Smyrna times., 1893-07-05
Rev. Adam Stengle On the Signs of
the Times.

Rev. Adam Stengle On the Signs of
the Times.
The pastor of the M. E. Church,
Rev. Adam Stengle, gave a treat to his
last Sunday morning in a
very strong and able sermon. The
scholarly and forcible style in which
he handled his subject was a notable
Mathews, 16 chapter and the latter
part of the Sd verse. "But can ye
not discern the signs of the times" He
started out by giving an historical
sketch of the Jews how the Pharises
had united with their enemy, the Sad
uses, against the working of Jesus, and
how at different times, unusual occur
rences took place in the heavens as
signs of God-The star in the East, the
voices from heaven, the spirit in form
of a dove, the coming of the wise men
OF the East and the song of the angels
were the biblical signs alluded to. But
a brief sketch of the historical signs
was only referred to as he wished to
extend his subject to modern times.
He said he wasn't a pessimist but
rather an Optimist. He believed the
world was growing better and that there
were mOrd and better men now than
had ever lived. While this was so,
there were certain portentious indica-
tions ahead of troublous times for the
church in conflicts on great issues.
There were tremendous storms brew
ing on the horizon, storms to be of
fierce conflict with Christ's church.
There will be and there must be ac-
cording to the signs presented, a great
revolution, and this would be in a per-
iOd of the next twenty-five or at least
fifty years. He then went on to name
the signs that appeared in the sky,
signs OF the times that point to great
events.
The first was the liquor traffic. This
monster of hellish evils that was defil.
ing the church, cOrrupting the politics,
and adding torment and misery to
thousands of homes and sending soul
after soul to eternal damnation. was
without redeeming quality. 1t is a
conflict in which either the church or
the saloon must go. The characters.
tic OF the two were so diametrically op.
poslte that the one was entirely incom.
patible with the other.
The next sign was the arraignment
OF Science against Christianity. The
scientist attempts to prove that the
scriptures are full of errors and is ad.
vancing conflicting theories. To this
the pastor went on to say that Christ
lanlty was an unequivOcal God-given
truth, and also that science was a con.
trmed truth, and as truth will not con.
tiict with truth, the fault must lie in
the misinterpretations of its truthes by
men. Because a man is a scientist
does not infer that be knows all about
science, nor on the other hand, because
man is protesting Christian, he has
a perfect knowledge of christianity
Therefore the opinions of the two can
not be properly based.
Another sign of the times is the ac
tivity of Infidelity which was gainins
foothOld in the world. This is one O
the hardest contending evils. All owe
the land, organizations of this characte
were being formed and even Sunday
schools where the young minds wer
taught to disregard the Sabbath an
all religious observances. He sutheu
ticated this more fully by reading a
extract from the New York Wort
showing where Robert Ingersoll ha
delivered speech before an infidel al
sociation of which he is presdsnt, d.
nouncing the church and christianit
and giving his views on inidel subject
The antagonism between Labor an
and Capital was another sign Of gray
importance - Communism, Socialism
Anarchlsm, lawlesness and crime-tt
outcome of labor against the progrel
of the church. Labor has its grieval
ces which capital has oppressed, an
the only way an adjustment NAV
brought about is through the gospe
It's noticeable fact that labor is drii
ing away from the church, gospel an
Christ. They act as if the church wa
not in sympathy with their work an
thus show their dissent by absentir
themselves from tie house of God, an
instead, are using the time chs
should be appropriated in Sabbat
IN worship for holding their secret NEE
lngs. He went on to show that I'll
difhculties in overcoming this seer
invincible foe would require great an
. OoIuoSb oHoII Ou Gn6 part OF the cnurC
The pastor then took the four pO;n
and showed how diametrically oppos,
they were to each other yet, the
would all unite to down the churc
The organization and ready union
all the elements are more firmly set
in their effort against the church th,
ever before. He then said there W
another sign of tie times, a sign on 1
other side of the question and that W
the internal strife in the church. Sor
denominations are torn and bleedil
by continual controversies among d
ferent factions of the church, layiI
open to the hands of the enemy VIZ
pom with which to attack US. TT
tt was matter to be remied and befo
these other pending issues could
overcome there must be a hearty q
united effort among the church fore
He then ended his discourse by
appealing admonitiOn to the church
to stand to the front, to meet I
enemy boldly. God was on their 81,
and the church would utterly trium
over all her foes.