The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1895-01-10
POLITICAL SERMON.
BY w. B. GALLAHER, DANVILLE. ILL.
The true Christian in politics.

The true Christian in politics.
"Peace on earth, good will to men
sang the angel host that announced
the birth Of Christ. Christians mus
soon make that peace and good will
more manifest on earth, or Christian
lty will become an idle dream, Il
shadow and mockery and superstition
to the weary eyes and aching hearts
f all the more thoughtful and in
telligent Of the great toillng and
suffering masses of this and other
Christian lands.
Oh how many solemn and awful
queries will rise in any intelligent
mind, to-day, that will dare to think
deeply of God on The one side and of
human wants, woes and wrongs on
the other These questions are
enough to stagger the stoutest ortho-
dox faith.
| have been led by the hand of God.
as it were into circumstances which
SO powerfully force such queries on
my bellevelng mind with all its firm
confidcnc in God, that | cannot think
or feel either astOnishment or un-
frendllness towards any toiling suffer
er on earth, who may he led to
doubt all religion and the very being
and existence Of God, rs | myself do
not.
Let me put some Of these terrible
queries as they materially arise IN the
minds of the worlds poor and suffer
ing toilers, however they may be an
swered. Here they follow:
Can there be a just and good God
above, ruling over all things, and
still be so much needless pain and
sorrow suffered to exist on earth?
Could good, all-wise and all-pow-
erful God find no way for the advance
ment Of one man in this world except
over the PROSTATE bleeding form of
some brother man?
Can there be a good and all-power-
full God over this universe, and vet
cold, heartleSS and inhuman tyrants
among the rich and the riot in all
earthly luxury, JOY and splendor as
we'll as sin, on the fruit of the hard
hopeless labor of the honest, tender,
loving and industrious poor?
i Can there be any just and good
Master of all, in the heavens above,
while one tender, shrinking girl, shy,
sweet and pure as the mountain rose,
IS forced to sell her virgin honor to
get needed food and raiment?
How can needless pang pierce
any honest heart a needless tear dim
any true man 5 or woman's eye and a
single injustice smite down even the
| smallest right of the weakest and
poorest on earth, if there be just
and good God on high able to pre-
! vent?
These awful queries can be reason
ably answered in one way only. 1t is
this: There must be God the first
cause Of all these things, or nothing
else that now has existence could be;
yet that God cannot and Will not do
what he has commissioned man to do.
He has given this earth to man.
10 tue children he has placed on it;
and has given them full power and
privilege to make it comparative
heaven or hell Men alone are re
sponsible for all its woes and ills
God has given men power to obey
or disobey his laws. Every tear and
pain, every wrong and injustice. is
the result of mans disobedlence to
devine law, each suffering not only
for his own but for the disobedience
of others all being one family.
In this grand field of r'ght,ns hu-
man wrongs, Christians should and
must bear the foremost part or God
and religion will soon become a
mockery and a by-word among the
masses, and infidelity and anarchy
reign in bloody horror and blackness
over all.
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