Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

12 T77E TRIUMPHS pj the CHURCH N a mountainous country in Asia, lying on the western slope of a broad ridge, and almost surrounded by precipices of limestone rock, is the ancient city of Jerusalem. Throughout inspired writings this city I and its magnifiicent temple were types of the Christian Church. Long ago that city fell, and yet it is the most interesting phenomena in the world’s history. When Rome, with its capitol, colli seum and forum; Athens, with its Acropolis, bards and philosophers are lost in oblivion; Jerusalem, with its mounts, heroes and temple, will live ripe in the memorv of mankind. Built, as it was, among the tombs of the prophets, surrounded by hills where the world’s battles were fought and the world’s his tory made, having streets where angels walked, it is endeared to every heart. Jews from every quar ter of the globe wander over its ruins until this day, and sit and muse and weep in the shadow of Mount Moriah. Christians from every land dig up the tombs of the prophets, weep on the brow of Cal vary and praise God at the sepulchre of the World’s Redeemer. Indeed, Jerusalem is an honored city! And while the same angel that once guarded it from harm and danger has now turned and smitten it to the dust, the church of which it and its temple were types, lives on, and rising above all castes and creeds, has proclaimed life to a dead world. In the first place, I want to contrast some of the religions of the world with the religion of Jesus Christ. Let us note their rise, career and fall. All the great religions of the past were upheld upon the point of the sword. When India was supreme Brahma sat upon the throne of the world. When India lost the scepter and it passed to the banks of the Nile, Isis and Osiris received the homage of mankind. Then Greece, with her valor, swept the world, and Zeus put on the purple of authority. With the wane of Greece’s power came Rome’s in trepid sons, and the world trembled and shook be neath the heavy tramp of their armed footsteps. Jove, with mailed hand, grasped the thunderbolts of heaven and hurled them in the face of a world. But however important these may have once appeared, they, like stars of the morning, have been swallowed up by a more glorious sun. If you would find most of man’s religions and most of his gods, you must go through the dark and dismal cemetery of the past. India’s temple, Brahma the golden, the scowl of Typhon and the dead Osirus have all faded away and left their thrones desolate. The sun rises as of old, and his smiles kiss the cold lips of Memnon, but Memnon opens not her mouth. The Egyptian mummies are still waiting for the resurrection promised by the priest, while the traditions of this curious people are wrapped in a language now lost and dead. The sacred fires of the Aztecs and Persians have died away beneath the ashes of the past and there is no one to rekindle the holy flame. The hoop of Orpheus still hangs upon the willow and the drained cup of Bacchus is dusty and dry. Hushed forever are the thunders of Jupi ter, lost are the songs of the sirens and over the ancient religions of earth is thrown the mantle of oblivion. | One by one the myths have faded from the hea vens, one by one the phantom host has disappeared, and one by one facts, truths and realities have taken their places. In the march of human history every religion whose traditions were entwined with ex ploits of martial valor must give way to that religion of peace, of progress, of education, of unselfish love. Under the influence of this religion man is tearing away from traditions, ceasing to bow to the mandates of superstition and ignorance and is be ginning to stand erect in the great empire of thought. And I hail the change with gladness. I see no reason why the dead hands of fallen sires should reach up through the moss of centuries and hold back their feeble progeny. It would be better for philosophers instead of looking back through genelogical vistas to see what apes we have been, The Golden Age for March 1, 1906. By C. A. Ridley to look down the march of ages and see what gods we shall be. 'Slowly but surely the church has broken down the barriers between man and man, and today pleads as never before for the Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man and the sisterhood of nations. It is the doctrine of that Man who sat upon the Mount and preached that immortal sermon. His point of vision was so lofty that the boundary lines of nations were lost, and seemed but narrow streets in the same city. It is the church’s busines to diffuse this religion among the peoples of the earth. Will she do it? We answer yes. For be hind her efforts is the power of Him who freed the shackled Demoniac and turned the fishes into the nets of the discouraged fishermen, the power of Him who owns all the olive groves and harvest fields that ever shook their glittering gold over the hills of Palestine; the power of Him who owns all the suns, l|W'< ' -ax JWxW’ ’ C. A. RIDLEY. and moons, and stars, and galaxies that ever sparkled in firmamental space, and failure is impossible. The Power of Her Influence. In all times, in all climes and among all nations wherever the church has raised a steeple or built an altar, civilization has been advanced, woman