Morning journal and courier., 1893-09-25
THE RUSH FOR LAND

THE RUSH FOR LAND
At the Opening of the Cherokee Strip
Referred to by Rev. DIR. NIcLane In
His Discourse at the College Street
Congregational Church Yesterday
Morning-The Conflict Between the
= Good and the bad in Man-Some
Men Are by Nature Essentially Sinful
MOT Our Sin But Our Attitude |
Toward Our Sin the Important |
Thing-The Love of God Will Deliver !
Usand Set Us Free From Our Sins. |
A large congregation listened to a most |
excellent sermon yesterday morning de-
nvered by the Rev. DR.. McLane at the Col
lege street Congregational church. He
prefacsd his remarks with a few ideas con-
earning the recent opening of the Cherokee
land strip, in which he said:
ga few days ago an event occurred in
this country which peculiarly illustrates
some of the underlying principles of our
civilization. On the morning of the 10th
of this month in the southern part of Kan
sas men, women and people of all desc.ip-
tons were gathered together for a mad
race of 100 miles. When the signal was
given by the United States soldiery the
race began. One mar was killed. Another
strong young girl mounted on feet steed
outstripped the others and thus secured
coed 100 acres of land. By evening all the
land was taken up and thousands were
wandering about without any kind of a
claim whatever.
"Now the question is, have we the right
to give away land forever in this wayl
Uh0 no 10 lob t. fri. r a.
| JUST We may be able to say who shall
! possess 1t to-day and on what terms But
\ can we decide for future generations who
| shall hol dand possess the landa Can we give
| it away forever? hope you will give this
some thought"
The speaker then proceeded with the
| sermon on the Christians deliverance from
sin by the power of love. The text is
| found in Romans z: 1925, from which he
| spoke in part as follows:
| 'sThat which St. Paul found in his ex.
perienoe Is what other men to. day find in
! theirs. They find conflict between duty
and desire; the conflict between tbs spirit
| ual part of man, which the ancients con-
sidered to bs good and the material part
| which they considered bad. st. Paul re-
gsrded 1t as a conflict between God and the
spirit of wickednees. Man is the center of
this coBfIct. He is much like the old
italian divinity Janus, from which our
month of January Is named and who ia
represented with a double face, looking
both ways. So man looks both heaven
ward and earthward, his better nature car
ryipg him heavenward and his passions
and eoarser nature dragging him down
ward.
"This spirit of evil Is manifested in sew
eral wsys-sensuality, pride, which seeks
to exalt ones self and delights in humili-
ating others, love of the world, going your
own way regardless of your relations to
manifests itself by the supremacy of the
spirit over the flesh. There may be men
who do not have this conflict; they car-
tsinly do not seem to know of it. But If
there is no knowledge of the conflict be
tween law and duty in them it is because
they know no law but their own lusts and
base desires. Conscience is ssred over
and dead. It is held under the power OF
evil and made captive by 1t. But the
man who rows against the current
of the flesh and the force of the
world will perceive this conflict. which
St. Paul allades to. The important ques
ton is, How is it with you, my friend
I Who Ia going to win the daJa Who is GO
ing to be the real victora Which is going
to come before the great white throne to bt
judgedl Will it be the good or the bad
St. Paul locates the true man in the will
Consequently man is to be judged in re
ality by his choice between good and evil
and not by the motives which lead him tt
some of his actions, 1t is tho causative
and permanent choice, which forms man.
general tendency and makes him what ht
is, that we should judge by. Some mer
are born with more passions that others
more temper, more selsuality. A noted
| wi in VA ahnb bod Gry {
brother clergyman on account of his vic
lent temper. He answered, why, / con
troll more temper in one day than you DE-
in your whole lifetime So it ia not oul
temper, but our attitude toward our base,
! natures that should concern us most. Me1
sustain very different relations toward tbi
part of their natures and the sins they
commit under It. One man gives himsel
over to sensuality and is pleased with it
| fraud, and the remembrance of his Gun
ming is sweet to him and he plots again
Other men when they come under the
power of avarice and pride are greatly
ashamed and ely out for deliverance
These men are very different. Crime Ii
not a pleasure to them. Thus the ques
ton arises, what is your afterthought! Il
1t pleasant or is 1t burning and consum
ing flame in your breast? If it is pleasant
then is your soul essentially sinful. David
committed adultery; but are we to judge
David by that's Peter was unfaithful tc
his Lord once, but are we to judge
the real Peter by that alonea Do not the
many songs of repentance of David at esi
his repentance? Does not the underlying
goodness in Peters character show the rea
honesty and truth in hims
"Then how Is one to separate himself
from sin and q sinful nature? If we con
fess our sins, God will forgive. But sin ir
man as rebel is one thing. AS radiant
king 1t is quite another. St Paul cries ou
deliver mo from this body of death. Wher
those singular Siamese twins were alive
one of them WAS seized with mortal Ill
ness and the other had the horrible realizs
ton that he would eventually be seized
with the same disease because of the body
of death to which he was Joined.
''It is only God who can cure US of this
power of sin. But men are continually
looking for some other way. There are
both Theosophical and Scientists in this
city which are seeking this end. There lie
also the new Idealism, which was men
toned by prominent German at the re-.
cent worlds congress of religions at Chica-
60. But they don't any of them provide
for the forgiveness of sins. The idea in
Idealism is not new. People have always
looked toward perfection. But different
people have different ideals. Some
would have perfection in athletic develop
ment, others in scholarship, still others in
business. Christianity, however, does
set an example before the world. Christ
is one before whom all must bow down
and worship.
"Again you must remember that you
can never make yourself good by contem-
plating goodness, or great by observing
greatness. This is accomplished by love
alone. Love Is the power of God. And
in the holy life you must have it, if you
intend to bs Christians. For by the great
love which comes to US in Jesus Christ are
we made free from sin and it's power
Love makes US children of God and CO.
workers with Him. By love Christian is
made chaste, sober, forgiving and besuti-
full in his character. If you are not getting
the victory It is because you are not
loving enough. Don't spend your
time contemplating your sin, but think
rather the love which is our heritage
through the death and promises of Christ
Oh, my beloved, If you want to get free
and separated from your Gin take advar-
tage of the love of your Saviour, SO that
you may be able to say, Il am saved man,
set free, thanks be to God, through Jesus
Christ our Lord"
| AT ST. PAUL,s CHURCH.
/ RendarnA ETaro for tho Efrst