The herald., 1896-08-31
EAST SIDE BAPTIST c URCR
Rev. Mf. Dye breaches Before a Large Con-
greGatlon

greGation
Rev. Geo. L. Dye. pastor of the East
Los Angeles Baptist church, preached
Sunday night on the Curse and Cure Of
Selfishness, from the text, Thou hast
hid these things from the wise and pru-
dent Che selfsh) and hast revealed
them unto babes" (the unselfsh).
The teachings of Christ are the high
est possible standard. The proud natur-
ally repudiate his teachings because
they are selfish. The humble and meek
receive his teachings because they ara
unselfish. Humility is the key to all
great attainments and virtues. II Is
natural to be selfish. In the realm OF ma
ture we see bitter strife and the surViVal
of the fittest. In the realm OF grace we
perceive that the law of humility pre-
walls and men become like little chll-
dren-humber, loving. Selhshness IS
the fires of hell burning in the human
soul Unselhshness is the mind OF Chrlst'
which is heaven brought down into hu-
man hearts. To be perfectly happy we
must be perfectly unseltish.
Selfishness is a disposition to pro
mote ones self without reference TO the
general good. Human nature looks on
the things Of its own; the Chrlst-hke
nature looks on the things of another
and loves to promote the things of an
other Associations and combinations
are formed to promote wholesale selfish
ness. Selfishness is blind. 1t belieV@S
that that which is good for itself is good
for civilization. So laws are made and
manipulated by combinations. Tue
weak and the innocent are imposed upon
and thousand wicked and pernicious
things are done in the name of justice
and liberty. The worst feature of all
this selnshness is that shreWd and intel
lgent men believe that they are doing
right. What serves their purposes
seems right to them. They advocate eN
and selfish principles because it benefits
them. and, with the power of money,
they make it lawful to carry out whole
sale selfiShness and the robbery OF the
people is made respectable. Christ him
self wept over Jerusalem when he saw
the most eminentiy respectable and re-
ligious men given over to sslfishneSs.
and al last when they crucified the Lord
and Savior of mankind because he dared
stand in opposition to their inherent
wickedness and legalized iniquity, he
prayed: Father. forgive them they
know not what they do" The two con-
tending forces. setishness and unselfish-
ness, humanity and inhumanity. have
gone on contending for the supremacy
from that day to this. In the older gov
ernments of the world selhshress has
seized possession. and laws have been
made to favor the few. At first the
people made a desperate struggle. but
soon they were ground down. The coun-
tries of South America are only asteT-
oids shot off from the grinding forces OF
the old world. The steps by which mon
arches are formed out of republics are
few. First, the people produce the
wealth and make the country rich AMI
prosperous. Second. the rich combi'o
and seize upon the lawmaking power Of
the land. There are riots and disturb
ances that follow, and, finally. the aris-
tocratic money lenders declare the re-
public a failure. and the transition to
monarchy is easy. though sometimes
bloody. Such an attempt is being made
in this beautiful land of ours today but
the people Will never tolerate it for
DAY. Selfshness has fastened its fangs
upon the fair throat of our civliza ton,
but we have enough Christian grit, grace
and intelligence to cast it of.
SelfSnneSs is consuming fire. Self
ishness is hell in the human heart and
he'll in a nation. and Christ came to
overthrow the works OF the devil. and
there is enough sturdy Christianity in
this land today to rebuke greed, gOu@e
and gluttony of power on every side. and
it must be done by the ballot to prevent
its being done by the bullet. The very
taproot of government is threatened hY
the selfish power of our financial system
LEGISLATURES nave been bought. congress
has been tampered with, Shylochs have
been seated iii high places. and vast
nonopolies have been enthroned to sap
the lifeblood of the nation. The people
are aroused as never before. and ideas
have been placed above party and the
rescue work has begun. God and right
eousness will prevail. Wrong will go
down.
Selfshness has fastened itself as a
cancer upon the fair neck Of our civiliza-
ton, and heroic treatment is in order
Ridicule and cries of luracy avail moth
ing. Men are in earnest and the people
will be heard. Christ sent Dives to
hades because in pampered luxury he
built the walls of his palace so thick that
he could not hear the groan of Lazarus
without. Consumed Of eelfshness, he
fell naturally into the lake of fire, which
lake all selishneSs is, and the tongue Or
pen which defends it is set on fire OF In .
same destructive element. Christ says:
Deny youreslf daily ana take up You"
cross and follow me" He was the un.
selfish Man OF Eternity
The cure is in first casting selfishness
out of our own individual heart and cul-
tivating the beautiful and unselfisn
spirit of Christ.
Second-Promote unselfishness by or
ganizing against ii. and place men in
office who will make laws for the uao-
pie which will make ii easier to do right
than to do wrong. Environment has
much to do with poverty and crime to-
daT.
Third-Let us all do more labor from a
disinterested standpoint. Cast out SELF
ish motives and work for the masses