Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1911-12-13
HISTORIC SETTING
OF A GREAT Sermon
BY Rev. M. D. Mitchell at Union
Thanksgiving Services
EGYPT WAS CRADLE OF WORLD
Midway Between Eden and Calvary
God Called Abram

Lexington, November go 1911, from
Psalm GIL. The Lord reigneth; let
the earth rejoice. was as follows:
Egypt was the cradle of the
world. She, Jacob-like. held out OF
her order the birth-right OF nations
and was a hayward, ignorant child.
A nation shcu have been founded
upon the direct family and tradi-
tions OF Noah. But Egypt organized
government, such as it was. created
forms and religious beliefs and cult.
waited the primal arts Menes was the
founder Of dynasty and Uruhk was
their temple bailder. The people
studied philosophy. surveyed the
heavens, carved in stone and wor-
shipped every conceivable thing
as God. and believed in the TRANSMIT
grafton of souls. Withal they were
stern, sedate and passionless race.
1T is strange that the first civil
zstion OF mankind took place in a
country least conducive to the evo-
luton OF mobility in character-but
so God permits. The monotonY OF
landscape and the unyielding heav-
ems made the character of the
Egyptian what he WIS. But q pro-
found sentiment evidently swayed
the minds OF some of their greatest
kings.
1--WE must see and admit that the
weakness OF ancient civilization was
it's Ignorance of the true God and
the probationary and tempors
character of this present world. A
very few OF their greatest men saw
the dim light of truth as the half
blind behold the light of dav.
The old kings looking from their
palace windows in Memphis saw the
sun set behind the western plateau
that had parallel with the great
river. Musing upon the decline OF
day, they conceived of building
their tOmbs, the great pyramids,
along the crest OF the plateau as il
they hoped after death to travel in
spirit towards the rising Of a new
life. Thus these people did the best
they could for three thousand long
years, and q civilization thai occu-
pied so long time in rising and in
falling evidently had some tenacious
hold upon the essential rock OF
truth.
Let this be observed of Egypt:
She took the world up unorganized.
untu tored-a mere struggling, scat
tered remnant of the old family
stock-she CROPPED forward for two
thousand years before her weary
shoulders gave out under her bur-
den. In the year 1000 of the worlds
life God found = single man who
met his purpose and with him he re-
lieved the people Of the Nile. This
man was Abram OF the Chaldees, q
race descended from Shem, the Sec
ond son Of Noah and pro9enitor of
the Messiah. While whole sections
of Asia were sleeping, this virile
blood of the house or the ark build
er surged through great hearts
that built homes aud cities and
states. But they. too. we're idola-
tors-in two thousand years OF
struggle toward the light the world
had progressed no further than to
plaintively worship the heavenly
host-but this worship was pure if
it we're tragedy of ignorance.
Here midway between Eden and
Calvary God began direct, active
work in the interest Of Christian So
ciety. He called a man to found
people who should become the GUS
todans of the written Law and
through whom a woman should
come worthyof becoming she mother
of His only bsgottsn Son.
"Abram was Gods first man In
organized society. Beside many an
altar, under many q starry sky this
mans heart cried out in living
prayer--because upon him dsvolv we'd
a world. all-tiue movement. When
Aoram was converted to God from
idolatry men bad neither vision nor