The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-08-16
DUDES OF RELIGION.
TERN APrLrED ny DIR. HAWTHORNE
To Parkburst. Briggs and Preachers Of
that CIsss-sersnon I'm Richmond Sun
day-Church News OF Interest

go ~ '''"e "'"so Ath engagement tnere was
well rendered. Mr.. IL. Thurston Cardozo
sang Rodney's Mount of Olives" for an
ohertory with his usual taste and expires
sion.
The text of the reverend gentleman was
taken from the second chapter OF the
Second Book Of Kings the 18th verse.
where are the words: Where is the Lord
God Of Elijabfp and he said in part.
Has the God Of the prophets and the
apostles Withdrawn from the EARTH Does
be no more dwell with men Has he ceased
70 work wonders among them Has human
trailty ceased 10 touch him And human
prayers ceased 10 move him?
II he IS still accessible 30 mortals here be-
low. and the windows OF Heaven still stand
open IN answer 20 prayer, how shall we &C
count for the condition of the religious
world OF to-day? Why IS this apathy aud
deadness IA the churches and this lack of
feryor and courage and power IN the pulpit
How shall We account for the fact that
after more than eighteen hundred years
after the crucl6xion Of our Lord inhdelity
Sun nAuuts It's nag ia our faces and chal-
lenges Us TO prove that our God Ia ANYTHING
else than a creation of our imagination Z
Why are the lines of Christs Kingdom adj
vsucing SO slowly Why is there so little
progress IN oVerthrowng idOlatry and turn
ing the Jews from their apostasy and
planting the Cross where for ], 200 years the
crescent has stood
STILL IN THE WORLD.
We are bound 10 admit the pertinency OF
these questions. They will engage tho at
tention Of all serious and honest minds. la
answer 20 them desire TO say that the
God OF Elijah Is still in the world and is as
accessible 10 his people and mindful of
their prayers and ready 10 work wonders to-
day as he ever was. lie has never changed
The power by which Elijah accomplished
wonders was not IN the Prophet himself,
but IL the Prophets God. Naturally, Elijah
was as weak as any OF US. The greatness ia
him was not his own. but Gods. Elijah
has left the earth. but EllJah's God remains
The power by which he wrought wonders
and cOnfouuded hls adversarles has ALWAYS
been IN the world.
All the prophets from Moses to Malachi
had H. John the Baptist bad It. Inspired
by IT, be proclaimed with energy the reveia-
lation and conquered "a nation. Jesus gave
it 90 his disciples and they went forth and
worked miracles 10 came upon the apOs-
ties at Bentec0st with unprecedented
demonstrations ST. Paul said his prophecy
was IA the demonstration OF spirit and
power; by II lac rocked the old prison az
PLilippi on It's foundations, shook the fet-
tiers from his limbs and transformed the
brutal jailer and his house into children Of
God; by It, also he planted the church IN
Ephesus. COlOssi and COuuth COMPOUNDED
the Athenian philosophers and made con-
verts to the church at the palaces Of the
CAESARS.
That power did not cease when the last of
the Apostles fell asleep, for Christ said to
hls disciples. 10, / am with YOU always,
even unto the end Of the world After the
death of the Apostles there was q suspen-
sion of physical miracles. but moral mira
oles never ceased. Ia the renewal of human
hearts. IN the transformation of human char
acteTs into purity, 10 these things God has
wrought miracles one thousand fold greater
than ever attended the ministry of Pa
triarCb. Prophet or Apostle. Such q mira
Gle was the downfall OF idolatry in the k0-
mau Empire and the Reformation Of Luther
and MelanCthon. St Peter was no more of
q miracle worker than Moody. st. Paul.
among the Macedonians, was no more than
Claugh among the Ieilegoos, or Powell
among the MeXcans. or Diaz among the
Cubaus. Every man Is miracle worker
who has led a human soul from the king
dom OF Satan to the kingdom Of God
MRE HAVE CHANGED.
While the Lord God Of Elijah has not
changed. mems faith and feeling have sadly
changed Men who pretend to worship
have got beyond expecting him 10 do any
mighty works. While not true of all 1t
must be admitted that the faith of the ma
iority OF the religious world to-day IS feeble
and unprOductive.
Modern prophets who discard the super
natural in religion have nothing LETT. They do
10 miracles: they stop no Jordans; they cast
out no devils they call no fire from Heaven.
in fact some Of them so far succumb 10 the
materialistlc spirit OF the age that they are
past believing that religion is or ever was
supernatural thing. Even IN old Scotland,
the boosted buwaTk OF orthodoxy, the
home of the covenants. hallowed by the
I..|.r .aN ah ma &c
Chalmers and Guthrie, we hear a PresbYte-
rian minister saying that miracles belong
70 the poetry Of religion. Instead OF being
q help they are a burden 20 faith, and there
fore are quietly dropped out of sight"
This means that Jesus Christ did not IN
reality turn water into wine, nor feed the
multitude with the five ioayes and two fishes,
nor open the eyes OF the blind Barumeus
nor walk on the waves OF Galllee, nor raise
dead Lazarus from the grave.
Ii means that these are not his very acts
and deeds. but only the dreams OF plOus
men. Having eliminated all other miracles
from his creed. we are not surprised that
this Scotohman will not spare even the MIR
acle of the new birth. He says. We do
not become Christians, we are ChrlstiAns
from our birth" But Christ says.
must DO born again" This bright particu-
lar star Of the new theology contradlcts the
] ord OF life and glory by telling us there ID
no need OF any supernatural change.
DR. PARKHURsr.
Who wonders that DR.. Parkhurst. who
has cbampioned the cause OF DR.. Briggs
has allowed his preaching 10 degenerate
into lectures on evolution. politics ana SO
cial reform Like his illustuous contem-
porary OF the Scotch pulpit, be has let the
sunernatural elements Of Christianity drop
out OF sight. and he considers nothing else
worthy of his serious consideration.
The infdels are active IA the dlssemina-
ton Of their ideas and a special committee is
alyavs busy sending literature % the ministry
and on the lookout for any preacher who IN
his efforts for fame departs from the truths
laid down by the God of Elijah and de-
pends on his sO-called culture for ms sue
cess. rather than the strength OF grace
These are the dudes OF religion.
This committee seems 10 have picked me
o,t for suecial attention ia this line and
have received q good many OF their pAmph-
lets and 1 have read enough OF them 10
know that in every one of them they quote
Dr Parkhurst's sentiments and that every
intdei looks on him as an ally. 80
Dr. Hawthorne was hstenen 10 win
closest attention. He was 70 preach at
Orange Courthouse on Sunday night and
open series of religious meetings at that
place during this week. beginning on ias1
night.
NOTES.
The pastor of d.street Methodist
church preached on " Charity sunday
morning. and at night his subject. The
FoOlishness of Preaching" was discoursed
IN an able manner before large audience.
The services at the Mission Tent 10 Full
ton Sunday night were attended by a large
crowd. Several persons requested prayer.