El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-12-26

formative growth. They had been
passing through a rudime tary period.
Children under tutors can poorly ap-
preciate even that which in measure
they master. During this period OF
sacrifice and prophecy there was much
darkness to Israel the child. Like
servants or minors they ooeyed largely
from a sense of duty only. Occasionally
| some Job would cry Ou% II know that
nv redeemer liveth or a David or Isaiah
would anticipate the future events
| But for the mass this was but vain
endeavOr OF a minor to anticipate his
majority. It takes time to reach full
age and reap full results. Why did
not the sciences and art develop fas-
ter in centuries gone by? Because
the world was not ready
for 1t. Why WAS one half the
earth hid away from other half till the
| fifteenth century? Because the world
was not prepared for it's discovery.
You can't crowd child or minor; If
you do you will make shipwreck. Civ
en- to the world, America before the
coming of Christ; before the establish
ment of the Roman hierarchy and the
English monarchy, and her subsequent
glory and benefit to the nations would
have been forever echpsed. Why did
not Christ come in to the world before
be did? Because the world was not
ready for him; Gods shosen were not
ready, and Gods time had not come.
NV hen the fullness of time was come"
Jesus came.
Jesus came at the very best time.
First. the moral condition of the peo-
pie was better than at any previous
time. The world had reached q climax
in sin and was face to face with crisis,
The Jews had been cured of one form
of Idolatry only to return and fell into
another form. They withheld the 1.-THE
from God for which God pronounced
curse upon the whole nationl. The
prophet who pronounced this was the
last to speak to them for four hundred
years. The whole nation was divided
into two religico-politico parties, with
more politics than sreliRion-be careful
the Pharisees with their white-wash-
ed uugodliness and the Sudducees with
their proud, cold hearted, Goddess
skepticism and liberality. The very
multiplication of the Synagogue where
s Msskly the 'er7' searseG xere oere aa.e
NAL of their temple service served to
bury the real scripture in the debris
of rabbinical interpretation and COM
ment, and to destroy the spirit of real
worship and furnish cloak to society,
which, says popular writer, Twas rot
ten to the core with vice within and
veneered over with self deceptive re-
ligiosity without" God gave them
finally into the hands of their enemy.
At the close of the. Maccebean struggle
an3 alien, who governed with the iron
rod of . heather emperor sat on the
throne of David. The Roman ensign
floated over the capitol Roman soldiers
paraded their streets. Roman tax
gasherers wrenched tribute from every
Jew. Magnificent temples, lofty
towers and colossal statues
deify1ng the heather city, the heathe
emperor and heather gods, lined the
coast of their land and menaced the
sacred place in the Holy City. The
registers containing their national Pc
digree had been burned. Their wealth
lest citizens we're slain and their very
collins searched in quest for booty with
which to replenish the depleted
treasury of the heather ruler. Their
national independence and glory had
been torn from them, they had been
humbled and they felt the pang sorely.
In the extremity of sin and perse-
cution men reach An awful crisis
Either he gives up all and goes over
unreservedly to the enemy or else be
yearns anew for repentance and de-
liverance. The latter was true with
the Jews. They remembered now the
promises of Messiah king, they
lOnged to hear once more the voice of
a true prophet; they prayed in their
agony for their king to come and save
their nation from the awful enemy.
had done all that he could for the
child, and so now Re gives him his
majority; he sends forth bis own son
who shall be "a glory" to Israel
But the moral condition of the Cen
tiles and likewise reached q crisis.
For sixty years the world had been in
the thrces of war. Sulla and arrias,
hod cd i-l
legions against each other in the con-
test for univ power. The earth |
trem bled, and her pores were drenched |
with the blood of the slain. The world |
was exhausted from the agony of suoh |
strife and every heart sighed for re-
pose. At lenght the hour came.
Octavius assembled the throne and
stretching his over the whole world
brought all in hum BILE obeisance to him.
The world outwardly was at peace.
But what for the human heart?
There ID no peace to the
When one men become the sole
absolute Lord of the whole world the
wickedness of the worlds great pull
monsry system flowed through Rome,
the heart, and went forth fouler even
than it came. Octavius assumed the
title of 'the August" and his vas
sails spared no pains to secure for him
divine honors in ell the domain.
Is it any wonder that the peo-
pie walked up? That the re-
ligions. of antiquity began
to lose their vitality both in
fern and power on the head
Nor could philosophy satisfy the ma
tion's heart. Its extremes, Stoicisms
and Epicureanisms, but plunged the
people into the very vortex of fatalism
on the one hand and prof1igate SEN
suality on the other. They left the