Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1906-05-17
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+: SUNDAY SERMON ;
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T. A Scholarly Discourse By
Il Dr.. G. Edward Locke.

i e. Church, preached Sunday In the
New York Avenue M. e. Church OH
Jesus Christ the Universal King"
| The sermon was the annual one be-
| fore the New York East Conference.
The text was from Revelation kills:
"The kingdoms of this world are be-
| come the Kingdoms Of our Lord and OF
| His Christ" Among other things DR..
Locke said:
With His own hand God wrote on the
foundations of history, 1.-THE seed OF
the woman shall bruise the serpents
head" On the radiant advent morning
the angel said to the bewildered shep-
herds, Behold l bring you good It'd
ings Of great joy, which shall be to all
people," and. later, the Great Teacher
Himself announced, II, il be lifted
up from the earth, will draw all men
unto Mev' Though Confucius died OF
a broken heart, fearing he had spoken
no truths which would survive him,
and Socrates drank in dependency the
hemlock in his cave overlooking Ath-
| ems. vet Jesus Christ, the worlds Great
| Optimist, cried out in triumph III the
midst of the agOnies of the crosS-"lt
| is Finished" and Paradise Lost became
Paradise Regained. John, the Revela-
tor, in the seraphic isolation of his
exile, saw in his vision the fulfllment
of all these prophecies and exultantly
wrote. THE Kingdoms of this world
are become the Kingdoms Of our Lord
and of His Christ"
1t was long looked for psychology
cal moment when Bethlehem's star
appeared above the dimpled hills of
Judea. Civilization had slipped down
from the hoary highlands Of Bactria
to the lowlands of Hindustan; it then
moved westward, tarrying long enough
to build its towers in Persia, its tenn
pies in Greece, its tombs in Egypt and
its thrones in Rome. at its birth
| Christianity encountered the fierce op'
position of emperOrs and armies. Rome
was mistress of land and sea. The
founder of Christianity was a Roman
subject. it's chief apostle Roman citi-
zen. The whole Roman empire was
hurled across the path of the progress
of Christ. His followers suffered, but
In the sign of the cross they conquered.
| Our forefathers bravely followed the
guiding star to the summit Of the ALE.
ghany Mountains and fixed the west
ern boundary of the new republic; but
the years pushed the frontiers west
ward. and when at last against the
prophecies of American statesmen the
plains were crossed by the intrepid
pioneer, then autOcratic lawmakers
defiantIy announced that the serrated
peaks of the Rocky Mountains would
outline the western boundary OF the
nation, but steadily and gracefully
moved that point of light until at last
1t mingled It's silver beams with the
golden embroidery of the sunset coast.
| Then even the wisest of modern magi
thought that the star Of empire had
| become a fixed star. but faithfully 1t
has pursued its noiseless tread until
to-day it is brilliantly shining above
eastern archipelagOes and continents.
We are the creatures of that star and
must keep up with its aerial flight,
for wherever it fingers there is another
Bethlehems cradle and another advent
hymn.
Within the lifetime of many here
| present the star appeared III the
! Asiatlc heavens and the angel choir
again sang "Glory to God in the high.
est, on earth peace, good will to men,"
The year 1858 has been called the
| Annus MirabiliS of modern missions,
| and truly it was a year WONDERFUL
| for the doors We're opened to one thou
sand million of the human race. In
that year India was transferred from
| the clutches of the avarlclous East
India Company to the British crown
and Queen Victoria became Empress
Of India. BY the Treaty of Tientsn
the ports and interior Of China were
! opened and the people were permitted
to accept Christianity without perse-
cution, and Japan, after 200 years Of
| exclusion, made its treaty with Great
Britain. Now, let us see how these
great Kingdoms of the earth are becOm-
| ing the Kingdoms Of our Lord and of
| His Christ.
India has population Of 100000
| and an area Of 1,S6O,OO square miles.
Suffice. infanticide and the yoracious
| tuggernaut are gone forever. Because
of the huge reservoirs constructed by
| English foresight famine is rapidly dis
appearing, and the gradual elevation
of women Is taking place. India will
be Christian from the Himalayas to
Ceylon, from Bombay to Calcutta.
China has had continuous authentic
history for forty centuries. The first
real character in Chinese history was
the Emperor Yu. who ruled 22O4 B. G.
The Chinese are supposed to be the
descendants of Shem, the oldest son
of Noah. They settled on the banks
of the Yellow River and established a
kingdom cOeval with Babylonia and
Egypt, and before Abraham came out
of Chaldea.
Four hundred and six millions of peo-
pie and 4,225 900 square miles, and has
coast line Of $500 miles. The climate
is very much like our own. There are
broad rivers, lofty mountains and val
leys of extraordinary fertility. There
Is vast mineral wealth. Beside iron,
| gold, silver and copper there are i'm.
mcnse coal fields; all Of which lie al.
most undisturbed waiting for the com.
ing of the higher civilization which
will some day adorn this drowsy ma
ton. China lies partly in the temper
ate zone, where the greatest nations
have developed and where the posi-
bilities of power and permanency are
assured.
They are an industrious people, al
ways busy, quiet and peaceable. What
ever lethargy characterizes the country
as a government, the typical Chinaman
is a shrewd, active, successful toiler.
The Chinese invented printing and
| gunpowder; first used the magnetic
needle; made the finest porcelain and
to-day manufacture the finest silk and
the most exquisite embroidery.
| They are an educated people. All
candidates for official position-which
is said to be the universal ambition of
all citizens-must pass difficult exam
nations. OF course do not need to
remind you that their standards Of edu-
cation are low; their astronomy is pic
turesquely mingled with astrology and