Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-11-12
A DIS 3 FORCE.

Abstract ofa Sermon Preached by; Rev.
ID. +. Bradley at the congregational
Church, Yesterday Morning
Acts XVII-6-"These that have
turned the world upside down are come
hither also"
Tte8e words we're said of Paul and
Silas. They were spoken by a mob OF
roughs Ia the city of Thessalunioa. They
we're words spoken in hate and malice,
by evil men and for a crnel purpose. Ana
yet these never wns q tsuer thing said o.
christians and christianity. Only a little
while before, another mob in another
city had said of these same men, Paul
and Silas, shat they do exceedingly
trouble our city" Every where that the
apostles went disturbance and ccmmo-
tion followed. II was literally the case
that the world was turned upside down
because OF them. Paul. who WAS Que Of
the greatest travellers OF that age, found
that he could travel safely everywhere in
the Roman world, only so long as Q kept
silent about Jesus Christ. But no sooner
@[E
did he begin to preach Christ crncifed
than there was al earthquake in society.
Ii Paul had been q chsrlatan going
about from city to city, humbugging
and defrauding people he would not
have Jared so badly, III he had led q
robber band. ora pirate feet to prey
upon merchantmen, he would NOT have
disturbed the world half as much IS he
did by preaching Christ Jesus Nor was
Paul the only teaehtr Of christianity
who was thus p%ersec8tsd. Every one of
the apostles, from the eloquens and
fiery Peter to the quiet and gentle spir-
lied John, were accused in the same wsy
and suffered persecution and outrage at
the hands OF violent men of the world.
The preaching Of CHRIST was invariably
the cause OF turning the world upside
down. and those who taught men of the
new birth and the resurrection were said
to exceedingly trouble our city"
The characteristic Of christianity mani
Tested in that early day has not departed
from it now that it hes succeeded in
winning snch power and influence. True
religion today is q fcrcs that turns the
world upside down. And that is its BUSH
ness. When the religion OF Jesus Christ
really takes hold OF a mar or a commu
nity it will be q disturbing force there
There is a superstition among people
that the world ia growing better. that
the tendency OF things is to improve.
We talk about crime and selfishnesa and
evil as though there was something in
them that made them grow better. No
thing is sc false. Sin never grows into
righteousness. Growth is only an n
larRement OF what is already present, SO
that evil can no grow into good. When
evil has taken hold OF o community or q
there is no hope for either that they
will ever become good until by divine
power and help from outside OF themt the
evil is ont away and a germ OF good inn
plsnted there to grow instead. This is
what chrletiAnity does. THIS city, with
ILHN L#
its sin and vice and low public sentiment
will never grow one whit better than it
10, II there is any corruption here, il
there is any drunkenness here, if there is
any immortality here now, there will be
ten times more of it in the years to come.
unless some power steps in TO interfere.
Some men are pepetnally complaining
because the questions Of Temperance and
morality are brought up to disturb the
csty-to disturb its trade--to disturb the
harmonious relations OF business men
.hers. u is the old cry "theee that have
trsnes:: the world upside down are come
hither ALSO" And there are men NV
~ ts.rf..e b tahs A,4es IS II stss
asc s,se scte Is aoine u Lut ali sni to
all further disturbance OF this sort. Well,
the truth is, that sort of disturbance has
only Just begun. The campaign is only
Just opened. Last Tuesiey was Bull