Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-06
THE LAW.
Which Must be Preached as Well
as Love.
To Insure the Steady Progress
81 OF Gospel Truth.
Sermon by Rev j. w. Shank, OF the
Frat N. E. Church.

| lobteEuht hiOEuibs lsoN' " W.
Shank, pastor of the Eighteenth street
nj. e. church, showed the necessity of
the minister Of the gospel preaching
the law of the bible az we'll as the gos-
pei of the bible; that the gospel pre-.
supposes a law, and that to-day the
church of Christ would be stronger If
the preaching of the law were not
neglected as much as 1t is. They cry
love and mercy more than they pro-
claim law.
The pastor chose for his text Rom.
7:12, "Wherefore the law is holy and
the commandment holy, and ,just and
good"
The law is a rule of action. In its
primitive sense it Is o rule of conduct
established by authority. As we look
upon this earth with Its carpet of green
or shrouded In Its white mantle; as
we look at Its broad expanse of the
blue deep or the towering peaks which
pierce the clouds; as we look at the
little grain of sand or at the ever.
m owing planet as Its Pickering light Is,
through the great distance, ref scted
to us, we are forced to one conclusion
all things are governed by law.
From the smallest atom to the largest
heavenly body they have a master and
his secondary aspect Is law.
The soul grain quickens into life,
the trees yield their fruit according to
law. The dew is instilled on the earth
at night as tears of sympathy and the
ascending smoke as a leper leaves the
earth, but returns to 1t again to bene.
fit 1t, according to law. The fish cut
tho deep and the trilling birds iuhabit
the air according to law. And while
these thingc ali manifest in every re.
spect law, Is man, the highest of
created beings, an exception2 Man is
q walking code Of laws, and in him is
included not only those laws which are
brought to bear upon the beasts,
which inhabit the deserts and wilder.
uesses, but also those laws which per-
tain to his mental and spiritual welfare.
The mind of man Is elevated morally
&C ording to q law which the same
law. giver has framed who made the
laws for the inanimate earth and the
starry heavens. And when one Ia
blessed spiritually 1t Is the same Je-
hovah, who Is ever present, ever
knowing and eve active, who Is the
author. And the question must be
answered by every man, woman and
child on the face of this habitation,
Are you willing to acknowledge the
supremacy of this la~w.giver?
There are pleasures which come to
man, and they are as verdant GASES on
life's desert, and they are placed there
by law, and the rains Of heaven cause
them to remain verdant and capable Of
refreshing q While there is another
oasis, offering to some. q similar In
ducsment, that, they might be re
fire. shed, but instead It fires the imagi
nation and causes the desert vast,
over which they must travel to falsely
appear as If 1t were q most desirabl,
pathway. And this is established by
law. Let man examine the statut,
books and consult the person wht
frames these laws and he will max,
the great Sahara desert a cultivated
field. But let nan say in his hear
there is no divine law, shd therefore
no ~law-giver, and say to his soul,
"Soul. rest thou content,
While the pleasures DER thee roll,
And the fierce winds sound the Folial
harp,
To pleasures God"
he will cause himself to be the victim
of the law.givers displeasure, and viii
obtain that which Is directly opposed
to that which he aimed for.
There are some who recognize q Law
for state and feel Its need, while they
cannot see the necessity for law
which bind the Creator and q n
laws which are made by Him who
framed the ton commandments, anG
which are q guide to all civil laws
They do not feel the need of laws
which are a guide to the thoughts and
reward or punish man accordingly
They do not see the necessity of tina
which directs and prevents the minc
OF man, as he is preparing himself o.
beiog prepared, for tho life beyond
the grave. But there are laws, though
not appreciated by some, and these
laws suggest a future existence will
the law -giver. %
We live In the days Of liberalism
when the criterion of action ia man'l
will. They think and do, followins
their wi ~inolinstions, And we, al
Christians, must consider the oircum.
stances and work accordingly; and WI
should not endeavor to free ourselves
from the responsibility of the existing
circumstances. We hailed the day
with joy when all lands could heal
the peals of the church bell. But
that advancement Of the Christian re,
igion must continue, and in order
that 1t may be continued we must nct
preach the love and mercy of God
alone, Or it will lose Its power. Wher
the people learn nothing of the
law of God, which law gives
Significance to the love and mercy OF
the gospel. The dark colors of the
law should be placed In the back
ground, and then, and only then, will
the bright colors of love be brought
out In bold relief. Without a law tc
condemn us there would be no neces.
sity whatever for a gospel to release
us from that condemnation. And
when the preachers of the gospel dc
their duty they will proclaim the one
as we'll as the other. The world should
not be in sympathy with the preachers
who cry peace peace! when there Is nc
peace, but they should at least respect
a minister who on account of the ex.
listing laws tells of the way of saliva
ton and that way is a direct one Il
Christ.
If there Is anything for the good Of