The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-07-23

RbV. BRUCE GRIFFITH HITS NAH,
sQUARLEY ON THE HEAD.

he Reserves the Right to Teach Divine
Laws in the Pulpit But Leaves Statute
Laws for the Judges on the Bench, to
Interpret-Rev. Vail Talks About Ben
Eur and Gives His Audience a More Ex.
allied Idea of Life-Rcv. Colt Insist ed
That He was His Brothers Keeper
Other ermons-
An immense audience was at the Re
tormed church Sunday 10 hear Rev.
bruce Griffith, the popular young pas
tor OF that house of worship. Ii was
given out that nearly all the ministers
would have something to say about the
prohfbitory law and as Mr.. Griffith is
minister who has some practical ideas
many wanted to hear him on that sub
Ject- Outsiders thought that he was
going to say something radical, but the
members of his congregation shook
their heads and said: Gentlemen, you
VIII find out that our minister. while
young and popular, is no less a Christ
ian than the older ministers and a grea
zeal more of a Christian than many of
them Whatever he says today you Will
ind that a genuine Christian spirit viii
prevade it" They spoke prOphetically.
as can be seen by the following re-
marks:
Come unto me all We that labor and
are heaVy ladened and / win give YOU
rest Take my yoke upon you and
learn of me; for l am meek and lovly
IN heart, and ye shall find rest unto
your souls Matt. XI, 2S, %.
he advent Of Christ occurred at the
time of a civilization that was cursed
with all the vices that the race had ever
been heir 20. 1t was crumbling into de-
cay. The very city in which He spake
the words OF this text was cursed with
an Inc lmmoralities Of that corrupt age.
he upbraided its people and warned
them Of what the outgrowth of such a
course must be. And he gave them. as
the specific for the salvation of the city
as whole, the command, Come unto
me. Learn of me-" There is nothing 50
powerful as that invitation, for the
moral reform ofman. / do not care for
1alth and a worship that takes me on
an endless chase and gives me nothing
IN return, which like a boy flying kite
on calm day Wen he must run with
all energy. But l do want a religion
and such a religious worship that will
give strength, that will feed q man
along with the exercise of his powers:
such religion as viii develop strength
OF character, morality, virture that will
IN short. develop all the God given in
stincts that were implanted in the soul
or man. SpasmOdic efforts do not. as a
rule, so for toward developing charac-
Ter. The mushroom comes and goes IN
day The oak tree grows for decades
and lasts for ages. Christ said. Con
sldeT the lilies of the field. how they
grow" They grow steadily by a law
that is in them, not over them
Here in the churches is where true
moral reform must begin. It must have
its start in the individual A people
who can only be gotten within the walls
OF the sanctuary TO worship by feeding
them upon the latest fad in society. the
latest novel, the latest isuue in nation
al or local politics, are a people whose
God given appetites for the good and
the true and the beautiful which wor-
ship should develop into very alb
normal condition.
Christ, the greatest physician for the
wants Of men. set a different idea before
the world, and especially before his fol-
lowers. He says, Come unto me.
Learn of me" Above all other things
for the moral condition OF the world he
set the life giving and soul saving pow
ers of his strengthening grace. He did
not give prescription that would bring
back the dead member Of the household.
or restore the thousands lost by the
business man; but he did promise that
which is greater and better than all
rest He does not begin with the evils
Of life, but he goes to the foundatan
head Of all misery, sin itself There is a
difference between sin and evil. One is
cause. the other a result. Sin is curse
misery an effect. Sin is the violation
of Gods word and Will by thought,
word or deed. We see then that back
Of all evils lies the poisonous source of
the great fact OF sin. That is the point
that the Divine Physician treats We
may cut off vices, as we may cut off a
branch of the cottonwood tree. but a
dozen more branches will be put forth
below the point of severance. We may
turn over new leaf" we nav resolve
TO make reforms. but if our Christian
ity means anything tC us il means that
before we can nope 10 lead the highest
and pureSt life the principle Of evil. sin
itself must be destroyed. That is the
teaching Of Christ. That truth forms
the potent element in the great message
that Christ gave to man. The law of
the state comes in as an aid. in punish
ing crime. 1t calculates to become a
terror To the evil dOer and protection
10 the upright. 1t is a necessary thing.
BuI me CIVIL law does not deal with
sin. 1t is concerned only with the eff
fects Ofsin.
As a worshpp!ng people, what is
your faith in Christ if il is net able to
lead your footsteps in righteousness.
better than any guide that man can put
over you? All the history of pagan
civilization is monument 10 the truth
that there is nothing in human law or
any human scheme Of morality, that is
able in itself 10 raise A public or a ma
tion to a purely moral condition. The
grace of Christ alone in your hearts,
the strengthening power of His spirit
l.al presence with you in your daily
walk should be your grea test depend
ence in your growth in morality. The
morality of society must begin in uor'
churches. in our homes. inthe individual
men and women Of our city. Christ
would not drive away the dissolute, the
fallen. the accused men ana women
that We're about him. He would have
them come 10 him and turn from their
wickedness. and said l have no pleas
rre in the death Of a sinner. save that
he may turn from his wickednesS and
live That truth must ever constitute
the burden of teaching for the Christian
ministry 1t must be first Of all heart
reformation Human laws never made