Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-02-24
Y. H. BISHOP, Island Pond, VI

10 me. Indeed the most impressive things
on earth are ruins. The four greatest struc-
lures ever built ars in ruins. The Parthe-
non in ruins, the tample o. Diana in ruins
the temple Of Jerusalem in ruins, the Coli
scum in ruins. Indeed the earth itself will
yet he a pile OF ruins, the mountains in
ruins the seas in ruins the cities in ruins.
the henispheres in ruins. Yea, further
than that all up aud down the heavens ars
worlds burned up. worlds wrecked. worlds
extinct worlds abandoned. Worlds on
worlds in ruinsl
But | am glad to say 1t Is the same old
heaven. AMI in all that world there is not
one ruin and never will he a ruin. Not one
o. the psarly gates will ever become un.
hingel. Not ons of the amethystine towers
will ever fall. K0t ons of the mansions will
ever decay. Not ona o. the chariots will
ever be unwheeled. Not one Of the thrones
heaven. for it is an everlasting heaven.
Through Christ the Lord get ready for
residence in the eternal palaces
The last evening before leaving Rome for
Brinlisi and Athens AMI Eyyot and Pales.
tine | went alone to the Coliseum. There
was not a living soul in all the immense
area. Even those accustomed 10 sell curios
at the four entrances OF the building had
gone away. The place was 50 ovsrwhelm-
with the emotions aroused by the place and
hour. paced the arena. | walked down
into the dens where the hYenas were once
kept. | ascended to the place where the
emperor used to Sit | climbed up on the
galleries from which the mighty throngs OF
people had gazsd in enchantnent.
To break the silence | shouted, and that
seemed to awaken the echoes, echo upon
echo. And those awakened echoes seemed
to address me- saying: Men die, but their
work lives on. Gau fentius, the architect
who plannsd this structure; the &C, 600 en-
slaved Jews brought by Titus from Jerus'
alan, and who toled on these walls, the
gisdiators who fought in this arena, the en-
psrors AMI empresses VINO had place on yon-
der platform, the m lions who during CEN
turtles sat and rose in these galleries, have
passsi away, but enough Of the Coliseum
stands tn tell the story OF cruslty and pomp
and pover-50O years OF bloodshsd."
Then as stoo there, there came to me
another burst OF echoes, which seemed
throbbing with the prayers and songs and
groans of Christians who had expired In
that arens, and they scanned to say, "How
mucn it cost TO serve God in ages past, and
how thankful modern centuries ought to be
that the persecution which Redeemed the
sauds OF this phtheater have been abol-
ishe1."
And then questioned the echoes, saying,
"W here is Emperor Titus, who sat hereF
The answer came, "dons to Judgment
"Where is Emperor Trajan, who sat hereT
"Gone to judgment" "Wh.re is Maximi-
nus who sat here% ''ione to ju igment"
Where are all the multitudss who clappsd
and shouted and waved flags to let the van
pushed up, or TO have them slain put
thumbs DOWN. The echoes answered, Gone
to iu igment." inquired "AllY' And they
answered "All."
And l looked uo to the sky above the
ruins, and it was full OF clouds scurryiag
swiftly past, and those clouds seemed as
though they had faces, and some of the faces
smiled ami some o. them frowned, and they
seemel to have wings aud some OF the
wings were moongilt and othsrs thun ler
charged. and the voice overpowersd the
echoes beneath "Behold He cometh with
clouds, an every eye shall see Him"
And as | stood looking up along the walls
OF the Coliseum they rose higher aud highsr,
higher and higher. until the amphitneatre
seemed to he filed with all the Nations OF
the past, an all the Nations OF the present
AMI all the Nations OF the future, those who
went down under the paws Of wild beasts,
and those who sat waving flags to let up tho
conquere and those who held thumbs down
to command their assassination, and small
and great, and emperor and slave, and pas
tor and people, aud righteous and wicked,
the amphitheatre seeming to rise to In
definite heights on all sides Of me, and
in the center Of that smphthsstrs, instead
of the arena OF comoatants, great throne
stood, rising higher and higher, higher
and higher, and on 1t sat the Christ
for whom the martyrs died aud
against whom the Diocletians plot
ted their prosecutions and waving
ons hand toward the piled u? splendors to
the ri yht OF Him he cried, "Cone, ye bless
ed, and waving the other hand toward the
piled uO glooms on the left OF Him He cried,
depart, ye cursed
And so the Coliseum of Rome that even.
ing Of 1889 seemed enlarged into the amphi.
thester OF the last judgment, AMI passed
from under the arch of that mighty struc-
ture, mighty even in its ruins, praying to
Almighty God throu III Jesus Christ, for
mercy in that day for which all other days
were made, aud that as | expected mercy
from God l might exercise mercy toward
others and have more and more OF the
spirit "Lat him UP" and less OF the spirit Of
Thumbs downW
We may not all be able to do a sum in
higher mathsmatics, bat there is sum in
the first role OF gospel arithmetic whicl We
all may do. 1t is a sum in simple addition:
add to your faith virtue aud to virtue
knowledge, and to knowle 1ge temperance,
and to Temperance patience, and to patience
goiliness, ami TO godliness brotherly kind
ness, and to brotherly kindness charity"