First, and in
America as in Asia.
As our train pulled out from the sta
ton at Ephesus, the cars surrounded
by the worst looking group of villains
l ever gazed on, all of them seeming in
a wrangle with each other and trying
to get into wrangle with US, and we
moved along the columns of ancient
aqueducts, each column crowned with
storks, having built their nests there,
and we rolled on down toward Smyr-
ma, and that night i'll sailors bethel as
we spoke of the Christ whom the world
must know or perish, we felt that be-
tween cradle and grave there could not
be anything much more enthralling for
body, mind and soul than our visit to
Ephesus.