The morning call., 1890-11-24
MORAL LEPERS.
1t Requires the Touch of the
Hand to Save Them.
Upon Church Convent ion alities That
Often Debar the Poor.

1.-THE Moral Lepers of San Francisco"
was the subject of Rev. DR.. Easton's sermon
last evening at Calvary Church on Union
square. 1t was heard by a large congregation
with a good deal of interest and profit.
In coming to the principal basis of his
theme DR.. Easton said that alldiseases are
the fruit of sin, and lcprosy is made the
type of sin, of all manner Of unceanliness,
by God The leper could not enter the cities
nor enjoy intercourse with his fellow-man,
upon whose approach he was compelled to
bare his head, rend his raiment and cry,
"Unclean, uncleanr' To touch him was a
gross outrage, but Christ touched the leper
and made him clean. The kindness of
Christ when he laid his hand upon the I'M
clean leper aroused the wrath of the PEG pie,
whose opinions and prejudces were on the
side of the existing law. In that touch of
holy compassion for the outcast, and the ac-
companying words, II will, be thou Clean"
it is seen that Gud chose leprosy for the
symbol of sin. Christ knew his compassion
would cause storm Of Indignation to arise
against him, but lie needed not the result.
THE PRINCIPLE INVOLVED.
''Such is the historic fact" continued the
preacher. Take now the principle en-
shriued in the fact 70 observe the law and
neglect the higher law Of compassion is re-
beli0n against the divine will. Nothing
shall reign supreme over God 5 royal law OF
| love. Whenever q ceremonial conflicts with
Christs law of compassion, set it aside;
whenever etiquette or conveutionality con-
flict with pity for the poor. set it aside.
THE main thought of the hour is the
moral lepers of San Francisco. We Chris
tlans are to clothe and feed the poor, to pity
the unfortunate OutcaSts and thus save souls
| that are to live forever either amid the glOr-
| les Of heaven OF the eternal flames Of hell.
No man can do any good without coming III
| contact with his fellow-man. Lopk at the
| exam les of Christ in this! Custom and
| cOnventionality are to-day at war with the
SpritCf Jesus Christ. The great fault OF our
modern church is her love Of ceremonialism.
the secret why she has lost her power; and
even the pulpit has its conyentionalities. The
great doctrine of Christ should lie pressed
home, irrespective of what it may cost.
1.-THE question has been asked. Why
| churches do not grow? An evening paper
the Bulletin-sOught to answer that ques-
| tt0n last week. IL is not because ChFlst has
lost his power, but because the church is
suffering from the dry rot of conventional.
ism and etiaue;te-there is no compassion"
CHRISTIAN COURTESY.
The preacher pleaded for generous Chris
| tian courtesy, and went on to say: eff a
Christian possesses the love Of Christ in all
its burning power he would never 20 wrong
nor offend in what he says. There are
times when courtesle5 and times when con-
ventionalitieS are out of place, aud yet as
| Christians people are drifting along, letting
| outcasts and o;her fellow beings continue
| on their road to ruin because the conven-
| tionalIty of social etiquette cannot be passed
| through. Shall moral lepers die because of
the conventionalties Of society? We are
bound to lift up our fellows Oh. the touch
| OF hand! How much 1t sometimes means!
The question is not 50 much what would
became of the fallen men, the crime-cre-
| ating element OF this city, but what will
become of the church that fails to help
them and extend hand to touch them.
Wonld not there be commotion, rustic,
If some tainted leper-an un iortunate
young wOman-should enter our church to-
night2 There is no use in Disgusting the
TACT, the Door are not wanted L am glad
ITO know and see it is not true of this church;
| the poor is ever welcome to seat in Cal
vary.
AN ABIDING HORROR.
Suicide is the abiding horror of the hour.
The poor girl, Stunned in her misery, looks
to it as her last and only hope. Oh we who
have happy homes; We whose children kneel
in their innocence, put out your hands to
touch the poor leperl The 1iend in human
shape who has worked her ruin is the lcper
for whom have nothing but condemnation
shall Christians not put themselves in
contact with the worst element of s0ciety?
Why not? Christ did, and there is nothing
that you can find in this wide world more
false than conventiOnality. Is the servant
makes us God-like. Never did person
suffer by doing good work among the poor
lepers. Christ WAS greatest as savior
when he stood by the poor wretch that
cried: 'Unclean! Unclean! Words with
out the grasp OF the hand are cold. Never
will we see the thousands of poor moral
lepers in our cities saved until we give them
the grasp of the hand"