The morning times., 1896-03-16
MAMMOH A NATIONS GOD
DR.. Kent Repeats the Famous
Heron Sermon.
THE SAVIOUR AS A POLITICIAN
His Reform in the Temple Needs
Reacting in the Capitol at
Washington.
THE SAVIOUR AS A POLITICIAN

economy and the sanction that carly Christi
anity gave 10 socialism were treated by
Rev. Alexander Kent OF the Peoples Church,
Typographical Temple, yesterday morning.
His sermon was a repetition OF the adj
dress of Rev. George Heron. oflowa, before
the Congregational Club OF this city last
Monday night.
The demsion that getting the multi
mde into the churches, is all that i needed
he said; puts the church in the attitude
OF viewing the people rs religious prey.
aud of IN king advanta ge of frightful
human situation in the interest OF an in
stiuiion. But the church was not sent
10 build up itself out OF the world, hut to
tsiild up The wor!I oat OF itself; it is not
an end, but q means.
with tile present type OF Christianity
the population OF The earth might be piously
Christian ana all the worse for il. The
church might make the multitudcS more
respectable hy capturing them for its fold;
but we religious folk are always mistaking
res pectability for Christianity and morality.
We forget that Jesus was not res spectable.
Jesus was put TO death 10y the good
people and their politicians. The Iu-
diCiously progressive, the wise managers
OF reform saw His death TO he 4 necessity:
He spoiled al! their plans and seemed un-
amenablc 10 reason. The fishermen OF
Gallce with the slaves and outcasts Of the
Roman empire. and not the good ciii-
Zens' OF Jerusalem made the new earth.
CHRI ISTIANITY' : FIRST STAB.
when the philosophers or Alexandria and
Athens GOT the Christian directorate, and
the Roman upper classes made Christianity
a fad, its springtime OF moral glory had
gone. the summer WAS soon ended, and the
long and Yet continuing winter or the faith
of Jesus began.
IF there is anything he continued. turn
IN no aaF.ar sol
as almost a deiiication OF business, 1.-THE
good GOD would deliver the world from II
/ is this So-Callcd practicable business sense,
which isproving itselfrhemostiIT practicable
of all nonsense. and which is bringing
the world 10 the verge of anarchy. The
( prime thing we do not want. and which we
in fact have. IS q business administration
Of state and OF city. Commercial integrity
is largely a wretched hypocrisy. as every
business man knows. Business is the
economic covering for fraud. eNtOrtiun
( lying. stealing ana gambling. The political
! corruption of which We talk Is simply the
overflow OF business corruption. Political
corruption may even be said 10 be an
integral part of the present business system.
BUSINESS THE CORRUPTOR.
1t is business that corrupts our national
( legislature, elects our United States Senate.
influences our courts. and debauches all
8
| heart disease that threatens our nation with
moral impotence, If not destruction. 1t
is long past time 20 be done with he disgust
ing cant about practical business sense:
the commercial whine a s 10 the evil effects
of politics upon business interests; the
industrial fanaticisn that centerS national
worship In the chamber OF commerce. The
/ religion OF commercialism has had its day.
| The nation will not much longer take its
! social holiness from the dervishes OF the
/ stock exchange.
The problem how 10 make human life
| more sacred than material wealth has been
| made threatening by the subOrdination OF
every human interest 10 money. In no
nation is there suob abject slavery to mere
money in both church and state as here in
America. Organized money has possession
| OF our economic and political forces.
| Before we are aware of it, said DR..
! GLADDEN., in one of mis- recent Chicago
! lectures, the whole structure of society
! is changed. great tyrannics are entrenched,
] social parasites have beccmevested interests,
| and forces are a [ work TO paralyze the law,
TO pervert conscience, and 10 undermine the
very foundation Of the commonwealth
What Justice Harlan intinated in his dissent
| from the income tax decision is d fact.
| Constitutional government has been over
! thrown in America IN the interests of Or
| ganiZed money.
| ne plOhSlN say Ildt Jesus ldU DO1nlliR 20
| do with institutions or politics and went
| about appealing 10 individuals 10 be saved >
| As matter of fact the first public act OF
his ministry was 10 20 up 10 Jerusalem and
! clean out the capitol The Jewish temple
was the political capitol. Jesus did pre-
| csely what YOU or / would DO should We
| go up 10 Washington and produce panic
I in the United States Senate by arrestine
1 it, proceedings with a sudden exposition
OF lis political iniquity; and he did it, too
! without a whit less reason and for doing il
| got himself cruCified.
CHRIST'S CAREER POLITICAL.
According 10 Johns gospel, the first
! year Of his ministry was spent in trying
| TO get some sort of national recognition
| When we read the Gospels historically the
| career of Jesus becomes as certainly pO-
/ litical a 5 the career Of Joseph MaZzini OF
| Italy. or Of Charles Sumner. The Sermon
on the Mount is as truly 4 political docu-
| ment as the Declaration OF Independence.
mo man can read the Gospels honestly
and not see that He regarded individua
| wealth both as a social crime and moral
fall. Men understood that in becoming
HIS disciples, il was incumbent upon them
to surrender private property to the brother
| hood.
1T may he debatable whether commun.
| ism is practiCa hle.. but that Jesus never
contemplated anything else and that He
meant communistic society by the King
dom of God, is not open TO question. We
are told that the early Christian communists
of Jerusalem were reduced to poverty b!
their communism, but we have no proof
| OF IL. When at the siege of Jerusalem
| Titus reduced the whole nation TO Suci
! condition that the mothers ate their babes
the Christian communists alone seem tC
have survived.
'St. Augustine admits none to church
offices save on surrender OF all private
property. Prof. Nitii in his great worE
on Catholic Socialism says ChriStianit!
was a vast economic revolution. The
early fathers of the church, faithful Il
teachings Of Christ, professed thorough,
communstic theories. They lived anon.
communsuc surroundings and could no
We'll have maintained theories contrary
10 those held by Christ and the apostles.
WEALTH A CRIME
"Collating the sa wings of the church
fathers he quotes st. Jerome, 'Opuleuce /
alwa VS. the result Of theft AN is in com
mon with us except women says Tertul
| liam. Behold, writes st. John Chrysostom
the idea we should have the rich ant
covetous; they are truly as robbers II
vain,' says st. Gregory, do they thinl
themselves innocent who appropriate t
| their own use alone the things that Goo
gave to all men in common
Furthermore, Prince krapotkin ha
shown that cooperation, not competition
is the great law OF survival in animal life
that Darwinian competition is a scientific
myth. Nature is as communistic as tn
kingdom of Gcd, Of which social orde
Jesus Is the center.
1.-THE original idea OF Jesus" be ex
claimed in closing, "once out in the oper
as a mode and economy OF life will sweeI
the world. His early standard once lifted
.rzn fax-i efTifa M
millions will rally TO it as If on wings, no
ono of whom can be changed by our nreSenI