Arizona republican., 1908-04-13
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THE CHURCHES
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 Both morning and evening services at the First Methodist church were at tended by large assemblages, filling the large auditorium. Special music was the feature of the introductory part of the services. Quite a large number of new faces are to be seen in the congregation each Sunday. Rev. John Geissinger, the pastor, spoke yes terday morning to the following sub ject and text: Subject: The Pre- cminence of Christi Text:
 John IA: "The life was the light of men,"
 writers is that he gives us the Masters life in a true prospective. Under varying and beautiful imagery he gives us intelligent. sympathetic. and worthy conceptions of Chirst's life. He sets forth its deeper meanings. He most accurately calculates it's reach. One such estimate we have in the text: His life was the light of men,"
 This is more than a beautiful figure. It is true insight. His life was the light Of men.
 Light is the great cleanser, the great purifier. Evil things and evil men flee before it. John thus suggests that Jesus comes into human life with cleansing power. History has verified this insight. All these Christian cen Ituries Christ has been the great health giver. He has made an amazing con frihIfffnn fn ba nhNsipa1 intnllaatnfaI and moral health of the race.
 Light dispels fear. With the falling of the shadows a feeling of timidity settles down on the spirit of man. With the return of the morning light comes a return of the sense of securi- ty and fresh increment of courage. Here is another service Jesus has rem dered. He has saved us from innum- cradle pulling fears. awakened in us q love of life. and supplied our hearts with courage
 Light does more than give health and courage It is always a call to work. Every sun-up is a fresh call to work. John must have had this in mind when he spoke Of Jesus as light. And here again history justifies his in sight. Jesus. not so much by his per sonal example though he was a car penter and toiled with his hands. as by his words. has aroused men to work. These last nineteen hundred years have been years of industry and achievement. It is no accident that the western world. which is so largely under the dominion of Christ. is so much more world of work than in the eastern world, where Jesus has not vet come into his kingdom our fun damental faith has made it sO Ones deeper faith in God, the soul. duty. has much to do with his persistence in the humber purposes of life. with his fi- delity to the commonplace tasks. We may have been unconscious of Christ influence here. yet any careful ob- server must be able to see that Christs is the light in which we do our whole round of work
 His life was the light Of men. These words help us into the deeper meaning of Jesus. Something of the breadth of his influence thus begins to come upon us. We see the regalness of his personality only as it is thus sketched against an adequate background.
 The life was the light of the world" Other lights there were. His was the light. His was the central burning at which all men light their torches. That is Johns meaning and suggests my theme: The Pre-eminece of Christ.
 Christ and the Ancient World
 It is not a difficult matter to see the preeminence of Christ with reference to the world of antiquity
 We are beginning to appreciate that far-off world so different from our own. We are beginning to realize the amazing service rendered the race along every line by ancient genius. It must be very limited. and bigoted spirit that does not stand with awe in China. the immense religious activity of India, the moral achievement of Israel. the intellectual splendor of Greece, the splendid material civiliza- tion builded by the indOmnitable will of Rome. Always shall our children go with admiration to the Parthenon, the poetry of Homer and Euripides, the stately speech of Plato. We are immeasurably richer by the book of Job, the psalms and prophecies of the fine Hebrew spirits. We shall never tire of reading the story of how d single city grew to be the greatest em- pire the world has ever seen. True. antiquity is full of the blunders of man. of his hot passion. of his intellec- tual puerilities. of persisting crudities. Yet these things are incidental What we see in the ages before Christ is the
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