The Bossier banner., 1892-01-21

great block of marble had by
its own weight settled to the
right place. The temple of Diana
was four hundred and twenty-five feet
long by two hundred and twenty feet
wide. All Asia was taxed to pay for it.
1t had one hundred and twenty-seven
pillars. each sixty feet high, and each
the gift of a king, and inscribed with
the name of the donor. Now you see
the meaning of that passage in Revela-
tion, just as king presenting one OF
these pillars to the temple of Diana had
his own name chiSeled on it and the
name of his own country, so says Christ:
Him that overcometh will 1 make
pillar in the temple of my God, and
will write upon hin the name of my
God and the name of the city of my
God, which is New Jerusalem, and
will write upon him my new name"
How suggestive and beautiful!
In this city the mother of Jesus was
said to have been buried. Here dwelt
Aquilla and Priscilla of Bible mention,
who were professors in ain extemporized
theological seminary, and they taught
the eloquent Apollos how to be elo-
quent for Christ. Here John preached,
and from here because of his fidelity
he was exiled to Patmos. Here Paul
warred against the magical arts for
which Ephesus was famous. The sor.
cerers of this city pretended that they
could cure diseases, and perform almost
any miracle, by pronouncing these
ii A,l- T@4a cly
Lix Tetrax Damnameneus Aision."
Paul having performed a miracle
in the name of Jesus, there was lying
family of seven brothers who initiated
the apostle, and instead of their usual
words of incarnation used the word of
Jesus over man who was possessed
of a devil, and the man possessed
nearly tore these frauds to pieces, and
in consequence all up and down the
streets of Ephesus there was indigna-
tion excited against the magical arts,
and great bonfire of magical books
was kindled in the streets and the peo-
pie stirred the blaze until thirty-fve
thousand dollars worth of black art
literature had burned to ashes.
But all the glory of Ephesus 1 have
described has gone now. At some sea-
sons of the year awful malarias sweep
over the place and put upon mattrass
or in graves large portion of the pop
ulation. In the approximate marshes
scorpions, centipedes and all forms of
reptilian life crawl and hiss and sting,
while hyenas and jackals at night stink
in and out of the ruins of buildings
which once startled the nations with
their almost supernatural grandeur.
Bus here is a lesson which has never
yet been drawn cut. Do you not see
in that temple of Diana an expression
Of what the world needs? 1t wants a
God who can provide food. Diana was
| n huntress. In pictures on many of the
coins she held a stag by the horn with
one hand and a bundle of arrows with
the other. Oh, this is hungry world!
Diana could not give one pound of meat
or one mouthful of food to the millions
of her worshipers. She was dead
divinity, an imaginary God, and so in
| idolatrous lands the vast majority of
people never have enough to eat. 1t is
only in the countries where the God of
| Heaven and earth is worshiped that
the vast majority have enough to eat.
| Let Diana have her arrows and her
hounds; our God has the sunshine and
the showers and the harvests, and in
| proportion as He is worshiped does
| plenty reign.
SO, also, in the Temple of Diana the
world expressed its need of refuge.
| TO it from all parts of the land came
| debtors who could not pay their debts
| and the offenders of the law that they
might escape incarceration. But she
sheltered them only little while, and
while she kept them from arrest she
| could not change their hearts, and the
guilty remained guilty. But our God
in Jesus Christ is a refuge into which
we may fly from all our sins and all our
pursuers and not only be safe for time
but for eternity, and the guilt is par
! dOned and the nature is transformed.
What Diana could do for her worship.
ers our Christ can do for us.
Rock of ages cleft for me,
| Let me hide myself IN thee.
| Gymnasiums? Yes, but see that the
vigor gained in them be consecrated to
God. Magnificent temples of worship?
Yes, but see that instead of conven-
tionalities and cold pomp of service,
there be warmth of devotion and the
pure Gospel preached. Imposing court
houses? Yes, but in them let justice
and mercy rule. Palaces of journal
ism? Yes, but let all of the printing
presses be marshaled for happiness and
truth. Great post Office 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, fil,nl,
paternal and Christian fidelity rue
London for magnitude, Berlin for uni
versities, Paris for fashions, Rome for
cathedrals, Athens for classics, Thebes
for hieroglyphics, Memphis for tombs,
Babylon for gardens. Ephesus for
idolatory, but what shall be the
characteristics of our American
cities when they shall have at
tanned their full stature? Would that
Holiness to the Lord might be in
| scribed upon all Municipalities One