THE DOOMED CITY
Two men were on the summit of the mountain which overlooked Ephesus.
They had been earnestly engaged in conversation for some time, and, as
they walked together, Chios said:
'How glorious is the decline of day! How splendid looks the city bathed
in the golden light of eve!'
'Ay, true,' replied his companion; 'and I would that its fate led to
peace, but it is not so.
'Seest thou the great city as it lies beneath us, its shrines and
palaces like polished silver and burnished gold, and its frowning walls
and battlements like a mighty circle of adamant?
'Look at its many terraced gardens of vine, olive, citron, and
pomegranate, and gaze upon its purple-misted sea, and count, if thou
canst, the multitude of white-winged ships bringing merchandise to pour
into the lap of this mighty mart.
'The many-toned instruments sending forth their plaintive strain come up
upon the perfume-laden air, and the song of the priests from yonder
mighty Temple, the wonder of the world, floats lazily by like a vessel
drifting with the tide.
'But, like the city of Salem, o'er which my Master wept, so this is
doomed.
'The time shall come, and ere long, when it shall sicken and die. Those
mighty buildings shall be no more. Yea, the mightiest of them, the great
Temple of the goddess, shall become a wreck, and its splendour be rent
in pieces and distributed amongst the nations, its floorway be covered
with the dust of centuries, and its very site be questioned in the minds
of men.
'The faith of Him I serve shall flourish here and grow until it blazes
out like a forest of fire; but for a brief time only, for the place is
accursed, and love will grow dim and the light depart. Amidst the din of
war men will hurry to and fro in her beautiful streets and squares,
pillaging and destroying as they conquer. Her splendid harbour will
become a wild morass, a covert for the night-birds when the stormy winds
rush over the plain from mountain to sea. Her streets will be deserted
and silent, not a footfall be heard where the myriads trod. Nothing
shall be left of her save a wilderness of marble ruins and tales of her
former grandeur.'
'How terrible!' exclaimed Chios. 'Is that the destiny of beautiful
Ephesus?'
'It is so; and well for thee light dawns into thy soul and thy spirit
purifies, fitting thee for a brighter home. My time is well-nigh spent.
I shall soon go hence.'
'Dost thou leave us?'
'Yes. I go to Rome to work, suffer, and die. Our ways diverge. Yet fear
not. We enter the same haven at the right time. When once a man's face
is set heavenward, God will not remove him until he be fit to enter His
kingdom. I am glad I met thee, and, better still, my Lord and Master
moulds thee for the future.'
'Judah, hast thou ever come into contact with the priests of the great
theatre?'
'No. Why dost thou ask?'
'I thought if such were the case thou mightest give thine opinion of
their faith.'
'That I can do.'
'Well, what think thou of Diana?'
'What think I? That the people who worship her are in earnest. They
believe what is told them. Their forefathers did the same. It was good
enough for them, so they follow--follow like dogs their master. Now and
again those with keener insight step aside and utter protest, sniffing
danger. Most of them are whipped into their place again, and all goes on
as before.... The priests know their work, and are clever. The people
may believe the myths and accept them as truths, but their teachers know
they are fables, and use them as such to illustrate their faith.
'The worship is one of the senses--ours is spiritual, and needs a
spiritual sight only to know as much of God as the soul of man can
comprehend. A dreary shore with the great darkness around is to the
Christian a temple filled with light. Thou hast friends amongst the
worshippers of Diana, Chios?'
'Yes, one especially. She who gave me back my life--the great High
Priestess Saronia.'
'Saronia, the High Priestess! I know her. When thou offeredst thy life
to preserve mine, I saw her save thee from the lion.'
'What meanest thou?'
'She killed the lion's strength. One look from her could quell many such
beasts. Her gaze would stay an eagle in its flight, and bring it
earthward to her feet, swifter and surer than an arrow winged with
lightning. She is deadly with her power! A mighty foe to those within
her sphere, but with a follower of my Master she is powerless. The least
in the kingdom of heaven is greater than she, and thou, Chios, art
greater than the mighty Saronia. The Spirit which leads thee is the
first, the greatest, the Lord of Hosts. All principalities and powers
are beneath Him. Before His gaze the rebel prince fell like lightning
from heaven.
'Listen, friend; I think I read thine heart. Thou lovest this terrific
being--is it not so? Tell me. Thy secret shall be well kept. I may help
thee.'
'Thou speakest truly. I know I am safe in thine hands. I trust thee to
lead the way for my eternal good, and I may confide this portion of my
life's history to thee. 'Tis a passion which may never be realized, but
I dare hope she may be won for our God--and what a mighty spirit for
good she would be!'
'Chios, her great spirit is of no common order. It has lived through the
ages, and for the time is deeply buried in its prison of clay. We will
awaken her, if we can, from out the cold and damp mists which surround
her. This clay form to her is as Hades.'
'How can it be done?'
'This wise. The man who lives in harmony with God has the Deity on his
side. He is a son; the Lord is his Father. Speak to Him as a child, and
remember His power is infinite--and I will pray the Father and His Son
that help may be given thee.'
'Tell me of the Son.'
'His Son is the Christ. To the Greeks this is foolishness, but be thou
led by the Great Spirit, and He will teach thee all things, and thou
wilt love the Son, and He will work with thee to win the desire of thy
heart.'
'I understand not. These mysteries are well known to thee, and I obey. I
am young in the faith, and cannot run.'
'For the present,' replied Judah, 'thou wilt do well in using thy faith;
but the time will shortly arrive when thou wilt understand. Great is the
mystery, clouds and darkness are around Him. Thou hast placed thy feet
upon the ladder; as thou climbest thou wilt emerge into brightness.
Trust and learn. As a pilot takes the helm at the harbour-mouth and
shapes the course betwixt the sands, so mayst thou give way to the
Great Pilot, and thus obtain abundant entrance into the haven whose
promontories run out from the eternal shore.'
'Thou speakest again with authority?'
'I do. For awhile my spirit freed itself from the body, and moved into a
sphere unseen, unknown to mortal eye. There I heard truths which no
language can convey--not even your beautiful Grecian tongue could reveal
them. I heard the language of Heaven, and was taught of God things
mysterious and unlawful to utter; but I shall hear the grand rhythm
again when I return home.... Now the sun is gone, and the west is banked
with night-clouds. Let us depart.'