The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-12-04

--- salem Church.
AT the New Jerusalem church the pastor
Rev. III. Clinton Hay, chose for his theme
"Idolatry." The worship of idols, he said,
seems far away thing to most OF us. Il
is hard to realize that it once possessed
the world. And yet history tells us OF
civilizations whose temples were filled
with images of gods having no real exis-
tence. The degradation OF those
days was great; it had come
through long downward jour-
ney OF the race from its golden inno-
cence. Images were first made to repre-
sent God, or some OF His attributes. We
love to study the pictures OF the Saviour
painted by great artists. There is good in
this 80 long as we are lifted into a con-
temptation OF the divine love and wisdom
which the artist endeavors to portray or
suggest. But the abuse comes when the
thoughts lose their wings and rest in q
worship OF the images or pictures, or in
the objects OF nature, as themselves di-
vine.
Now, while the worship OF God con-
stantly elevates the mind and fills 1t with
hope, courage, and aspirations, the wor-
ship OF idols has the opposite effect. The
mind tends to the image and likeness OF
what 1t worships. Goddess images foster
the selfishness and low passions OF Goddess
men, hence the rites OF blood and orgies Of
sensuality, the murder OF human victims
and the desecration of marriage, and sac
rifice of children, TO which mankind de-
scended in idolatry.
ii seems strange that all this can be ig-
nored by some schools of thought, and
an evolution OF humanity constantly
from less good to better be urged and
adopted. The lapsing OF the race all the
wor Id over into the worship of idols by
bloody and obscene rites was never an un-
developed good; IL was a fearfully de-
veloped evil, a monstrosity OF wickendess.
Therefore Abram was called out OF It., and
Moses and the Israelites were commanded
TO make no images lest they bow down to
them and serve them in that idolatrous
age. Sacrifcial worship was purified and
made representative of the spiritual ele-
ments OF true worship. Jerusalem be-
came a city set on n hill to be light in
worldwide darkness and desolation until
the Redcemor would come and save the
world from its idols.
We little realize how much this means.
Men once sacrificed their wives and little
ones in superstitious dread OF imaginary
gods; we are cherishing ours in purity
and happiness In obedience TO the re-
vealed commands OF a real God known TO
be loving and merciful. Jesus alone has
fought against the idols OF humanity and
rescued Us from them.
From across the seas we are called
money worshiping Americans. But we
have more gods than that. The ancient
serpent whispers TO our youth inviting
them to forget the voice OF God in seek
ing unlawful qualification OF the senses.
Doubtful avenues OF wealth constantly
open TO our merchants urging them TO the
Baal-worship OF Phpnicia. Pride of in-
teiligence wooes our scholars TO the idols
OF the Philistines. And lust OF power i'm
flames our statesmen to bend the knee in
Babylon.
Even into the church the idols follow
tempting. DO we go 10 church TO please
the Lord or TO please ourselves? Is it di-
vine service or self-service7 II we are bent
upon serving tho Lord through the week
we shall be bent upon worshi ipi1g Him on
the Sabbath. External forms OF worship
when not filled with love for the Lord and
the neighbor are idolstrous. Our Catholic
brethren are sometimes called idolaters.