Christ.

Some one has sounded the note of "a million souls for Christ in a year." This will not be done by spasmodic effort. It will not be done by "rushing" processes. These should not be left out; but it will be done if, in dependence on God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church goes forward in this work and, after the manner of Paul, each minister of the Gospel shall cease not to warn everyone night and day with "tears."

WHAT ARE POPULAR SERMONS?

THIS is a question of great importance, and the answer will largely depend upon the light in which it is viewed. If we look at it from the standpoint of the public press it appears that, if a minister would be popular, he must speak on such subjects as have an interest apart from a purely religious one. His sermons must be æsthetic or ethical, must contribute to scientific-religious thought, or discuss matters of practical interest from the standpoint of the world. During the hotly contested election for the mayoralty of New York, in November last, the papers were prodigal in the use of space for sermons, provided they touched on public problems of the time. The more partisan and bitter the tone of the discourses the more sure they were to get abundant space in the papers, while sermons on matters of purely religious interest received slight attention. The anniversary of one of the oldest churches in New York occurred at that time, and a daily paper, giving an account of the anniversary, as an excuse for not printing the substance of the sermons, remarked, "The sermons were on purely religious topics." The newspapers print what is demanded by the people, and it was evidently the view of that paper that the appetite of a large portion of its readers is not for religious sermons, but for such as have to do with secular or semisecular topics.

We believe, however, that such papers misunderstand the wishes of very many of their readers, and that if a careful inquiry were made of the people of both city and country it would be found that the majority of the people prefer to read sermons which convey in fitting words and with choice and tender imagery and happy illustration the great heart truths of the Gospel. The output of the religious press at this time is simply marvelous, and the great part of it is of a genuinely religious character. There are, of course, equally great productions of the press on æsthetic, political, and scientific subjects; but the point which we insist on is this, that sermons will be popular, other things being equal, in the proportion in which they grasp the great central truths of the Christian religion. The circulation of the evangelistic utterances of our great preachers has been largely in excess of that of the class of sermons known as semisecular or sensational. As specimens we would say the sermons of the late Canon Liddon have had a wide circulation, especially in England, and perhaps in this country. During his active ministry his great utterances were published in book form, as well as in the

public press. The sermons of Frederick W. Robertson were more popular than those of any other preacher of his time. This was in a measure due to the genius of the preacher, whose personality, as well as his style, was so fascinating. The pecuniary profits of his sermons produced a fortune for his family. Spurgeon's sermons in their time were scattered broadcast in England and America, and were read with great avidity by thousands of purchasers. Many other similar instances of successful publications might be mentioned, to show that so far as sermons are concerned this class of discourses has thus far maintained its preeminence in the popular regard.

The popularity of sermons which are devoted to religious teaching will depend largely on the education the people receive through their ministers. In the last issue of the "Itinerants' Club" mention was made of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church of New York. It is one of the most progressive and most enlightened in the city. Dr. John Hall, its pastor, has so educated that congregation, through the years of his pastorate, that his expository and evangelical discourses on the precious blood of Christ, the sinfulness of sin, the witness of the Holy Spirit, and all other great Gospel teachings are the most popular which could be presented to his people. This educational factor also enters into the mode of preaching, whether extempore or delivered from manuscript. The normal form of Methodist preaching is without manuscript, or even notes, but there are congregations who have been so trained by listening to written sermons that they prefer such discourses. This education of people to the preacher's style is only possible in pastorates of some length, and is scarcely applicable to our itinerant system, though it has force even with ourselves.

It is very important for us to remember this because of its bearing on the training of our ministry. The young minister should be taught that the spiritual truths of the word of God, as well as its ethical teachings, when faithfully and fully preached are the most popular with all those who are interested in their personal salvation, and will be most successful in awakening their attention to it. It is the duty of the Christian minister to present these truths to the consciousness of the Church and of the world. One of the dangers which confronts the ministry is that of conforming their services to people who are not interested in the Gospel. The Gospel, truly and wisely preached, and accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit, is, however, one of the most efficient agencies with which to draw congregations, although it may not be most acceptable to the readers of popular worldly journals. When as a ministry we are as careful and as studious and as effective in presenting the great themes of the Gospel as are those preachers who discuss political or semisecular topics in the pulpit, we shall find that Gospel sermons will every time prove to be the popular sermons. We conclude that, after all, the newspaper already mentioned did not accurately represent the true state of the case.

ARCHEOLOGY AND BIBLICAL RESEARCH

THE MOSAIC OF MEDEBA.

BOTH the Dominicans and Franciscans of the Holy Land have of late years manifested considerable interest in archæological researches and questions pertaining to the geography of Bible lands. Many of these monks are men of fine training and thorough learning, and are ever on the alert for that which will aid the Bible student in obtaining a clearer idea of the word. The Franciscan fathers especially are engaged in caring for all the ancient Christian shrines and sacred places in various portions of Palestine and the adjacent territory. These monks have lately published a pamphlet in the Greek language, which has greatly interested the biblical critics. It is entitled The Mosaic and Geographical Chart of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. Found at Madeba.

Medeba, spelled in ten different ways, is in the land of Moab, almost in a direct line east of Bethlehem, about as far east of the Dead Sea as Bethlehem is west of the same. It is on the route between Heshbon and Dibon, about five miles south of the former and fifteen north of the latter. Thus it is seen that the map was found not very far from the place where the famous Moabite Stone was discovered in 1870 A. D. The name "Medeba" is not new. It occurs twice in the Pentateuch, first in that ancient ode found in Num. xxi, 27–30, where we read, “We have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reached unto Medeba." It also appears on the Moabite Stone, which tells us that Omri took all the plain of Medeba, which his successors held for many years. It was also famous during the wars under the Maccabees. During the early centuries of our era it had become the seat of a bishopric. It is now a heap of ruins; nevertheless, the large blocks of marble and cut stone among the débris still bear testimony to the elegance of some of the structures which formerly crowned the heights of this ancient town.

