The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-11-05

ing to bury her. They find onIy the palms
OF the hands and the skull. The dogs
that devoured Jezebel and the dogs that
devoured Naboth-oh, what a swift, what
an awful circuit
The Circle of Centuries.
But it is sometimes the case that this
circle sweeps through a century or
through man. centuries. The world start
ed vfth a theocracy for government
that is, God was the president and en-
peror of the world. People got tired of a
theocracy. They said: I'VE don't want
God directly interfering with the affairs
of the world. Give US a monarchy" The
world had q monarchy. From a mon
archy it is going to have a limited mon
archy. After awhile the limited mon
archy will be given up. and the republic
an form OF government Will be every
where dominant and recognized. Then
the world will get tired OF the republican
form of government. and il will nave an
anarchy, which is no government at all.
And then all nations, finding out that
man is not capable of righteously gov
erning man, will cry out again for theoc-
racy and say, Let God come back and
conduct the affairs of the world" every
step-moharchy. limited monarchy, re-
p~ublicanism, anarchy-only different steps
between the first theocracy and the last
theocracy or segments of the grea. circle
of the earth on which God sits.
But do not become impatient because
you cannot see the curve of events and
therefore conclude that Gods govern
ment is going to break down. History
tells us that in the making Of the pyra-
mids it took 1000 men two years TO drag
one great stone from the quarry and put
II - to- A. lid
can afford to work so slowly as that, can
not God in the building of eternities
afford to wait?
What though God should take 10000
years to draw a circle? Shall we take our
little watch, which we nave to wind up
every night lest it run down, and hold it
up beside the clock of eternal ages? If,
according to the Bible, a thousand years
are in Gods sight as one day, then, &C
cording to that calculation, the 5000
years of the worlds existence has been
only to God as from Monday to Satur-
day.
But it is often the case that the re-
bound is quicker, the return is much
quicker, than that. The circle is sooner
completed. You resolve that you will do
what good you can. In one week you put
a word of counsel in the heart of a Sab
bath school child. During that same
week you give a letter of introduction to
a young man struggling in business. Dur
ing the same week you make an exhorta-
ton in a prayer meeting. 1t is all gone.
You will never hear Of it perhaps, you
think. A few years after a man comes
up to you and says, "You don't know me,
do YOU" You say, mo; I don't remem-
| Der ever to have seen YOU" why" he
4 cauS 81 woc in tho cohnol oIaSS
| over which you were the teacher. One
| Sunday you invited me to Christ. 1 &C
cepted the offer. You see that church
with two towers yonder?" YES" you
say. He says, "That is where I preach"
or: do you see hat governors house?
That is where l live"
The Circle of Good Deeds.
One day a man comes to you and says,
"Good morning" You look at him and
say: "Why, you have the advantage Of
me. 1 cannot place you" He says,
"Don't you remember thirty years ago
giving a letter of introduction to a young
mana letter of introduction to William
| E. Dodge?" eyes, yes; I do" He says:
81 am the man. That was my first step
toward a fortune, but 1 have retired from
business now and am giving my time to
philanthropies and public interests. Come
up to my house and see me-"
Or a man comes to you and says: 81
want to introduce myself to you. l went
into a prayer meeting some years ago. /
sat back by the door. You arose to make
an exhortation. That talk changed the
course of my life, and if [ ever get to
heaven under God l will owe my saliva
ton to you" In only ten, twenty or thir-
ty years the circle swept out and swept
back again to your own grateful heart.
But sometimes it is a wider circle and
does not return for a great while. | saw
q bill of expenses for burning Latimer
and Ridley. The bill of expenses has
these items among others:
Shilling Pence
One load OF fire 3 4
Carriage for four loads of wood.......... 2 -
Item, a 4
Item, two chains. s 4
Item, Two y
Item, four 8
making in all 23s. Sd. That was cheap
fire, considering all the circumstances,
but it kindled a light which shone all
around the world and aroused the mar
tyr spirit, and out from that burning Of
Latimer and Ridley rolled the circle
wider and wider, starting other circles,
convoluting. ~overrunning, circumScribing,
overarching. all heaven, a circle.
But what is true of the good is just as
true of the bad. You utter a Islander