The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1881-01-14

amid all these disclosures of his grand
ure in nature we are each century learn
ing from revelation more completely tht
heart of God who has babe US call hin
Father, it is not prophesy on unwarnant
ed grounds to say that the man of the flu
ture is to have more potent love of God
than the man OF the past, more potent
in shaping that character which is 10 be
the better thing for us.
The same is true in our appreciative
| acquaintance with mankind. And while
We have just as good reason to believe in
the doctrine of total deprayity, as did
Paul, Augustine and Calvin, We have
vastly greater reason to know that there
| is not man who tTeads the earth who
does not have claim upon our service
and love.
| Contrast the views which we have of
heathens and those which were held by
the christians of fifty years ago, even.
| When heather Cinnamon attend worlds
fairs, buy and man steamships, accOmp-
llsh by cunning and patience tasks that
We could not perform, they cease to be
the degraded beings whom we love be-
cause We have pity for them. They are
men like ourselves, whom we would see
add to their many virtues true piety, and
for this reason the faithful christian of
to-day will leave home and native land
| to save men whom the world and the
church need as forces for the right ,
The fact is, my friends, that We cannot
turn in any DIRECTION without discover
ing on every hand evidences that the
world is full of philanthrophy
| Why the grand campaign for
| Temperance: Because alcohol is more
| cruel than yOre: No: it is because we
| have profounder interest in those who
are in danger of ruin from drink. Our
| large cities and our smaller towns are
| filled with these benevolent orsaniza-
tons which employ the time, money and
thought of those who have learned To
sacrifice themselves for the good of their
| fellows; and all because never before has
man seemed more worthy of being sac
rifced for; that is, more worthy of our
love. So that, as it seems to me, man.
kind has occasion to grow In character
as 1t could not in the past, because it is
| going to school to love, and love has
never been so good a teacher as to-day.
And granted, that given the elements of
| power, We can secure greater results, IN
der divine leadership. the coming man
| has better things in store for him in the
| direction of character. For truth, JUS
tice and love, the three potencies under
lying soul life, haYe an efficiency that
they have never possessed in the past.
/
else fail of securing the practical object
which l have in view of pointing out
the way in which you and can secure
better things, of the good time coming.
l have given you only the outline of the
thought underlying our text. / have
called your attention to the fact, that
| this is the best moment the world has
ever seen; that this best is good, that
the future is better than the best has
a. IL, So q.
is in character making under the tuition
of truth, justice and love. have time
for four practical suggestions. First,
progress is providence. As our text
SAYS, God has provided some better
thing, and just here lies hope. Truth,
justice and love are efficient ferces. God
IN them makes them sufficient.
At times the outlook is exceedingly
dark, there seems TO be no advance. The
enemy begin to shout victory. 1t is then
that we cry out with the Psalmist: The
Lord God will help me, therefore shall
not be COMPOUNDED, therefore have l sci
my face like a flint, and / kjs0tc that /
shall not be ashamed.
Sin strides forth and attempts t.
thwart Gods plan, but 1t only serves as a
foil which makes more manifest the love
and might of our King. Every man OF
us who believes in Jehovah is perfectly
confident that the plan which was laid
before the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for Joy
is to be developed steadily, surely and
gloriously until the hour when the uni
verse shall hear the words: Il am the
bright and morning star. And the spirit
and the church say come, and whatsoever
will let him come"
I'd. Progress is evolution, not revo
luton. I mean by this that the begin
ming contains the end; that it is never
necessary for God to recast his plans
nor wise for man to try to improve them
All that goes by the name of progress is
not real. Better things in mans estima
ton are worse things in the sight oil
heaven. Gods better things for us arc
the result of an expansion Of that love
which before the foundation of the world
, arranged all the forces that make fol-
righteousness and true success. The
insane struggle made for many Z
reform in society has the same relation
to true progress that an attempt to dis
cover perpetual motion machine does
to mechanics. No man is in the line oil
securing better things for himself and
the world who ignores the underlying
principles which have secured the good
of the past and the present.
The tree which is to grow for the heal
ing of the nations cannot be hewn by the
radIcalism which would extirpate it
Science and philosophy are not to take
the place of religion in the good time
coming, but each are to be wide portals
to the temple wherein sits true piety.
Progress is, in other words, the result
of an evolution of all the forces of relig
ion, never that evolution which would
extirpate from the universe the seed Of
growth.
3rd. Progress is personal. Better
, things for uS means better things for you
and better things for me. The whole
analogy of nature argues progress by de
velopment of individual forces. How
ever vast the combinations may be God:
forces rarely if ever are lost in each 9th
, er. They act as allies on occasion, but
, when the end is achieved each returns tC
its own premise. They are not TO stand
or fall at the last by their nationa
or tribal or family connections, but az
persons. Organize society, then, al
We may, and often must, rea
progress must obey the universal
law and be personal. And just here thu
whole force of the vast truth, which w,
are considering is concentrated and like
the effect of lens in collecting The
rays of the sun, should this thought b.
burned into our being, that would w
: |
, come, we must make sure that the king
dom is coming in our own souls.
No man of observation, of learning
above all of piety, needs an elaboration
, OF the truth that, progress, the bette
| things of the future, is personal Fin
. ally, progress is universal. A true lifl
anywhere helps the world everywhere
f You and may not trace its effect, Meth
! er can we discern the individual effect o
: ., Il r L. Il
. disclOses, accomplish the wonders of til,
. world.
! My life and years are needed, says tn
E text, to make perfect the lives of thos
who have gone before. The day o
I judgment is divinely spent in bringing
to mind the cup of cold water which III
. barefoot girl gave in a rusty cup to
: rude but thirsty man, who, for Christ
f sake, had his thirst quenched. An,
i character shaped by truth, justice AM
a love, will find place in the counties
/ host, which no man can number, an,
q many a comrade in those ranks Will the
| declare that the life he saw in you OF m
: gave birth to the same life in theirs, an
{ made them of the vast company of tn
l. redeemed. So true is il ever and alway
J, that Individual progress secures univel
!, sal progress.
| Have faith, then, my friends, CON
rades, fellow soldiers of Jesus, in tn
: good time coming, in the better thing
\ for US in progress.
!. Let it shape the plan of our lives, Il
4 it brood over your culture, let it chos
e your friends, let it enter the least actio
v of body mind and soul until cree
t courageous, strong you shall each an
r all be true knights under Him of WHOM
d the Poet Laureate has sung:
e "Ring in the valiant man and free
The larges heart. the kindiIer hand
Ring out the darkness of the land
s Ring in the Christ that is to be-
The beautiful anthem: 80 Lord Ou
: Governor, was uroduced with sDIendi