The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-06-16

augment US in this work of moral and
religious expansion, for unless those
islands are moralized and levated in
intelligence and habits we do not want
them, and their annexation would be
| political damnation. On the other hand
I implore all anti-expansionists to take
a hand in the gospeliZation or Cuba,
Porto Rico and the Philippine stands.
The only way TO prepare them 10 take
care Of themselves is TO give them the
| Ten Commandments that were pub
lished on Noun Sinai and let them
| hear the groan Of sacrifice that was
breathed out on the heights Of Golgotha.
n they most al Is the gospel, the
pure gospel, the omnipotent gospel the
gospel that helps heal the ounds OF
the body and irradiatss the darkness
of the mind and achieves the ransom
Of the soul
ONE PLATFORM FOR ALL
But on this platform the so-called ex-
pansionists and SO called a~nti-expan-
sionists will yet stand side by side.
Though / am not a prophet or the son
Of a prophet, within five years, if this
rigid educational work is properly at
tended 10, there viii be a Cuban re-
public, a Porto Rican republic and a
Philippine republic, lone OF them on d
large scale, but they will all have their
senates and house of representatives,
their mayors and their constabularies,
and as good order viii be observed in
their cities is now reigns on Pennsyl-
vania avenue, Washington, or Broad
way, New York.
Christ has started for the conquest of
the nations, and nothing on earth OIL
in hell can stop il. The continents are
rapidly rolling into his dominion, and
why not these islands, which for the
most part are only fragments broken
off from continents, the interval lands
having been sunk by earthquakes, al
lowing the ocean TO take mastery over
them? Each mother continent has
around it a whole family of little con-
tinents. If the continents are being SO
rapidly evangelical, why not the is
lands? If America, why not Cuba and
the Bahamas? If Asia, why not the
Philippines and the Moluccas? If Eu-
rope why not the Azores and the DIRK
neys? If Africa, why not Madagascar
and st. Helena? The same power that
broke them off the mainland can lift
them into evangelization.
In the old book, winch has become
a new book by reason Of modern discov-
cries, especial attention is called TO the
islands. Declare the Lords praise in
the islands," commands Isaiah. Let
the multitudes of the islands be glad
thereof" a the psalmist. All the
islands of the heather shall worship
him." writes Z~ephaniah. H shall
turn his face to the islands," prophesies
Daniel. The inhabitants Of the isles
shall be asonished at thee" foretells
Ezekial. Hear it and declare it to the
islands afar off, eXclaims jeremiah.
You see from this the islands are not
to be neglected. Perhaps they are the
Lords favorites, as in households, if
there is any favoriteism at all, it is for
the weakest. The islands, too small to
"a Ea ga ra of themselves have the atpr-
nal God to take care Of them. Let ma
tiOns look out how they tread on the
islands, however small and weak, for
hhey are O~mnipotently defended. They
may not be able to marshal large Az
mics or to send out natives to sweep
the sea, but, better than that, they have
the chariOts of heaven or their side and
the drawn swords of the Almighty. ]
nave as much faith in the salvation Of
the smallest island Of the Falklands, OF
the Canaries, of the L~adrOneS, of the
Carolines, of the Fills, of the Barba-
Islands as I ave in the salvation of
! America.
The continents themselves are only
larger islands, and the world in which
we live is only a still larger island, and
the solar system is a group of islands,
and the universe is an archipelago stud
ded with stands of worlds, surrounded
by the great ocean of infinitude and
immensely. So you see when God plan
ned the universe he diagrammed it into
islands, n he Will look after the in
terest of each of those islands, however
small, and England and HOllan and
France and Germany and America
must not treat the smallest and weak
est islands that comes under their sway
any different from the way they trea
the strongest nation of all the earth
God may chiefly deal with individuals
in the mex world, but he deals with
nations only in this world, and Wher
persiStently a nation practices injustice
against other people it is only a ques-
tion of time when the offender will FIND
his doom. The path of time is streWr
with the carcasses of nations that be-
u of their m~atreatment of Other
nations persisted. The higher sucr
offending empires rise, the harder vii
be their fall.
PERPETUITY OF OUR GOVERN.
MENT.
l believe the United States govern.
ment will last as long as the world lasts
/ believe the fires of the Judgment day
will leap on the domes of our state anG
national capitals while yet they are il
their full power. I believe the las
earthquake will put it's explosion under
our national foundations while yet the.
! stand firm I believe that republican
; n democratic form of government
Will be the universal form of govern,
ment of all nations when they hav,
been evangelical, for then the nation,
will be capable of self government ant
! will have demanded and secured tina
} right. 1t viii be either that or a the
/ ocracy, which will be the direct govern
t ment of Christ in his personal reign OF
: earth, as many Bible students believe
} Yet the jubilant expectation is found
l ed not on the skill Of human statesman
ship 1T human legislation, but upol
the belief that this nation will submit
: to divine guidance and obey the divin
{ law and carry out it's divinely imposed
mission. But if we defy the God of ma
tions our doom is fixed.
!; 1t required the pen OF an Edwar,
! Gibbon, through four great volumes o
: more than 500 age each, to tell tn
:, story of The Decline and Fail of tn
, Roman Empire" concluding his monu
mental work with the words, 1T wa
among the ruins of the capital that
!. first conceived the idea of a work whicl
has amused and exercised near 20 year
lnf nv life and which hnvraxror ipoJo