The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-11-13

some mourner shed his tears thousands
of years ago and lamp which before
Christ was born lighted the feet of some
poor pilgrim on his way, That island
of Cyprus has enough to set an anti
quarian Wild The most OF its glory is
the glory of the past, and the typhoid
fevers that sweep its coast and the
clouds of locuStS that often blacken the
skies Though two hundred thousand
dollars were expended by the British
empire in one year for the extirpatlon
of these noxious insects, yet failing to
do the work., and the frequent change
of governmental masters, hinder pros
perity,
But when the islands of the sea come
to God, Cyprus will come with them,
and the agricultural and commercial
opulence which adorned it in ages past
will be eclipsed by the agricultural and
commercial and religious triumphs of
the ages to come. Why is the world
so stupid that it cannot see that
nations are prospered in temporal
things in proportion as they are
prospered in religious things. Godli-
ness is profitable not only for indivd'
uals but for nations. Questions of tariff,
questions of silver bill, questions of re-
public or monarchy have not so much
to do with nations temporal welfare
as questions of religion. Give Cyprus
to Christ, give England to Christ, give
America to Christ, give the world to
Christ, and he will give them all pros
perity unlimited. Why is Brooklyn
one of the queen cities of the earth1
Because it is the queen city of churches.
Blindfold me and lead Inc into any
city of the earth so that cannot see a
street or warehouse or a home, and
then lead me into the churches, and
then remove the bandage from my eyes.
and will tell you from what see in
side the consecrated walls, having seen
nothing outside, what is that city's mer
chandise, its literature, its schools, its
printing presses, its government, its
homes, its arts, its sciences, its pros
perity or its depression and ignorance
and pauperism and outlawry
The altar of God in the church is the
high water mark of the worlds happi
ness. The Christian religion trium
plant, all other interests triumphant.
The Christian religion low down, all
other interests low down. So thought
as on the evening of that day we
stepped from the filthy streets of Lar
naca, Cyprus, onto the boat that took
us back to the steamer Minerva which
had already begun to paw the waves
like courser impatient to be gone, and
then we moved on and up among the
islands of this Gospel archipelago.
THE SEA POPULoUS WITH THE PAST
Night came down on land and sea
and the voyage became to Inc more and
more suggestive and solemn. If you
are pacing it alone, a ships deck in the
darkness and at sea is a weird place
and an active imagination may conjure
up almost any shape he will and it
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 archipel-
ago, and do you wonder that the sea
was populous with the past and that
down the ratlines Bible memories de-
scended2 Our friends had all gone to
their berths.
Captain" l said, when will we
arrive at the island of Rhodes" Look.
ing out from under bis glazed cap, lie
responded in sepulchral voice, About
midnight" Though it would he keep.
ing unreasonable hours, concluded to
stay on deck, for must see Rhodes,
one of the islands associated with the
name of the greatest missionary the
world ever saw or ever will sec. Paul
| landed there and that was enough to
make it famous while the world stands
and famous in heaven when the world
has become a charred wreck
This island has had a wonderful lis
tory With six thousand Knights of
st. John, it at one time stood out
against two hundred thousand warriors
under 'Solvlnan the Magnificent The
city had three thousand statues, and a
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 Il winding
stairs to the top. 1t stood fifty six
years and then was Frustrated by an
earthquake. After lying in ruins fer
nine hundred years, it was purchased
to be converted to other purposes. and
the metal, weighing seven hundred and
twenty thousand pounds, WAS put on
nine hundred ca.ocls and carried away
We were not permitted to go ashore,
but the lights all up and down the
ills show where the city stands, and
hine boats come out to take freight and
to 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 God
of some kind 1t is to Inc an infinite
pathos - this Colossus not only o!
Rhodes, but the colossi in many parts
of the earth This is only tie w,f!d's
blind reaching up and feeling after
God. Foundered human nature llust
have a supernatural arm to help il
ashore. All the statues and images OF
heathendom are attempts to bring celcs
tial forces down into human affairs.
Blessed be our ears that we lave
heard of an ever present God, anC
that through Jesus Christ be come.
into our hearts and our homes, anc
with more than fathcrly and motharl,
interest and affection lie is With Us il
all our struggles and bereavcinents m,
vicissitudes Rhodes needs S0mct:;u,
higher than the Colossus, and the On,
will come wien the Christ. whom Pau
was serving when he sailed into ;hi