The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-11-24
Driving Out Christ.

Are there not those amongst us TODAY
who beseech Jesus Christ to depart ont
OF their coasts because of the effect of
high religious conviction and noble CHS
tlan sentiment? Are there not persons
who put trade above man? What is
man compared to good balance-sheet?
What does 1T matter what becomes of
the man If the master is all right? What
do [ care what becomes of nv servant if
L am happy? Of what concern is it to
me what becomes Of the weak so long as
l am strong? There are cases which
come before me as public man which
cannot come before you in your strictly
private capacity, which make me Weep
with sadness, and / blame some of Won
for some cases of oppression and distress
which dlsfgure and debase our civiliza-
ton: L include myself in the waiting
curse. That women should be sitting
and making twelve of your carpet-bags
tor eighteen pence that women should
be standing day by day behind the
counter till their limbs swell and blacken
and they can stand no longer; that
women should be made to decorate your
apparel at wages which will not give
them one single hour of relaxation or
wholesome country air-what is this but
preferring devils to Christ? I do not
know where the wrong is, altogether it
IS not wrong you can lay your five
fingers upon and throttle: it is a wide
spread wrong, and nobody is responsible.
Doth not He that pondereth the heart
consider? When he maketh inouisition
for blood will he not identify this and
that man, and yonder fine lady, and de-
mand the price? 1t is not an easy uues-
ton there are faults on many sides, and
probably the whole fault cannot be &C
cumulated and set down at any one mans
door. Therefore / would speak with
forbearance as to the direct application
OF these doctrines in particular instances,
but still do not let us run away from the
solemn fact that there are people in the
world who would set trade above man.
And there are those who calculate the
expense of social regeneration, there are
journals that calculate how much the
missionary societies have expended, how
many conversions they can trace, and
they have divided the one set of figures
by the other. What can you expect from
such men2 Incapable of religious en-
thusiasm, they are incapable of social
justice. There are those who would ask
how many swine there were and how
many men were cured, and they would
divide the one set of figures by the other,
and talk about the statistical result.
hold that if one soul can be converted in
this house it was worth building the
place for, if it should be burnt down to-
day. We should work for men, our
whole passion should be human if one
poor little child could say to me, "Till
your church was built I never knew
Christ having come to see him now to
be fairest among ten thousand and al
together lovely, and give myself right
to him, if he will take so unworthy a
thing if that could be the result Of
this ministry, it was worth all the trouble
and all the money, ten thousand times
ten thousand over and over again and
multiplied by the number Of all the stars
OF heaven. Let us take this view of our
work. 1t is something to enliven a hui
man heart, to Tighten one human burden,
to dry one human tear. IF I could have
the JOY of thinking that this had been
done by any exposition of this narrative
whatever might be set upon the other
side would be less than the srRhll dust OF
the balance.-Josepb Parker.