The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-02-28
THE ROANOKE TIMES. SUNDAY. FEBRUARy %. 1897

Il AAO ANNH1
John 15:4: "Abide in me and I In YOU
| As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except that it abide in the vine; n" NOR,
can we abide in me-" John 1913: "Hereiu
is my Father gloriled, that we bear much
| fruit SO shall We be my disciples" But
| does not the past history of our country
| show plainly that the devil has side
! tracked the great mass of our ministers
who "espouse every good thing under the
| sun. reform municipalities and 'tnke
the world for Christ" The craze of
sociology, good government clubs and
civil service reform has seized you.
Well. IL this is your programme. step
and consider how much time will be Il it
for the work of the gospel ministry, to
which you believe Gud has ordained YOU.
Would it not be well to leave some of
these good causes to others who are
not called as you are, and not scatter
yourself so much: Are you aware how
many demands will be made on YOU by
peripatetic reformers, underdone or un-
evenly done, who come with their discov
cry OF "the greatest evil SPIRIT and Il
patent remedy which is the only hope of
elevating mankind and ushering in the
millennium?
Most of these long haired en- and
short haired women know little of past
history, less of human nature and least of
That wonderful redemption,
Gods remedy for sin.
Above all this worlds wisdom and con.
fusion the infallible Word clearly teaches
yOu-
/. That the greatest evil in the world
is sin in the heart.
-
the gospel.
3 That the only society ever organized
ny Divine wisdom to apply that remedy
is the church.
These reform ers may merit YOUR cour-
tesy and some yoTr God speed for their
good will and good work, but if you fol-
low their devious ways-may not Your life
be frittered away in visionary and default
ing schemes never devised by Gods wis
dom nor encouraged by His power.
Complex machinery of mans constitute.
ton and not anointed of the Holy Spirit
runs hard and issues but II small output
of good. Study again the contents ana
scope of your divine commission. Study
the we'll meant and herculean efforts OF
mans wisd ON and might in moral efforts.
fem Cato and the Ccnsors down to Rob.
ert Deal Owen, Fourier and the later re-
formers.
Science, philosophy and civilization in
themselves make men no better. 1.-The
Shaggy Demons of the Wilderness who
trampled out the polished civilization of
Rome, were more moral than those cul-
tured pagans, and the wild Indians of the
West were more moral than their civilized
successors
For the last half century Our country
has been ransacked by worldlywise re
formers who had "too much faith in the
nobility of manhood to falter or doubt
success. They have GRATED, agitated,
boosted and raised many IL tragic storm
Of wind and froth. They have exalted
the majesty of man, ignored the necessity
of new birth md worked on the lines of
evolution and development. Instead of
shifting the serpent on the head they
have engaged themselves with the rattles
of bis tail They have worn ont the song
There's good time coming, boys" but
it has not come. They have made the
promise to the ear but broken it to the
heart.
Some good has been done, much Incl.
dental evil has occurred, and similar
efforts in gospel work would have
wrought Divine wonders.
Did Christ and the apostles preach and
lnbor in "municipal reform?h Did the
angels tell Lot to stay in Sodom and re-
form it? Is not salvation through sepa.
ration? Does not the gospel save men
individually aud call them out of the
world:
You say. "Were not the old prophets
statesmen Yes, under n theocracy but
the apostles were not under Gentle sway.
Isaiah had II government ''of God, by
God and for God" We have one 'sof the
people, by the people and for the people y
There is II wide difference betw cen II
Thcocracy ana IL Democracy.
Faithful gospel preaching should in
deed improve the morals Of the surround.
ing world and exert Il salutarv influence
on its business, politics and society, bnt
its supreme aim is TO regenerate and save.
Contcndng with human dcpravity in
any of its myriad forms by merely human
wisdom and power You are as weak as
an infant before IL mailed and iron.iistcd
giant. You need the powc, of God and
the sanctions of His word
The holy wcdlock of the soul in love TO
Christ is stronger than the paddock of the
law or pledges. "Our great morality is
love for Thee The only applied Chris.
tianity' that saves individuals or society
is that applied to the heart by the Holy
spirit Christianity is needed for the
present life first, but infinitely more for
the great life to come Sermons on
science, sociology, or the "zeitgcist,n do
not feed saints nor save sinners.
Our people get enough of the world
during the week ana we have too much
world in the church. An apostolic SER
mon is not an GRAFTON or an essay spun
out OF the brain or the journals, but an
unfolding of Gods Word 1t is high trea.
son TO God for one of His ambassadors to
vt...,s 81 -
demption, moral accountability and Il
coming Judgment, for science, philoso
ply, political economy or the glories of
nIir splenhiL mnterinlistic ciNilizntinn all