The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-07-05
THE CURE FOR EVIL
IS RIGHTEOUSNESS


Want of Christlike living sums 1t all up.
Well has It been said: 'It is the concrete
which moves men. Abstract ethics have
not, and never will, become mighty
vital power in the world. We know only
one perfect embodiment of Christian
ethics. their founder. He must become the
personal savior OF the labor movement
II 1t Is ever to accomplish its legitimate
end"
FALSE MINISTER'S.
We talk also of the problem of the
churches and the masses. We forget that
the difficulty often is that we have such
churches, with such social distinctions
and with such lack OF method in work.
We forget that we have often such peo-
pie in the pews, drones in the work of
the Kingdom. who regard the minister
much as they would a platform orator,
intended TO furnish pleasant intellec-
tual entertainment and opportunity for
the exercises of criticism. not as
prophet of God to utter the commands of
righteousness which must be obeyed, not
as a general to lead them forth to duty
in society. We forget that, in too many
cases, we have such ministers, men who
yield to the temptation to place pop
ularity above simple truth, who too Of
ten prefer false success to persevering
struggle. No, modern civilization is not
bad because II Is modern. But because
man is such as he is therefore is modern
civilization such as we find II to be.
The problem again is simply. only this.
the putting of the personal living OF
Jesus into this civilization. How shall
this be done? Preaching the gospel
what is 1t? 1t is saying to this country,
to this generation, the Christ has come
to you in the Christian. Living the gospel
what is It.? Simply living forth In this
century, in this generation, the Christ
like life.
What, then. we inquire, are some of the
leading elements in this Christlike life
which the questions of our day demand?
l answer, first of all. Christlike living
always faces realities wherever found,
whether in the sunshine or IN the shadow.
1t looks on both sides OF life, the light
side and the dark side. with Impair
tial glance Jesus entertained the larg-
est hope for man that has ever been
cherished because he saw reality. He
also said the darkest, saddest things re-
garding man that have ever been ut
tered; this also was because he saw
reality In this Son of Man was the
| life which lighteth every man that COM
eth into the world and also the life
which judgeth every man that liveth In
the world. There is truth in looking
on the bright side and there is also a
truth in looking on the dark side. The
whole truth Is found in the even balanc-
ing of these two, as only the Christ
have been optimists, and for this very
reason we are in danger of becoming
indeed already we are becoming-pes-
simists. The existing state of affairs has
been truly stated in this wise remark:
Public opinion has been fatally san
guine, prone to the belief that whatever
we do-whatever fatal blunders we COM
| mit-'we shall come out all right in the
end 1t is supposed that God is per-
sonally responsible for the United States,
| that he can not afford to let our ex-
pertinent of self-government fail" The
| Hebrew commonwealth, it's disastrous
| and total overthrow-the lesson of the
| Old Testament, of the larger part of
the Bible. sufficiently answers this fall
| lacy. Faith in God can not be identi
| cal with faith in my blunder, my sell
| fishness, my sloth, my sin. American
sloth in thought, the acceptance of a
view because it is pleasant, the setting
| up of an authority because it is hard to
| think for oneself-the sad results of these
things We are constantly discovering in
| our life as a nation. The outcome Is the
blind following of this and that leader,
| the credulous reception of this and that
dictum of a school. "In the true state"
| well has it been said, 1.-The scholar is
| man thinking, in the degenerate state.
| he is the parrot of other mems think
| ing Even the utterance of the best
| opinion is dangerous to the mere imitator.
Your absolutely sure man becomes Of
! ten your most dangerous man, for he
knows nothing through experience. The
| reaction is sure to come in indifference,
in the abandonment of self and of pub
| lie interests to chance. Why have we
| so many Indifferent men about us? Why
| is their number so decidedly on the in
| crease? Because so many have had their
| thinking done for them. The pupil of
positive assertion makes, before long, the
| in6iffaranfiSt
| That thought which is the soul of Christ
| like living alone corrects the matter.
| Christ stood in a world of dogmatists on
| the one hand and of indifferentists and
| discouraged men on the other, and-in-
| dependently thinking-he calmly said:
| There is truth. 1t is accessible to ev-
| cry man for himself. The pathway to
| its finding is that of open-eyed, inde-
| pendent search. But this must be a
search in the spirit of humility, patience,
| self-control, self-denial." Note this; for
get it not. Such a spirit is all import
| ant. There can be no Christlike living
without it. 1t involves intelligent faith
in God. Such faith is confidence in
| righteousness. The message of the Old
| Testament and of the New, of the
prophet and of the Christ is one. 1t
is the proclamation of the unalterable
law of mans life-righteousness 1t alone
| eXalteth man or nation. Without 1t,
there is no peace. Without it, one dare
| not proclaim peace. But-at the same
| time-he whose eyes have been opened to
see righteousness. he whose heart has
| known its power can not stay long under
| the juniper tree. Never, in his inmost
| soul can he want to die, for righteous
ness and God ever live. Disbursements
must come. He who works for man al
| ways has met them; he always must meet
them. He who can not stand frosts had
better give up work for humanity at
once. He who can not endure criticism
| must live under glass. Expect to give
sympathy to all, expect to take SYM
pathy from God alone; for this is the
| greatness of the Christlike soul. There
Is but one course to the honest man
1t is the path to life both for himself
and for others also-let him say his
word do his deed, bide his time. let him
constantly do this then shall the huge
world come round to him, If he stand
with truth. Yes, only thus-if he stand
with truth.
THE TRUE REFORMER.
The day of the great individual reform
er and leader is largely past. The true
reformer OF the present must have that
Christlike living which silently repro
| duces itself. He must work, like the
coral insect below the surface. OF his
life he builds the reef TO keep out the
salt, death-bringing sea. We, today, need
not a reformer, but a race of reformers
The points of application for personal
force are innumerable. For the sake OF
the nations safety, 1t must be applied
at every point. Jesus devoted himself
to twelve men. One of them sold him
to his foes, but through the eleven who
were true to him he moved the world
He had no platform at Jerusalem, al
Hiberias, at Caesarea; but he put his life
into society and he has ever since beer
conquering.
For this Christlike personal living, OF
which / have been speaking, conquers