The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-05-10

! 10 commerce. Rut this travelling disposi-
| ton of the world. which was adverse 20
| that which Is good, Is To be brought on
our side. These mail trains-why, they
| take our Bibles, these steamers. they
| transport our missionaries; these sailors,
| rushing from city TO city all around the
world, are 20 be converted into Christian
heralds and 60 out and preach Christ
| among the heather nations. The gospels
! infinitely multiplied in beauty and power
since Robinson and Thompson aud Burck.
| hardt have c. e hack and talked TO US
/ about Sloan and Capernaum and Jerusa-
| lem. pointing out 20 Us the lilies about
! which Jesus preached. the beach upon
which Paul was shpwrecked, the fords at
| which Jordan was passed the Red Sea
| hank on which were tossed the carcasses
OF the drowned Egyptians. A man said
IL went 10 the Holy Land an in6dcl.
came back a Christian. | could not help
| it"
am not shocked, as some have been, at
! the building Of railroads in the Holy Land.
| | wish that all the world might 90 and see
| Golgotha and Bethlehem. How many who
| could not afford muleteers now easily buy
| tickets from Constantinople TO Joppa.
| Then let Christians travel God speed
| the rail trains and guide the steamships
| tins night painting across the deep IN the
| phosphorescent wake of the shining feet
| of Him who from wave clih TO wave cliff
| bestormed Tiherius. The japanese come
| across the water and see our civilization
and examine our Christianity and 90 back
and tell the story and keep that empire
rocking till Jesus shall reign
"Where'er the sun
Docs his successive journeys run"
And the firearms with which the infdel
traveller brought down the Arab horseman
| and the jackals of the desert have been
surrendered 10 the church. and we reach
forth our hand, crying, There is none like
| that; give Il me-"
So il has also been with the learning and
eloQucnce of the world. People say, "Reli.
gion is very good for aged women, II is
very good for children. but not for men"
| But we have in the roll OF Christ's host
Mozart aud Handel IN music; Canova and
Angelo IN sculpture; Raphael and Rey.
nolds in painting: Harvey and Boorhaavc
| IN medicine: Cowper and Scott IN poetry;
| Grotius and Burke in statesmauship;
| Boyle and Leihnitz IN philosophy; Thomas
! Chalmers and John Mason IN theology.
The most brilliant writings of worldly
nature are all aglow with Scriptural allu-
sons Through senatorial speech and
through essayist's discourse Sinai thunders
and Calvary speaks and Sloan sparklcs
Samuel l.. Southland was mighty m the
courtroom aud IN the senate chamber, but
he reserved his strongest eloquence for
that day when he stood before the literary
societies at Princeton commencement and
pleaded for the grandeur of our Bible.
| Daniel Webster won not his chief gar
lands while responding to llayne nor when
he opened the batteries OF his cloquence
on Bunker Hlll that rocking Sinai of the
| American Revolution, but on that day
when. in the famous Grard will case he
showed his affection for the Christian rcli-
gion and eulogizcd the Bible. The elo-
| Quencc and the learning that have been on
| ~ al al a ~
turcd for Godl There is none like that;
give II mel
So. also. has IL been with the picture
making of the world. We are very anx.
ious on this day to have the printing press
and the platform on the side of Christian.
ity, but we overlook the cngraver's knife
and the painters pencil. The antiquarian
goes and looks at pictured ruins or exam.
ines the chiscled pillars of Thebcs and
kincveh and Pompcil. and then comes
bnck To tell us of the beastlncss of ancient
art and 1t IA fact now that many of the
finest specimens, merely artistically consid-
cred, Of sculpture and painting that are to
be found amid those ruins are not it to
be looked at, and they are locked up.
How Paul must have felt, when, stand
ing amid these impurities that stared on
HIM from the walls and the pavemcnts and
the bazaars Of Corinth, he preached of the
pure and holy Jesus The art of the
world on the side OF obscenity and crime
and death.
Much of the art Of the world has been
in the possession of the vicious What To
unclean Henry VIII was n beautiful pic-
ture Of the Madonna? What To Lord JEFF.
freys, the unjust Judge. the picture Of the
Last Judgment" What TO Nero, the
unwashed, a picture OF the baptism in the
Jordan The art of the world on the
wrong side But that is being changed
hn 'lVta Inn uFtl - "A
Rome. looks at the pictures and brings
back to his American studio much Of the
power Of these old masters The Chris.
tian minister goes over 90 Venice. looks
at the "CrucfSion of Christ" aud comes
back TO the American pulpit 10 talk NJ
never before Of the suiferlngs OF the Saw.
iour The private tourist goes to Rome
and looks at RaphacPs picture of the
Last judgment" The tears start, amt
he goes back 10 hls room m the hotel and
prays God for preparation for that day
when
"Shrivcng like a parchod scroll,
The flaming heavens together roll"
So, | remark it ~ with business acumcn
and tact. When Christ was upon earth
the people that followed Him for the most
part had no social position. There was
but one man naturally brilliant in all the
apostlcship. Joseph, oi Arimathca, the
rich man, riskcd nothing when he offered
a hole m the rock for the dead Christ.
How many of the merchants in ASA Minor
bofricndcd Jesusy ] think oi only one
! Lydia. How many Of the castles on the
beach at Galloe entertained Christi Not
one. When Peter came TO Joppa he
stopped with one Simon, q tanner What
power had Chrst's name on the Roman
| exchange or in the bazaars Of Corinthy
None. The prominent men of the day did
not want 20 risk their reputation for san
| ty by pretending 20 be one Of His follow.
ors. Now that " all changed. Among
| th" mghticst men In our great cities to-
J day are the Christian merchants and the
Christian bankers, and II tomorrow, at
the Board Of Trade, any man should get
| up and maligu the name Of jesus, he
would be quickly silero'd or put out. In
! the front rank OF al. our Christian work.
| crs to-day are the Christian merchants,
and the enterprise Of the world are com.
ing Oh the right side. There was farm
willod away some years ago, all the pro-
reeds Of that farm 20 20 for spreading in
hdel books Somehow matters have
changed and now al the proceeds Of that
farm go toward the missionary cause. One
Of the finest printing presses ever built
! was built for the express purpose ~ pub
ll-hing inhdel tracts and books Now IL
dors nothing out print holy Bibles.
| / believe that the time will come when
IN commercial circle. the voice of Christ
wIIl be- the mighticst ri all voices and the
ships Of T3rshish Will bring present. and
the queen Of Sheba her glory and the wise
men OF the East their myrrh and franklin.
cense
look of upon the business men Of this
land and reIOice ~ the prospect that their
tact and ingenuity and ta.cnt are being
brought into the service al Christ. II ~
one of the mightiest oi weapons. There