Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1909-03-04
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
+, THE REV EDWARD NILES.
Theme: Johns Second Epistle.

Brooklyn, N. Y.-Sunday morning
the Rev. Edward Niles, pastor OF b
Bushwick Avenue Reformed (White)
preached. from text in Acts PAS:
with one accord in the temple, and
breaking bread" as illustrated by
Johns Second Epistle. Mr.. Niles
said:
We read aloud this entire book of
the Bible in four minutes. Shortest
OF all the sixty-six, it is easily written
on three pages of lady's note paper.
The most precious goods comes in
small parcels. A vest pocket full of
gold buys coal enough to heat and
| light this church for years. The thir-
teen verses of Second John are more
precious than the t~hirty-six chapters
OF Second Chronicles.
Especially interesting is this letter
to every woman-and to every man
whose dearest friend is q woman.
| Few are outside one or b other cate
cory. While nine Of the twenty-five
New Testament letters are directed to
churches, four to Christians in gen.
eral, two to the Jews and five; to in
dividual men, this is the only one sent
to a woman.
The writer was John the aged, her
spiritual adviser and intimate friend.
Often entertained at her home in
Ephesus, he. often thought OF her
when out Of the city.
I believe we are right in giving her
a name. The word translated "lady"
in the English text, in the margin is
"Cyria." Like Martha" in the He
brew, "Cyria" mea LADY" but was
i just as much a girls name. among the
i Greeks as Flora" with the Romans
or "Grace" with us.
Cyria, then, was a we'll known
Christian with no less than four chill
dren. At least two were young men
whom John had just found to be
steadfast disciples in the town where
he was holding evangelistic services.
There, too, was the home of Cyria's
married sister, as we'll as Of some
nieces and nephews. With them the
apostle probably stayed. Cyria was a
widow of means, leisure and inclina-
ton for good works.
Not long before this time, Petron-
rus. Nero's "arbiter of elegance" 8
prominent character in "Quo -Vadis,
published his "Ephesian Widow" II
is a satire upon silly women, living
for pleasure, devoted to dress, so evil
minded and foul mouthed that its
translation Is prohibited our mails
The contrast between that typica
heather widow Of Ephesus and thi:
: typical Christian widow of Ephesu!
speaks most %eloquently Of how the
Gospel transforms womankind.
The motive Of Johns letter is two
| fold: To commend the widows chill
dren whom he has seen and to war;
the widow lest the children still a
home be contaminated.
5 Only q. pastor fully understand
Johns delight at writing with a clea
conscience. only a mother fully under
stands Cyria's delight at reading witt
beating heart, II rejoiced greatly tina
I have found some of your childrel
! walking in truth" Archimede
leaped out Of his bath shoutin
r Eureka! / have found it." when h
: there discovered the long sough
e proof of his pet theory. John erie
out "Eureka!" with even more joyfu
:. intensity when he finds in Cyria'
). children proof of his and Peters the
): DRY propounded- at Pentecost, 9TH
: promise is unto you and. your chi
+ dren." When boys could go ava
i from a Christian home and, in tn
:, midst Of paganism, live pure, Chris
like lives, Johns preaching q. ha
passed beyond the experiment;
. stage.
= A shadow falls over even this 10,
= Some Of you children" indicate
that the cup of happiness was not flu
to running over.
Rumors. had reached John TIL.
Cyria's hospitality was being abuse
"a by plausible counterfeits Of Christie
-. ministers who were circulating tt
blasphemy that Christ did not real
l. live on earth in flesh and blood.
II was only an appearance. So the.
" men were later known as "Docetists
a Those children were in imminent da,
y ger Of being led into perdition by Il
heresy which asserted that only les,
Of Nazareth was crucified: not Il