Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1894-08-02
lNFlDELITy THE CAUSE.
SERMON DELIVERED BY REV.
s. A. CALDWELL,
or the Presbyterian Church, this
cIty, on the Subject of the Re-
cent Labor Trouble The Cause
The Antidote.

onr Lord Jesus Christ, and TO the doctrine
which is according to godlinessj
He Ia proud. knowing nothing, but doting
about questions aud strifes OF words. whereof
cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmislngs.
Perverse dlsputings ofmen Of corrupt minds,
and destitute Of the truth. supposing that
gain Is godliness: Il Tim 9, SIS.
For God lie not the author Of confusion. but
Of peace.-I. Cor. u; ss.
IL would seem almost superhu-
Gus to again call attention to the
essential benefits of Chi istianity on
the world, so often has this truth
been impressed from our pulpits
and public platforms and by the
press and exempli6ed in the lives
Of men and of nations. But it is q
fact of human nature that we are so
corrupted and perverse that we
continually forget and neglect the
greatest and most evident facts
of life and morals, until we are
brought face to face with them by
some great and startling occur
renee.
| want to direct the thoughts of
the people into a channel that some
of us at least have not fully fol-
lowed out. 1t is the idea found in
the second part of the text, that
"God is not the author of confus-
ion, but of peace" And may as
well say here that this line of
thought was suggested to me by
some facts in connection with the
recent difficulties between labor
and capital. l want to show that
the root of this whole matter lies
deeper than the oppression of
workingmen by capitalists. That
is no doubt one of the causes. 1t
takes scarcely glance 20 see that
workingmen have just cause to
complain Of their treatment at the
hands of employers. But even the
secondary causes are more than
this.
1t is just one of the difficulties of
our nature that we find it easy to
select a secondary cause for evils
aud overlook the real central cause,
the tap.root, from which all other
causes spring up and by the vital
ity of which they bear fruit in just
such disastrous occurrences as we
have had in this present strike with
all its riots, lawlessness, murder
aud treason, all secondary matters
growing out of the central and great
evil the neglect to recognize Gods
authority and to obey His precepts;
refusal to accept His solution OF
labor problems, problems of gov
ernment and problems of life.
The psalmist tells us that "the
fool"-and only. the fool-"hath
said in his heart There is no
Cod" and all history has shown
him who rejects God and Christ to
be a fool, not in that alone, but in
all his acts and decisions. We
might begin and present scriptural
incident after incident of the de-
structive results of this practical
atheism" In fact the whole his
tory of Israel might be divided into
periods of belief and worship of
God, periods when nothing with
stood their progress and prosperi-
ty, when, led by Joshua, they cap
tured Jericho, drove out all their
enemies and rested in peace, and
periods Of return from exile, bond
age and want to homes of peace,
freedom and plenty, when Gid
con went forth with his band OF
faithful men and conquered the
mighty hosts of Philistia; and on
the other hand periods Of "practic-
al atheism" rejection of the wise
counsels of God and refusal to obey
His commands. At such times it
was that the food came and swept
from the earth those who scoffed at
the laws of God, those torrents as
they rolled laundering in their
ears:
The wicked shall psrishj
The earth where they trod
Shall be laden no more
With the scoifers OF God
At these periods it was that Sod
ON and Gomorrah were destroyed
by deluge of fire; that Elijah on
Carmel made that onderful test of
powers Of God and of Baal, when
at his word all those wicked priests
perished. To Ahab at that time he
said II have not troubled Israel,
but thou and thy fathers house, in
that ye have forsaken the COM
mands of God, and followed Baal-
im," which was no God.
1t was this atheism, ,disobedience
to Gods laws that carried Israel
away captive into Babylon and it
was this that gave the power over
Judea into the hands OF the Ro-
mans just before Christ came. can
safely challenra anvnna 10 ahnw