The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-10
His Presence and Work
in the State.
Sunday Evening Sermon by
Rev. Wallace Nutting.
Intelligence Should Go With Sane
LITIGATION.

At Union Congregational Church last
ting, delivered an address on "Christ's
Man In the State" The text, from Eph.
6-22, vas: "For our wrestling is not
against flesh and blood, but against the
municipalities, against the powers, against
the world rulers OF this darkness, against
the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the
heavenly places"
A summary OF the address follows:
Christ's man in the state-what hqs be
to do? against what obstacles? with what
agenciesf We look briefly at these three
points. First: What Christ's man in.the
state has TO 90. He Is To wrestle. Now
we know what that meant when we were
BOYS at scnool. The Greeks were the
best wrestlers in the world. They trained
for years. They knew that something
more than brute strength was needed.
IL requires brains to wrestle, as well as
muscle. A mans very strength is often
used by his opponent to overthrow him.
Gigantic force applied against a nimble
adversary who lodges the blow brings
down the man who strikes. Christ's man
In the state needs three things: Eternal
vigilancei good sense; and adequate
power. We are rapidly learning that a
government cannot be trusted TO run
alone. or Ii will run into the ground.
The let-alone policy is just as criminal
toward the state as IL Is toward the
family. The state is not a machine that
may be wound up and left. Every citizen
who rises TO an intelligent appreciation
is a minute man. We need to keep a close
watch on those hostile forces that are al
ways threatening to eliminate the great
principles OF government. We see that
law cannot be left to enforce itself. The
necessity which Goo has put upon us is to
he No xxat.AfttI ne an rsof~at on hfa s.AGt
The Savior finds nc other fault with the
character OF the man, than this: He did
not watch. Watching comes before pray
ing In our Savior's command. The min
lister who prays week by week for his
country, the deacon who carries on the
church and allows the state to carry Oh
itself cannot believe more than half a gos-
pei. There Is little sincerity In PRAYING
for our countrr's rulers unless we have
had q hand in their election. We must
prove that we are interested In good gov
nmen by making an effort to secure IL.
The man who is sorry that public funds
are s~Quandered, and that evil men handle
them, and still makes no protest. bellies
his WI words. A sad misrepresentation
has always possessed many worthy peo-
pie, to the effect that sanctification OF
spirit Is all that is needed TO effect the
reformation OF the state or indeed to full
al the work OF God. But hot shalt love
az ~ thJ Nv AZ III ~ INV
There Is as much need of sanctifed
intellects as OF sanctiied hearts.
We hear altogether too much about
the mighty Influence of some holy
character. exerted in a small sphere. Ii
takes sense as well Gs sanctity to effect
the salvation of this world. And the rea-
SON Why a good many Christians never
amount to much is that they think it is
sufficient to have good hearts, while they
pass over the supreme. duty OF sa%nctifying
ell their intellectual powers to the Lord.
We must remember that Jesus, our
Master, was not only the best man that
ever lived but that he was the Greastest
man. We see that as much Is made of his
keen logic, in the Bible, as OF his pure
soul. Let US not be deceived by the COM
mon cant that our Lord chose twelve
simple men TO carry on his work after he
assembled. He did no such thing. They
were simple only in the sense that they
did not know the sort of knowledge
That the doctors of the law knew. But
we perceive that some of them possessed
the highest sort of intellectual qualifica-
tiOns. But even granted that some of
these men were ordinary In mind, we see
that God laid his compelling hand on
Saul OF Tarsus, whose giant mine and
magnificent enthusiasm has been the adj
miration of ell the ages. And this man
wrote or caused to be written more than
half Of the New Testament. and made
nan more converts than all the other
upostics combined he Bible docs not
despise intellect.
Our Methodist brethren have ever fol-
lowed the principle that the heart is the
citadel OF the man; md so IL Is. But the
founder OF Methodism was one of the
great scholars of his time; one OF the
most polished Of gentlemen. and the wis
est OF organizers. "Be We wise as SER
pcnts." says the Saviour. before he says,
s'be We harmless as doves"
But not less do we require in our
wrestling adequate power, as well as vigil
lance and good sense.
We notice that rad men accomplish
nothing without banding together. TIE
question arises: Are the good men OF this
country strong enough to fight single
handed against organized evil? We