The story of the discovery of the mosaic is full of interest; and as with many an archæological treasure, so with this, it was brought to light where and when least expected. If reports are true the map, though only made known to the learned world some fifteen months ago, was known to a few ecclesiastics as many years before. The story as now told is that about 1882 a monk of Medeba wrote a letter to his patriarch at Jerusalem apprising that dignitary of the existence of the map. The good patriarch evidently regarded the matter as of little or no importance, for instead of sending instructions to the inquisitive monk he merely filed away his letter among his other correspondence, where it quietly rested till after the worthy prelate's death. His successor, however, found the letter and at once took measures to have the ancient relic carefully examined. With that object in view Father Kleophas M.

Koikylides, librarian of the Society of the Holy Sepulcher, an enthusiastic archæologist, was commissioned by Gerosinos, the new patriarch, to journey to Medeba and gather whatever information he could regarding the wonderful map. It seems that a new church was in process of erection at Medeba, on the very site of an ancient ruined basilica. Fortunately the monk was commissioned to examine the new building as well, and thus it seems that he had full authority in all things. Father Kleophas on arriving at the new church at once noticed what seemed to have escaped the attention of the ignorant workmen. He says: "I saw on the right of the floor a mosaic which, however, was being covered with cement. I at once ordered the workmen to remove the coating, and to my great surprise discovered that the mosaic represented on a large scale a map of the three Bible lands, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt." He further tells us that this chart must have been at one time much larger, and included at least a large portion of Asia Minor. This is clear from the fact that in one corner of the floor, in the same kind of work and letters, were found the names 66 Smyrna" and "Ephesus." The map as it is now measures about eighteen square meters, but originally it must have been two hundred and eighty square meters. We are further told that "an old ecclesiastic at Medeba, Suleiman Sunna, still remembers to have seen the larger chart."

This large mosaic is dotted with the names of places, scores of them well known, while many others are less familiar and still others are new. All the prominent sites from the distant north clear to Egypt are marked where we might expect to find them. To begin on the south, we might mention Arad, Beersheba, Gerar, Rephidim; then farther north we have Gera, Gerizim, Gilgal, Sychar, and Jacob's Well; to the east of the Dead Sea are Baros, Zared, and Zoar. Then again we have a large number of sacred places, such as the shrines of Elisha, Jonah, St. Victor, and others. Considerable space is given to some of the more important towns. Jerusalem is shown as a compact, well-built, walled city, with its several gates, numerous towers, well-planned streets, and imposing buildings. On the west side of the city is evidently the Jaffa gate, and close to it the lofty tower of David. On the north side is another gate, built in between two good-sized towers. This seems to be the principal entrance, for it opens into the main street, a long avenue running north and south almost the entire length of the city. About halfway down this street, on the west side, is an imposing structure, probably a church. This is the finest edifice within the walls of Jerusalem; hence some conjecture that it represents the martyrium of Constantine.

Judging from the work and the style of the letters on the mosaic, it must have been made about 400 A. D. Let us, however, append the following note from the pamphlet: "An especial reason for dating at this period is found in the names of the sacred shrines, which are here mentioned and which belong to the century named [between 350 and 450 A. D.]. In addition to this geographical division the chart contains

the old division among the twelve tribes, as also the younger Roman division into a first, second, and third Palestine."

This mosaic when more critically studied cannot but help fixing the location of some sites now disputed or unknown. Even now some eminent geographers and archæologists claim that more than one place mentioned in the Bible and by Josephus, which hitherto had defied identification, have been reasonably located by means of this new map. Be that as it may, there can be no doubt that a map constructed on so large a scale, having the names of so many towns, rivers, lakes, valleys, hills, and early Christian shrines, must add to our store of knowledge and facilitate the study of both profane and sacred history.

The find possesses another great value. It will serve to encourage those patiently toiling with pick and spade in hand in search of archæological treasures in Bible lands. Though Palestine and the countries immediately adjoining have not yet yielded abundantly of their longlooked-for hidden relics, yet it is comforting to know that one by one these are being gathered in. For the last few years have given us several tablets written in Jerusalem, another tablet found in Lachish, the Siloam inscription, as well as some seals of minor value, to say nothing of the Mesha Stone and this fine mosaic from Moab.

ALPHABETIC WRITING.

...

A CORRESPONDENT in the "Arena" for November last criticises the statement made in the July-August Review, "The oldest undisputed specimen of alphabetic writing so far discovered is that in Phoenician characters on a portion of a bronze cup found in the island of Cyprus, some ten centuries before Christ." He cites what he has mistaken for a passage from the pen of Mariette Bey, but what really is from a later source and published in the appendix to Mariette's work. The passage calls attention to some linguistic marks at Illahun, supposed to be the rudiments of an alphabet in existence at least 2,000 B. C. The chief difficulty with the statement is that these rudiments have never, so far as we know, been deciphered. Hence no one can say what they are.

Our article was very careful to make a distinction between the origin of writing and the origin of the alphabet. We said, "The origin of writing, or the use of characters and signs of various kinds to record events and to convey ideas to others, must not be confounded with alphabetic writing. Cumbersome and intricate systems, more or less perfect, have been known to several countries of the ancient world from the infancy of the human race." We further emphasized the fact that the alphabet was not invented in one day or one age, but gradually evolved, and plainly stated that most students of epigraphy think the origin of alphabetic writing must be sought in the hieratic system of Egypt. If Dr. Anthony knows of any alphabetic writing earlier than the Baal-Lebanon inscription or the Moabite stone the Review will be glad to publish it.