re stored to her true position, wrongs righted, suffer ing alleviated and man brought into closer touch with God. Along her pathway have bloomed the most fragrant flowers of love and peace and good w'U to men. The lives of the purest and best men of ev ery age have added magnificence to her grandeur and given an impetus to her mission. She has earned the right to build her temples and declare her mes sage. The blood of her martyrs and the prayers of saints have ever been the price of her freedom. When men have clamored for a fetterless brain and a chainless future, they have ever found the church by their side to strengthen and console. . . . And when we think of her antiquity, of the dangers through which she has passed, of the persecutions of bigotry endured, of the many blows of fanaticism she has withstood, and behold her today with the stain of Calvary upon her breast, the glory of the eternal promise upon her brow, the gleam of buried centuries in her eyes, with the years so lightly rest ing upon her unbent form, we are wont to stand with unshod feet and uncovered head before her queenly majesty and lay at her feet the laurel wreath of well fought batlies and glorious victory. Time has not dulled her ardor nor made sluggish the blood that courses richly through her veins. Her feet are still swift when on errands of mercy. Her knees °re still supple to bend in prayer. Her hands, are still ready and anxious to help, and her lips are as willing to whisper words of cheer and comfort in the ear of distress as in the days of her youth. The ages have left no wrinkles in her beautiful face. The burdens she has borne have not bent her grace ful form. Her eyes are undimmed by age, and her ears still open to the faintest cry of human need. There are no threads of silver in her tresses of gold. View Her as a Physician. \ She came into the world as a physician sent from God with a cure for every ache and a healing touch for every wound. Her coming was without pomp or splendor, and silently and mysteriously as the dews are distilled in the morning she pursues her mission destined to become the one all powerful and conquering influence of the world. She grows stronger with every passing hour, and when the roll ing cycles of the eternal ages have ground the plan ets to dust, and the stars have fled before the march of an all-creative God, the church will be in its youth and its strength will never fail. Opposition tends to strengthen her. Storms have hurled themselves against her base, envy and malice with all the foes of truth and righteousness have tried to shake her from her deep-rooted place in the love and esteem of the pure in heart, but firm and immovable she still, stands founded upon the Impregnable Rock of Holy Scripture. She has seen the rise and fall of dynasties, has witnessed the birth, death and burial of nations, has been the chief comforter of the bereaved and broken-hearted in all ages, and stands today as the grandest institu tion and the mightiest force for good in the world. Her face is lifted up in prayer and her eyes radiant with Heaven’s approving smile. The Embodiment of All True Religion. Voltaire sowed the dragon’s teeth from which sprang the fiends of the French Revolution. France abolished the Sabbath, declared the Bible was a fa ble, enthroned a courtesan as the “Goddess of Rea son,” and proclaimed the banishment of God from the universe. Then it was that three hundred butchers raised their battle axes and Paris fell— the bloodiest page in the book of time. But when the crimson crown was struck from the head of an archy the white hands of the Christian religion were on the field to wreathe with peace France’s bleed ing brow. Human systems fail, but not so with the church. Its central thought is Jesus Christ, destined to rule and reign forever. He was cradled once in a manger, but now inhabiteth eternity. Once he stood single-handed and alone, but now His army dead, numbers more people than were ever upon earth at one time, and His army living, is the one. invincible power of earth. When Judah refused to accept His religion, Judah became a by-word among the nations of the earth and a wanderer forever. W hen Rome laid her mailed hand upon it her le gions went down in blood, and it rose in strength and beauty. ... It was driven away to the hi Is and hollows. It cowered in caves. It smiled beneath the ax and spear. It slew the viper envy and brought the barbarian to his. knees. It stayed the red hands of revenge. When it whispered peace grim war laid aside his plume. It brightened the face of grief, sanctified despair and touched with glory the very gloom of th > grave. It kissed away the tears from the fair face of Italy and wreathed with love the swarthy brow of Spain. It lifted Germany from gloom to gleam and tamed the Rus sian bear. It gave new life to England’s withered rose and glorified old Scotland’s honored thistle. It waked dear Erin’s heart to holier time, but hung all the glory on the Cross of Christ. NOTE—“The Triumphs of the Church” was pre pared for a platform lecture by Caleb A. Ridley, one of the brightest young ministers in the South, and is furnished THE GOLDEN AGE in response to the Editor’s urgent request. All thinkers who read this installment will eagerly watch next week for its conclusion EDITOR.