The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1891-11-06

INS ClFGuLnI%FencGs e certain rs hHy
mathematical demonstration. Never did
feel more encouraged than when.
after preaching sermon on evidences
of the truth of the Bible drawn from
oriental lands, distinguished senator
of the United States, known and hon
ored everywhere but now deceased,
came mp to the platform and said: II
was brought up in the faith of Chris
tianity, but 1 got specializing on all
these subjects. and had given up my
faith in the Bible. but those facts and
arguments archaeological take me back
to my old faith in the Bible, which my
father and mother taught me- The
tears rolling down his cheeks evinced
the depth of his emotion. When l read
of the senator's death was comforted
to think that perhaps / may have helped
him little in the struggle of his life,
and perhaps given him an easier pillow
on which to die.
Two great nations, Egypt and Greece,
diplomatized and almost came TO battle
for one book, a copy of Eschylus.
Ptolemy, the Egyptian king, discovered
that in the great library at Alexandria
there was no copy of Eschylus. The
Egyptian king sent up to Athens,
Greece, to borrow the book and make
a copy OF it. Athens demanded de-
posit of SIT, 700 as security. The Egyp-
tian king received the book, but re-
fused to return that which he had bor-
rowed and SO forfeited the $17,7 The
two nations rose in contention concern
ing that one book. Beautiful and mighty
book indeedl But it is book of horrors,
the dominant idea that we are the
victims of hereditary influences from
which there is no escape, and that fate
rules the world, and although the au-
thor does tell of Promotions who was
crucified on the rocks for sympathy for
mankind, a powerful suggestion of the
sacrifice Christ in later years, it is
very poor book compared with that
book which we hug to our hearts be-
cause it contains our only guide IN life,
our only comfort in death, and our
only hope for blissful immortality. If
two nations could afford to struggle for
one copy of Eschylus, how much more
can all nations afford to struggle for
the possession and triumph of the Holy.
Scriptures?
But the dead cities strung along the
Nile not only demolish infidelity, but
thunder down the absurdity of the
modern doctrine of evolution which
says the world started with nothing and
then rose, and human nature began
with nothing, but evolved into splendid
manhood and womanhood of itself.
Nay; the sculpture of the world was
more wonderful in the days of Mem ohis
and Thebes and Carthage than in the
days of Boston and New York. Those
blocks of stone weighing three hundred
tons high up in the wall at Karna: inn
ply machinery equal to, if not surpass-
ing, the machinery of the nineteenth
century. How was that statue of
Rameses, weighing eight hundred and
eighty-seven tons, transported from
the quarries two hundred miles
away and how was it lifted? Tell us,
modern machinists. How were those
galleries of rock, still standing at
Thebes, filed with paintings surpassed
by no artists pencil of the present day2
Tell us, artists of the nineteenth CEN
fury. The dead cities of Egypt so far
as they have left enough pillars or
statues or sepulche-s or temple rninT
to tell the story-Memphis, Migdol.
Hierapolis, Zoan, Thebes, Goshen,
Carthage-all of them developing
have evoluted from magnificence
Jesus Christ is the only ele-
vator of individual and social ma.
tional character. let all the living
cities know that pomp and opulence
and temporal prosperity are no security.
Those ancient cities lacked nothing but
good morals. Dissipation and sin slSw
them, and unless dissipation and sin are
halted they will some day slay our mod
ern cities, and leave our palaces of mer-
chandise and our galleries of art and
our city halls as fiat in the dust as we
found Memphis on the afternoon of that
Thanksgiving day.
And if the cities go down, the nation
will go down. 'Oh," you say, that is
impossible; we have stood solong-yea,
over a hundred years as nation"
Why, what of that? Thebes stood five
hundred years: Memphis stood thou
sand years. God does not forget that.
One day with the Lord is as thousand
years and thousand years is as one
day. Rum and debauchery and bad
politics are more rapidly working tho
destruction of our American cities than
sin of any kind, and all kinds worked
for the destruction of the cities of
Africa, once so mighty and now SO pros
trate. But their gods were idols, and
could do nothing except for debase.
ment. Our God made the heavens and
sent His Son to redeem the nations.
And our cities viii not go down. and
our nation will not perish because the
Gospel is going to triumph. Forward!
all schools and colleges and churchesi
Forward all reformatory and mission
ar.y organizations. Forward! all the in
fiuences marshaled to bless the world.
Let our modern European and Amer
lean cities listen to the voice of those
ancient cities resurrected, and by ham
mer and chisel and crowbar compelled
to speak.
/ notice the voice of those ancient
cities is hoarse from the exposure of
forty centuries, and they accentuate
slowly with lips that were palsied for
ages, but altogether those cities along
the Nile intone these words: Hear us
for we are very old, and it is hard for US
Athens learned her first lesson. We
sailed our ships while yet navigation
was unborn. These obelisks, these
pyramids, these fallen pillars, these
wrecked temples these colossi of black