The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-04-01
TN: CHURCH MENAGERIE
April 4. 'O9-(Acts 1O:1-4s).

uc bitdt anu pTGdCUeT vi
the new religion fell into a trance
while Ae was praying OIL the house
top, and in his vision he beheld a
great sheet let down from heaven in
which we're gathered all manner OF
fourfooted beasts OF the earth, and
wild beasts, and creeping things and
fowls of the air, and voice said to
him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. But
Peter. liks well-disciplined Jew said,
Not so. Lord; for have never eaten
anything that is common or unclean.
Then came a voice from heaven, What
God hath cleansed. that call not thou
common. Just then, there came
Knocking at the door, and messengers
stood there from Roman soldier. the
commander of an Italian garrison at
Caesarea, a Gentle by birth, but q
worshipper of the true God. beseech-
ing Peter to come and preach the gos.
pei of Jesus Christ to him. In that
way the scales fell from the eyes OF
the great apostle. without the slightest
hesitation he went with the committee
OF invitation and as he had opened
the door of the kingdom to the Jews
on the Day OF Pentecost now he
swung the door vide open to the Gen.
tile world in the house of the Centu-
rion Cornelius. And he changed his
whole course CT conduct because of
what he saw in this great sheet.
All Sorts and Conditions Of Men.
What did he see? He saw the New
Testament church as it is and will be
forevermore. All barriers broken
down. all partitions removed, a
home and dwelling place for all sorts
and conditions OF men. In that sheet
were "all manner of four footed
beasts of the earth" These were do
mesticated animals. oxen, sheep,
horses. The useful and valuable
creatures of earth. These animals
represented to Peter the useful re-
spectacle. honorable, valuable mem
bers of society both Jews and Gen
tiles. Men like Nicodemus the Jew.
who yet needed to be born again. and
like Cornelius. the Roman, who though
a worshipper of God. was ignorant of
Jesus Christ whom He had sent.
In that same sheet Peter saw
wild beasts"-the lion, the leopard
the bear. The Wild beasts represent
ed the untamed savages the barbar-
ians. the .-reat hCwling wilderness OF
men just beyon1 the borders of civili.
cation, those hordes of wild, ferocious,
turbulent denizens of far distant lands
whom the armies of Rome were at
that very moment beating into sub
lection. They must have the gospel.
And Peter saw there Creeping
things"-reptiles. serpents. worms Of
the dust The creeping things stand
for all the races and individuals who
have no higher ambitions than the
dirt. the men and women who nuZzle
in the mud. and who are Shiny and
unclean, they dwell in horrible pit and
miry clay. AS a Jew, every vibre OF
Peters soul would revolt at contact
with such creatures-but as Chris.
tian they look differently to him. The
unclean and the filthy and the abomi.
nable must have the gospel preached
to them. And Peter saw there also
fowls of the air"-the eagle. the lark.
the condor, the flying fowl stand for
the people of high-soarlng ability.
There are men in every nation who
fly high-like the eagle They rise on
majestic ..inniCn to the zenith. These
men OF mighty wing must have
the gospel preached to them. At that
very hour there was young eaglet
being instructed at the feet of CANA
liel. Roman citizen by birth. who
was destined to draw the attention of
ages with his sublime flight. Saul, of
Tarsus.
Harmonious. CIeansed, Exhibited Men.
And Peter saw that these animals
were all harmoniously together in the
great sheet. They were not biting
and devouring each other All ami.
mosities were gone. They did not
growl. nor bite, not hook. nor sting.
The low were brought up, and the
high were brought down. They were
all equal In the sheet. Beautiful pie
ture of the levelling. unlfying, har-
monizing work of the church upon all
men everywhere. There was neither
Jew nor Greek, Barbarian. Scythian.
bond or free, but they were all one
IN CnrlSt Jesus.
Still further they were all
cleansed. Not by earthly rites and
ceremonies. but by divine power. the
old distinctions had been blotted out
forever. They were all secured The
sheet was knit at the four corners,
that is. gathered and held up as bag
by four cords at the corners. 1t was
not platform. from which they might
fall. but bag 70 securely hold them
They might fall down in the bag but
they couldn't fall out. They were kept
securely Many man falls In grace
who does not fall from grace. He
may slip and stumble, but he gets up
again and does not fall away from
God. These creatures were exhibited
on earth for little while and then
taken Up into heaven. So the church
a, p,,x nr avhihitinn hara ~ ohnu, n