The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1894-12-07
A SERMON OF THE "PARs0Ho,ss''
Preached at the Dodge CITY Soldiers
Home, SeptembsP>2.
THOU SHALT LoVE7HY NsIeHRoR
The Divine Creator Strictly Lays Down
the Law in Regard to the Rich
and the Poor.

in Hanover Court House, Va, uttered
these words: 81 have no lamp to guide
my feet but the experience Of the past.
The lessons Of history are emphatic,
By what has been we may infer what
will be. By what has followed indiVid-
ual conduct in the past We may infer
what viii follow similar conduct OF
individuals in the future. By what has
been the consequence of a long course
Of conduct by nations, long since passed
from the stage Of action, We may safely
and wisely infer what will be the con
sequence to other nations that follow
a similar plan of action. Both jude
and Peter reason on this hypothesis
If God spared not the angels that sin
ned; if God spared not the people Of
Sodom and Gomorrha; if God spared
not the people of the old world, but
condemned them to a watery over
throw, what is the inferencs? Take
heed lest he spare not thee.
But what were the sins Of these PEG
pie? Shakespeare says: a charge
thee. Cromwell, fling away ambition; by
this sin fell the angels" But what was
the cause and character of the sin OF
Sodom? A nameless vice, the violation
of the rights of hospitality, all spring.
ing from pride, idleness, fulness Of
bread; aud characterized by scorn and
neglect Of the poor and needy.
What was the sin of the antedeIuvi,
ans? Neglect of the Sabbath; for the
imagination of the thought of the
heart was only evil, and that continu-
ally, or every day. Neglect of human
rights; there were giants in those
days and there we're of old mighty
men, men of reuown." In other words
there was a neglect OF all religious OBJ.
servatiOns and violation of all human
rights. Tyrants! That this is so is
also seen by the injunction placed
upon Noah. Pairs of unclean beasts,
but sevens of clean beasts were to be
taken into the ark, But why? Not
only for food but for religious sacraf.
ces. Religion was to be re-afirmed
and required. Human rights were. also
to be reattlrmed and required.
The death penalty was alike fixed for
breach of religious law and for viola
ton of human rights. 'Who SO shed
deth mans blood, by man shall his
blood be shed" "Flesh with the blood
ye shall not eat, and surely the blood
of your lives will I require" for viola
ton of this law. AS Noah's altar
smoked toward heaven, "GOd smelled a
sweet sayor"-margin, "a SAVIOR of resi-"
Unavenged crimes had been expatiated
and blatant atheism had been rebuked.
Luxury, vice, crime and forgetfulness
of the claims Of God and man lie buried
in watery doom, while the bow of peace
and promise spans the sky of futurity
But my friends, passing from this
subject, perhaps you are aware that to-
is labor day." and the COM
mandant informs me that it will be OBJ
served at this encampment; "a day of
rest and a jubilee for emancipated
toilers. 1t naturally follows that in
this sermon we should pursue a line of
thought germane to that subject. Many
people seem to think that labor is the
curse of God upon the children of men
because of the sin of Adam, and they
quote sin the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread" So many of the hu-
man family spend anxious and weary
lives IN a vain attempt to either eyade
the curse altogether or to eat bread in
the sweat of the other fellows face.
But this view is erroneous. Labor is
not because of a curse of God. Only
unrequited, unremunerated toll is a
curse of God. It may be caused by
thorns and thistles springing out Of
the ground, or it may be thorns and
thistles springing out of human hearts,
and human brambles and tarss en-
croaching upon the rights of others or
infesting the ground Of natural and
God-giyen opportunities.
Adam was created in the image of
God" He was placed in the garden of
Eden. What kind Of a place was that
and what was he placed there for9 We
read in Genisis ii SO, "And God planted
q garden eastward in Eden and there
He put the man He had formed" What
was in this garden? every tree beau
tiful for sight and good for food"
What was the man to do there; just en-
joy himself? Let US see, Genisis ii, ID.
And God put the man into the garden
to dress and keep it." What kind Of a
garden do you suppose the infinite God
would lay out, with three great rivers
flowing through it and in which there
was every tree beautiful for sight and
good for food" How would you like the
job of dressing such a park with ali its
tropical luxurianoe? Guess Adam
must have got pretty tired and was
glad when Sabbath came. He didn't
have time to get his meals and needed