The Penn's Grove record., 1914-11-13
The CITY ETERNAL
Impregnable to All Assaults Will
Remain the Walls of
Salvation.

Thou shalt call thy walls Saliva
ton, and thy gates Praise. Isaiah
60:18.
These words are from the chapter
which begins with that glorious out
burst OF prophecy which promises the
Sun of Righteousness as a light to
all people. Then the chapter goes on
to describe an ideal state of society
which is to exist when the Gospel has
obtained the mastery. There is to be
a City of God whose walls are saliva
ton, and whose gates are praise, and
where no material d~efenses are need
ed against the wrath or t~reachery Of
man.
The words are strikingly beautiful
and find a ready response in every
heart as an ideal devoutly to be de-
sired; and yet it must have seemed
Utopian and unreal to the people to
whom the prophecy was given. In
a land that was continually in turmoil
from war without and from dissen-
sion within; in an age when every
stranger was looked upon as an enc
my, and when the first need of any
community seemed to be a fortress,
of what value would be walls Of sal
walton and gates of praise? Surely,
they would be of little account against
the engines of war. When Israel re-
turned from captivity they first re-
built the walls of the city. Nineveh
had enormous walls of vast height,
with a moat 145 feet wide outside the
walls. How unreal seems a city whose
walls are salvation, and whose gates
are praise!
Righteousness and Peace.
There is here an ideal of the state.
In the preceding verse we read, Il
will make thy officers peace, and
thine exactors righteousness" In
other words, the whole machinery Of
government was to be used in the
interest Of righteousness and peace.
But eve to the present day the ma
jority of governments are military or
CARNATIONS. Their authority is based
on force, and they are continually
striving to strengthen themselves at
the expense of their n~eighbors. 1t
seems to matter little to such a gov
eminent what burdens the people car
ry, SO long as the military organiza-
ton is strong.
There is here an ideal of the church.
Thou shalt call thy walls salvation
and thy gates praise" The church
has suffered in all ages from those
who have striven to make it a fortress
instead of a City of God whose only
walls are salvation. Thus the church
has been divided into different hos
tile camps with their man-made walls
of creeds. Men have said unto the
church "Thy walls are predestination;
thy walls are justification by faith;
thy walls are adult baptism; thy
walls are i%nerrancy of the Scriptures;
thy walls are the papacy; thy walls
are ~episcopacy in apostolic success
sion" God says unto the church,
Thy walls are salvation" There ia
its power and its defense.
Walls Are Salvation.
1t is good for us sometimes to be
thrown back upon that unseen wall
that is round about us as Christian
people and as a Christian church. Old
ideas crumble, old beliefs are super.
seeded by others, we are told that the
Bible is not as infallible as we had sup,
posed 1t to be. We have been com
passed about with many material sup.
ports and helps, and we are dismayed
to find how feeble they are when the
enemy comes in like a food. The old
forts of creeds and customs may
crumble away, but there is one thing
that stands between US and destruc-
ton, and that is the loving purpose OF
God to save our souls in Jesus Christ.
Our walls are salvation.
But there are gates in the walls,
and the gates are praise. What a
picture of the ideal church! We are
to ENTER his courts with thanksgiv.
ing and his gates with praise" In
what spirit do you enter the house of
God? In the spirit of Indifference.
or in the spirit of irritation, or de-
pressed under the burdens of the
week? If people entered their
churches with prayer and praise,
what help and strength and balm
unto their spirits would they derive
from W. the simplest services.
The gates of the city are also exits
of the people of God out into the
world. Are they gates Of praise? Do
you hear among Christian people
praise unto God for his mercies?
How often do people speak of the
Church of Jesus Christ in terms of
criticism or of Indifference, when
they should speak of it with praise.
for with all it's shortcomings 1t is
nevertheless bestowing upon it's peo.
pie the greatest blessings which they
possess. Human cities are vulner.
able no matter how strongly fortified,
and some day will see them in ruin,
but the City of God is eternal; and
the only security which we can count
On in this life Is the wall of saliva
ton. II we are living behind that
protection, then our incomings and
our outgoings shall be praise.