Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-01-26

C.-N
STtT the destroyed Tenn
pie at Jerusalem. Stone for the building
had been quarried, and the trowel had
rung at the laying of the cornerstone
and all went WELL when the Cuthaeans
offered to help in the WORK. lhey
were a bad lot of people, and Zerub-
babel declined their help, and then the
trouble began The Cuthaeans pref
udiced the Secretary of the treasury
against Zerubbabel. so that the wages
OF the carpenters and masons couid
not be paid, and the heavy CEDAR UNI
hers which had been dragged from
Mount Lebanon to the Mediterranean
and fioated in RATS from Beyrout TO
Joppa, and were to be drawn by OK
team from Joppa to Jerusalem, mad
halted, and as a result OF the WORK Oh
those Jealous Cuthaeans for sixteen
years the building of the Temple was
stopped. But after sixteen years, Ze-
rubabbel, the mighty soul, got a new
call from God to go ahead with the
Temple building, and the Angel OF the
Lord in substance said: They have
piled up obstacles in the way OF Ze-
rubbabel until they have become as a
mountain. height above height, crag
above crag; but it shall all be thun-
dered down and made fiat and smooth
as the floor of house. Who art thou,
o great mountain? before Zerubbabel
thou shalt become a plain
Well, the Cuthaeans are not all
dead yet. They are busy In every
neighborhood and every city and
every nation of every age, heaping OBJ
stacles in the way OF the cause OF God
They have piled up hindrances above
hindrances until they have become
hill, and the hill has become noun
tain, and the mountain has become an
Alp, and there 1t stands, right In the
way of all movements for the worlds
salvation. Some people are so dis
couraged about the height and breadth
of this mountain in front of them that
they have done nothing for sixteen
years and many of those who are at
work trying to do something toward
removing the mountain toll in such
way that can see they have not much
faith that the mountain of hindrances
will ever be removed. They feel they
must do their duty, but they feel all
the time--I can hear it in their pray
ers and exhortations--that they are
striking their pickaxes and shovels
into the side of the Rocky Mountains.
If the good Lord will help me while
I preach l will give you the names OF
some Of the high mountains which are
really in the way, and then show you
that those mountains are to be pros
trated, torn down, ground up, levelsd,
put out of sight forever. Who art
thou, o great mountain? before Ze-
rubbabel thou shalt become plain"
First, there is the Mountain of
Prejudice, az long as a range of the
Pyrenees. Prejudice against the Bible
as a dull book, an inconsistent book,
a cruel book, an unclean book, and in
every way an unfit book. The most of
them have never read it. They think
the strata of the rocks contradict the
account in Genesis. The poor souls
agrees exactly with the geological ac-
count. No violin or flute ever were in
better accord. BY crowbar and pick
axe and shovel and blasting powder the
geologist goes down in the earth and
says, 1.-The first thing created In the
furnishing OF the earth was the plants"
Moses says, "Ay! l told you that in
the Book OF Genesis The earth
brought fourth grass and herb, yield
ing seed after his kind, and the tree
yielding fruit" The geologist goes
on digging in the earth, and says.
THE next thing in the furnishing of
the earth was the making of the crea-
lures of the sea-" Moses says, GAY,
told you that was next In the Book
of Genesis: God said, Let the waters
bring forth abundantly the moving
creatures that have life; and God
created great whales" The geologist
goes on digging, and says, THE next
thing in the furnishing of the earth
was the creation Of the cattle and the
reptiles and the beasts Of the field"
Ayr says Moses, ~ told you that was
next in the first chapter of Genesis:
And God said. Let the earth bring
forth the living creature after his kind.
cattle, and creeping thing, and beast
OF the earth after his kind" The
geologist goes on digging IN the earth,
and says, THE next creature was the
human family. SAY" says Moses, II
told you that was next in the Book OF
Genesis: SO God created man in his
own image, in the image OF God
created he him; male and female.
created be them" Those prejudiced
against the Bible do not know that the
explorations IN Egypt and Palestine
and Syria are confirming the Scrip
tures,-the same facts written on
monuments and on walls OF exhumed
cities as written IN the Bible. The
city OF Pithom has been unburied. and
its bricks are found 20 have been made
straw exactly corresponding
with the Bible story of the prosecuted
Hebrews. On terra Gotta cylinder re-
Gently brought up from thousands of
years Of burial, the capture OF Babylon
by Cyrus Is told. On Batylonian
gem recently found are the figures OF
tree. man woman. and serpent.
and the hand ~ tho man and woman