The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1918-08-15
EZEKIEL

Have you ever given serious thought to Christi
anity? Not much to what it is as to what it has
done. is doing and will surely do in the coming
years. Very few folks do think on these things,
while of those who do give thought to the matter
hardly any approach it seriously and earnestly.
Why such indifference exists could not be accurate
ly or satisfactorily told Perhaps it is because
Christianity has come to seem commonplace to peo-
pie. Whatever the cause it is fact that all peoples
Christian, pagan, indel. every class. creed and
accept the force and position of Christianity
natural circumstance looking upon it as just
present part of ordinary living when in reality it is
the most remarkable happening recorded IN the his
tories of mankind and the greatest force that human
lives and affairs will ever feel
In even numbers there are on the earth six hun
dred million Christians and one billion Non-Chrst-
ians Two thousand years have not yet passed
since the Christ walked among men to counsel and
teach them, but today the nations standing first in
learning, arts, refinement. purposeful living, all as
cending progress, the Christian nations A
stupendous fact when Isl considered the other
turtles before the Christian Era began when Egypt,
Assyria, Babylonia, Media, Persia, Rome in turn
ruled their world but were unable TO build govern
ments and nations that would be permanent.
History will tell us of the great length of time,
the extended human suffering, the appalling human
sacrifice and the constant Jealous Divine direction,
inspiration and care that necessary to make
Christianity the accomplished fact it is today BY
way of historys pages we may travel back to days
when the eyes of the world turned toward Egypt,
where was the center of power and progress. We
may read about people, Hebrews by name who
dwet among the Chaldeans of southern Babyonia
Especially will details bear upon of this people,
Abram, who was born in the city,, settlement, OF
Ur, on the banks Of the River Euphrates.
Came time when the family of which Abram
was member left the land of the Chaldees, seeking
substance and homes in other land. They
Journeyed far to the northwest, following the
of the Great River" and settled in Haran-now
small Arab village, still retaining the Of Har-
ran, situated in upper Mesopotama the Belik
tributary of the Euphrates. Soon the small band of
people, with Abram as it's head, moved toward
the land of Caanan. Stopping in this promised
land' some ten years they driven into Egypt
by famine but returned in a short while to Canaan
where they settled at Hebron which is to-
day called also el-Khulil- er- Rahman and is of
the oldest towns in the world which is still inhabited,
instead of being simply ruin; nineteen miles south
by of Jerusalem, it has a population of about
| 10000.
| At Hebron and in it's vic unity Abram dweIt
with his family and servants for about twenty-five
years. There lives just ordinarily human.
| They prospered materially and grew in plumbers.
| They lived now in peace and other times went to
war. Because Of the wickedness in the land Sodom,
and Gomorrah and other cities of the plain dis
troyed.
| So the Hebrews lived in Canaan and grew in
wealth and numbers until the days of Jacob when
another famine drove them again into Egypt. In
the land of the Pharaohs they remained for
| some historians set the time at two-hundred aud
| thirty years and others being over 400 years.
| Whatever the exact number of years it was long
enough for the Hebrew people to grow into twelve
powerful tribes of some two-million souls.
Followed their deliverance from the cruel
bondage under Egyptian rule and their miraculous
sojourn of forty years in the Wilderness miraculous
because this wilderness is inverted triangle be-
tween Egypt and Canaan the base of which is only
200 miles wide and the entire of it is but 900
square miles. Not large enough to sustain that
number of people for so long time save by the
providence and miracles of God.
Their probation ended they entered Caanan-
the promised land. The land was divided among
the twelve tribes and each settled upon it's allotted
part. This was about 1400 B. c., closely as as
troromers archaeoogists and historians can deter
mine from data secured which refers to those days.
Some 400 years of pioneer life followed the settle
ment of Canaan These were years that witnessed
with dspossessed peoples and strife between the
several Tribes days of devoted worship of their God
and other days of following after heahens and their
idols. So we come to the death of Solomon in the
year 93l B. c.. when of the tribes revolted. thus
Al Of Toro op1 T,,lo oh