The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-05-07

was no reason why the hating Of the
earth should have Jared and disarranged
the whole universe. Joshua right and
God right; infidelity wrong every time. I
knew it would be wrong. I thank God
that the time has come when Christians
need not be scared at any scientific ex-
ploration. The fact is that religion and
science have struck hands in eternal
friendship, and the deeper down geology
can dig and the higher up astronomy can
soar all the better for US. The armies of
the Lord Jesus Christ have stormed the
observatories of the worlds science and
from the highest towers have flung out
the banner of the cross, and Christianity
now from the observatories at Albany
and Washington stretches out its hand
toward the opposing scientific weapon,
crying, There is non like that; give it
me-" / was reading of Herschel, who
was looking at a meteor through a<tele-
scope, and when it came over the face of
the telescope it was so powerful he had
to avert his eyes. And it has been Just
so that many an astronomer has gone into
an observatory and looked up into the
midnight heavens, and the Lord God has
through some swinging world famed
upon his vision, and the learned man
cried out: who Inn I? Undone! Un-
clean! Have mercy, Lord Godr"
Temptations of the Traveller.
Again, 1 remark that the travelling dis
position Of the world, which was adverse
TO morals and religion, is to be brought
on our side. The man that went down to
Jericho and fell amid thieves was q type
Of a great many travellers. There is
many a man who is very honest at home
whn whcn he 10 ohrooI hoe hic hnnor
flched and his good habits stolen. There
are but very few men who can stand the
stress of an expedition. Six weeks at a
watering place have ruined many a man.
In the olden times God forbade the tray-
cling of men for the purposes of trade be-
cause Of the c%orrupting influences attend
ing it A good many men now cannot
stand the transition from one place to an
other. Some men who seem to be very
consistent here in the way of keeping the
Sabbath when they get into Spain On the
Lords day always go out to see the bull
fights. Plato said that no city ought to
be built nearer to the sea than ten miles
lest it De tempted to commerce. But this
travelling disposition of the world which
was adverse to that which is good is to
be brought on our side. These mail
trains. why, they take our Bibles; these
steamships, they transport our mission
aries; these sailors, rushing from city to
city all around the world, are to be con-
verted into Christian heralds and 60 out
and preach Christ among the heather ma
tions. The gospels are infinitely multi
piled in beauty and power since Robinson
and Thompson and Burckhardt have
come back and talked to Us about Sloan
and Capernaum and Jerusalem. pointing
out to us the lilies about which Jesus
preached, the beach upon which Paul
was shipwrecked, the fords at which Jor-
dan was passed. the Red sea bank on
which were tossed the carcasses Of the
drowned Egyptians. A man said: II
went to the Holy Land an in6del. I
came back a Christian. I could not help
IT."
i am not shocked, as some have been.
at the building of railroads in the Holy
Ldad. / wish that all the world might go
an 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 steam
ships this night painting across the deep
in the phosphorescent wake of the shin
ing feet Of him who from wave cliff to
wave cliff trod bestormed Tiberius. The
japanese come across the water ano see
our civilization and examine our Chris
tianity and 60 bach and tell the story and
keep that empire rocking till Jesus shall
, reign.
Where'er the sun
Does his successive journeys run
And the firearms with which the inf
del traveller brought down the Arab
horseman and the jackals Of the desert
A~-. hn>n rrr-orlar1l e. fha nbrrrh auI
we reach forth our hand, crying. There
is none like that; give it mel"
Universality of Religion.
So it has also been with the learning
and eIoquence OF the world People say,
Religion is very good for aged women,
it is very good for children. but not fol
men," Blu We have in the roll of Christ's
host Mozart and Handel in music, Cano
va and Angelo in sculpture. Raphael and
. Reynolds in painting. Harvey n Boer
have in medicine. Cowper and Scott in
poetry, Grotius and Burke In statesman
{ ship. Boyle and Leibnitz in philosophy
Thomas Chalmers and John Mason il
theology. The most brilliant writings Of
a worldly nature are all aglow with Scrip
tural illusions. Through senatorial speech
and through essayist's discourse Sina
-thunders and Calvary speaks and Sloan
.sparkles.
Samuel L. Southland was mighty in tn
courtroom and in the senate chamber
but he reserved his strongest eloquene'
for that day when he stood before the LIT
erary societies at Princeton commence
ment and pleaded for the grandeur Of GU
Bible. Daniel Webster won not his chic
garlands while responding to Hayne no
when he opened the batteries of his elo
quence on Bunker Hill, that rocking Sina
Of the American Revolution, but on tina
day when in the famous Girard will cas-
he showed his affection for the Christian
religion and eulogized the Bible. The elc
quence and the learning that have bee
on the other side come over to our side
Captured for God! 'There is none lk
that: give 1t me-"
So also has it been with the pictur
making of the world. We are very anz
ious on this day to have the printin