Smyrna times., 1892-11-16
Thunder From the PnInit.

nv ohnOGhCencHC VI rev. w. W.
w. Wilson on Sunday morning at the
Nj. e. Church, that he would preach
at night on the bribery at the late cleo
tion having preached on vcnal voting
two weeks before and a strong plea for
| the Third Party previous to that nat
urally brought cut a number of politi
clans to hear the other fellows pitched
into" 1t is natural tendency with
public speakers to desire a large audi.
| ence whether it comes to be benefited
or not there is ar inspiration to
fOrceful utterance
He took for his subject the passages
OF Scripture narrating the BETRAYAL
of Christ by Judas for thirty pieces of
silver, very much after the same train
of thought as the sermon two weeks
previous. As supporting idea for a
new discourse, he assumed there was
something good in every man, and as
all goodness was GOd-given, the good
IN man was that much of God, as he
possessed it to a greater or less degree,
or, extending the idea of the Trinity
the good in man was that much of
Christ in him. Applying this idea di
rectly to the late election he drew the
simile very strongly between the man
selling his vote and the act of Judas
selling his Master for thirty pieces of
silver-it was the Christ in him that
was bartered for price.
But he held that the man who. in
the face of great deprivations and
want for the coming winter staring
himself and family in the face. was not
a oe hn -,
tlOns who tempted him to sell the
Christ that was in him. This was fol-
lowed up with strong characterizations
OF the political methods of the day. its
corrupting and demoralzing tenden-
cles, aud pronounced it the great dan.
ger of Republican institutions. He
said he was not there to bring charges
against one party more than another.
they were equally guilty of trying TO
carry the election by money, and no.
litically religiOusly and socially it was
against the best interests of society
and especially against the church. In
closing he read from tie Methodist
Discipline the penalties for engaging in
such practices, and said if anyone
would bring specific charges, he would
violating the laws of the church.
The pulpit, if guided by that inner
consciousness that searches as with a
divine light the right from the wrong
and marks it out with unerring clear.
ness, ought to speak out against such
corrupting tendencies. 1t might show
IN manipulating party machinery one
party secures such manifest advan-
tages as to force the other into what it
knows is questionable methods to get
equal to the other; how names are left
oil oil assessment lists, misspelled in
copying and tax receipts given TO
scores not entitled to them, and the
pulpit might also show that money
given by one man to influence a vote
is no more Vepal than that given by
another man for the same purpose,
who simply feels he is placing his
money in a charity fund"
The majority in any State has ad-
vantages which il does not fail TO use.
and until the minority are given somo.
thing like equal chances in getting IN
their vote, there is little hope tor that
absolute purity the pulpit calls for.
When the dominant spirit in the Amer
lean breast of "fair play" is met, there
is no doubt there will be much less
need of fulminations from the sacred
desk.
Nor ls it altogether out of place on
this line to call the pulpit itself to
state OF introspectiOn. Where the
measure of success among politicians
was that of Success at any cost" and
practiced for years, it is not unnatural
that some of the spirit should have
found its way into the pulpit and been
found creeping along on the same
lines. A whip in the hands of poll
tician and a whip in the hands of a
preacher imbqed with the same spirit,
will aim to reach the end by the same
means-drive like a Jehu, with IRE.
suits" as the watohword. One cal
pad" his lists as well as the other, or
set up his fences" with the most aues.
tionable timber, DOr may either do |
wrong just for the sake of il. but
he wants success, and the stakes must
stand and the figures must swell into
the needed proportions.
Years and years ago the cry was.
Our Fathers, where are They 2n The
cry is just as appropriate to-day, with
the same need Of searching out the old |
paths of virtue.