Connecticut western news., 1897-05-06

occur to me until now that the gospel seems to be moving in circle. It start ed in Asia, Bethlehem, an Asiatic vil- lage; Jordan, an Asiatic river; Calva- ry, an Asiatic mountain. Then this gos- pei moved on to Europe. Witness the chapels and churches and cathedrals and Christian universities of that con- tinent. Then 1t crossed to America. It has prayed and preached and sung its way across our continent. It has cross ed to Asia, taking the Sandwich Islands in its way, and now in all the great cities on the coast of China people are singing Rock of Ages" and 'There Is a Fountain Filled With Blood" for you must know that not only have the Scriptures been translated into those Asiatic tongues, but also the evangelical hymns. My missionary brother, John, translated some of them into Chinese, and Mir. Gladstone gave me copy of the hymn, Jesus, Lover of My Soul, l," which he had himself translated into Greek. The Christ who it seems spent Is or IS years of his life in India is there now in spirit, converting and sav- ing the people by the hundeds of thou sands, and the gospel will move right on through Asia until the story of the Saviour's birth will anew be made known in Bethlehem, and the story of a Saviour's sacrifice be told anew on and around Mount Calvary, and the story of a Saviour's ascension be told anew on the shoulder of Mount Olivet. And then do you not see the circle will be complete? The glorious circle, the circle of the earthl
 This old planet, gashed with earth quake and scorched with confagration and torn with revolutions, will be gir- dled with churches, with schools, with universities, with millennial festivities. How cheering and how inspiring the thought that we are, whether giving temporal or spiritual relief, working on the segment of such a circlel And that the Christly mission which started in Asia will keep on its way until it goes clear around to the place where it startedl Then the earth will have dem- onstrated that for which it was created, and as soon as a world has completed it's mission it dies. Part of the heavens is cemetery of dead worlds. Cur world, built to demonstrate to the worlds which have been loyal to God the awful re- suits of disloyalty, so that none of them may ever attempt it-I say our world, having finished its mission, may then go out of existence. The central fires of the world which are burning out rapidly toward the crust may have reached the surface by that time, and the Bible prophecy be fulfilled which declares that the earth and all things that are therein shall be burned up. The ran- somed human race at that time on earth will start unhurt in those chariots of fire for the great metropolis of the uni verse, the heaven, where the redeemed of the Lord shall talk over the famines and the plaques and the wars which this earth suffered and against which we struggled and prayed as long as there was any breath in us. Glorious consum- mationl
 The East and the West.
 May 10, 1869, was a memorable day, for then was laid the last tie that con- nected the two rail tracks which united the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The Central Pacific railroad was built from California eastward. The Union Pacific railroad was built westward. They were within arms reach of meeting, only one more piece of the rail track to put down. A great audience assembled midcontinent to see the last tie laid. The locomotives of the eastern and western trains stood panting on the tracks close by. Grafton explained the occasion, and prayer solemnized it, and music enchanted it. The tie was made of polished laurel wood, bound with sil- yer bands, and three spikes were used a gold spike, presented by California; 6 silver spike, presented by Nevada, and an iron spike, presented by Arizona. When, all heads uncovered and all hearts thrilling with emotion, the ham mer struck the last spike into its place, the cannon boomed it amid the resound ing mountain echoes and the telegraphic instruments clicked to all nations that the deed was done. My friends, if the laying of the last tie that bound the east and the west of one continent togethe, was such a resounding occasion, what will it be when the last tie of the track of gospel influences, reaching olea, around the world, shall be laid amid the anthems of all nations? The spike. will be the golden and silver spikes fashioned out of the Christian generos ity of the hemispheres. The last ham mer stroke that completes the work will be heard by all the raptured and pilet up galleries of the universe, and tht mountains of earth will shout to tho thrones of heaven: "Halleluiah, for tht Lord God Omnipotent reignethl Halle luiah, for the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lort Jesus Christp'