The Elbert County tribune. [volume] (Elbert, Elbert County, Colo.) 18??-1920, 1905-04-20

There are ages in the worlds his
to.J when the black wings of doubt
we're spread over all lands and ma
tions, when the darkness of supersti-
ton pervaded the world and not a
single ray of hope illumined the night
of fear and unbelief. AS says Dean
Farrar: THE epoch which witnessed
the early growth of Christianity was
an epoch of which the horror and
degradation have rarely been equaled,
and perhaps never excelled in the an
mails of mankind. Were we to form
our sole estimate of it from the livid
picture of its wickedness, which st.
Paul has painted with powerful
strokes, we might suppose that we
were judging from a too lofty stand
point. But it is not Paul alone who
puts terrible brand upon the pride
of heathenism, for there are abundant
proofs of the abnormal wickedness
which accompanied the decadence of
ancient civilization 1t was an age of
enormous wealth. of unbounded self
Indulgence, of coarse and tasteless
luxury, of hopeless fatalism, of I'M
speakable sadness and WEAKNESS"
"Out OF the very hopelessness of the
prevailing conditions" says another
writer. had sprung up sort of blind
hope. There were no lower deeps of
misery and degradation into which
humanity could plunge. Either the
race had run its course or redemptive
forces were to appear from some I'm
known quarter Either human society
was failure and all things had been
brought into hopeless confusion. or
the gods would interfere for rescue
Thus 1t was that a certain expectancy
of crisis and change was, perhaps
unconsciously. finding place in mems
minds and preparing them to accent
the startling announcements of the
gospel"
But for the worlds darkness light
was dawning not amid the grandeur
and pomp of Roman power and glory:
not amid the philosophic wisdom of
learned Greece, with its brilliant con-
steliation of great minds, but amid
the quiet Wales and hills of Rome's
humble Judean province. The star of
spiritual empire had already been
seen in the East, and the wise men
had followed it to the manager where
lay the worlds King and Redeemer
The still air echoed to the angelic
anthem, GLORY to God in the High
est, Peace on Earth, Good VIII to
Men"
For generation did this blessed
Christ tread the hills and vales of
Palestine preaching His gospel of love
and Immortality and unfolding great
truths for the uplifting of the race.
and opening wide the door of eternal
hope for man. Never man spake like
this man." was the language of those
who listened to His words, and the
weary, hopeless hearts of men grew
glad as they heard Him proclaim. 81
am the Resurrection and the Life. and
whatsoever believeth in me shall never
die" The sick were healed. the dead
came back to life at His word tho
eternal love of an infinite God stood
revealed, darkness was lifted from the
grave. life had fuller riches, higher
meaning. and holy faith took the
place of doubling fear.
Then came the darkness of Calvary
the terrors and the woe of the cruel |
fixion, the silence of death and the |
grave. What wonder that in the pres |
cree of the cross and the rock-hewn |
sepulcher where the Crucified was |
laid faith faltered, and the awful |
gloom of despairing doubt fell again
upon the world, and that men cried |
aloud in their hopeless agony. we |