The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-10-23
THE FORCES OF EVIL.
The Rev. John Atkinson Advises
How to Vote at the Coming
Election.

hON W tONS ot a NVLnibS
Election.
The Rev. John Atkinson, at the West
Side NJ. E. Church last night, preached
a political sermon. His subject was
How to vote at the coming election
He referred to Christians in politics, and
said that If we are Il Christian State. we
must expect that the men who make the
laws for us will represent Christian SEN
timents. Continuing. the Rev. DR..
Atkinson satd:-
Tonight I am not going to speak of
party. / understand perfectly ell the
pulpit is not a stump. / know full well
the preacher Is not n stump speaker, but
| tell You what the Christian preacher is:
he is n teacher of righteousness. and it
is his office and duty to teach men TO be
righteous only, under all circumstances
and conditions. 1t is not his duty to
teach men simply to go to church and
to sing hymns and offer prayers and then
to go forth into the tolls and temptations
aud conflicts OF their lives without having
guidance of principal to direct them. 1t
is his duty to SO preach Christianity that
his hearers VIII act the part OF Christians
not only In the church. but six days In
the week out in the street; in the places OF
business; at the polls; everywhere. Now,
then, | want to point out to you the
Legislature last winter in Trenton. and /
am not going TO make any reference to it
as a party. but only TO the laws known
as the race track laws / shall not
even stop to speak as to what they did In
regard to liquor and that sort of thing.
/ only say that the Legislature shows
itself to be in league with gamblers
and thieves and the most vile ele-
ments of the community. | undertake
to say that that Legislature elected the
notorious Thompson Of Gloucester race
track: a race track thHu causes the cheek
of every South Jerseyman to burn with
shame when he thinks OF It. Now then,
Thompson and the man of that infamous
race track at Gloucester. the starter at
Thompson's race track, were actually the
two most prominent man 10 that Legisla-
ture. and they dictated the laws that
were enacted.
THE PEOPLES VOICE.
"There were republicans in the num-
Der there and democrats. The majority
of them fulfilled the behest of those few
men who thrived ON their iniquity.
Why, the people supposed they
voices in righteous Indignation. They
said :-'Holdl Don't fasten that shame
and degradation upon us. Dou't subject
our young men to the temptations of the
race track and its gambling Did they
pay n attention, did they heed you?
There was u strong procession of true,
God fearing men, who were welded to
the public welfare and who desired to
see the righteous govern in New Jersey.
and they marched into the State House
and they spoke. Their voices echoed
through these halls. bat brought
no response either of word or
deed. Their voice was not needed.
They would not listen, they threatened,
they would not give n hearing to The
people. they wouidn't allow the COM
mittee to come and argue the case before
them. Another procession is being
me 1t will march 10 the polls on
the Seventh of November and my belief
Is that such is the influence of Christian
sc ointment and the domination of moral
principle In tn Is State that the voice that
shall be uttered at the poll box that day
will not only be heard but needed and
the Ubiquitous laws will be blotted from
the st atute books of our State"
THE FORCES OF EVIL
MY dear friends these forces of evil
that did this work in Trenton last winter
are banded together: they are united and
first of all the love OF evil. I have studied
human nature for a good many years. l
nave tried as a man. as & minister of the
Gospel to find out what is the nature Of
man. / want to know what men are
made Of. aud as a result of nv study of
human ma ture have come TO this con-
clusion-t hat human nature without the
Grace OF God is a poor. mean =, miserable
thing. believe that ali human nature
is q bad thing (my owa included)
and that the ouly thing that redeems
us and saves US is that grace of God
which dispels that evil influence and
which counteracts and e%xtlrpates that
evil la fhe case OF all who accept Jesus
as the Savior. Now, these men love
evil aud they are held together by the
cohesive power of evil. then by the CO.
hesive power of plumber. There are a
great many men who go Into politics for
the sake of what they eau get out of the
people.
MUST BE UNITED.
And now the point ! want to make
here. tonight, is this: That II we are to
accomplish anything. to overthrow
this evil power that has It's
grasp upou us, we must be
united. The forcesof righteousness must
band together, They must stand Shouts
der to shoulder aud move by one COM
mon purpose. the overthrow of wrong
nd the exultation OF right. They u. ust
advance TO The conflict aud the only rea-
son WHY / am justified in speaking here
tonight In this way aud OF this subject
IS the necessity that Christian mon
should act as Christians ii this crisis,
and feel that 1t is my duty as a minis
ter OF Christ to SO tnsti ucr men As to
what they should do in such a state of
Now, such legislation as that of last
winter is a barrier to the progress of
good. Race tracks, Sabbath breaking,
saloons, all tnese Institutions of iniQuity
are opposed to kood.
Il say TO you that when we get GO cd
rulers, as we ought to have In New
Jersey, men will fluid 1t mucn harder to
wrong III 4 they DO now, and they
Will 1nd 1t much more easy to do right.
y, for such a revolution that shall bring
Justice and houor to the front aad reIe-
gate the doors of evil into the back
gronuc where they may remain hence-
10. tn"
MARRIED WEDNESDAY,, DIED TO-DAY.
~Patrolman Michael Shea OF the Second Pre-
cinct, died this morning after q two days attack
OIL peumonia. He was appointed on the force
N July, 1891, and was married on Wednesday