Phoenix weekly herald., 1898-11-10
A POWERFUL ARRANGEMENT.
An Eloquent Sermon Preached by the
Rev L. Q. Ferguson, last Sunday
Night in the Christian Church.

The theme at the Christian church
Lords day evening. was. "Responsi-
bilitv Individually and Municipal"
On this subject the pastor said in
| part: "As the preface to this address
shall announce some principles that
| have appeared in the government of
God;''
'Firsit God holds men individually
| and collectively responsible for evils
which they We're either directly or in
directly the cause of.
Second: God holds men individually
and collectively responsible for the
| continuance of evils which they have
| not done their best to stop and eradi-
! cate.
Third God holds men responsible.
both individually and collectively, for
! the downfall of others by conditions
which they could have removed and
! did not.
Fourth. God holds the minority res
ponsible for the conditions and insti-
tutions of evil unless they publicly and
repeatedly denounce those conditions
| and institutions and use their utmost
endeavor 10 eradicate and change
them.
Fifth God does not regard n man
as innocent of sin because he had no
hand in doing the evil. He must exert
himself to prevent evil before he can
claim innocency in the presence of God
and man.
Sixth. From the foregoing it is clear
that it is a principle in the government
of God that 1 am my brothers keeper
that no man liveth to himself. and that
l am to consider the interest, charac-
ter and life of my brother as equal to
and sacred as my own. and that l am
to deny myself for him as readily as l
do for myself.
The question now is. do we recog
nize the government and consider our
selves rs amenable TO him?
The history of the dealing of God
with the Hebrew people aibundantly
proves these propositions. AS evil
dence the case of Achaan. the in
production of idolatry into Israel, and
the final overthrow of the nation, may
be cited. Also the answer of Jehovah
TO Cain when he asked if he were the
keeper of his brother. and the teaching
of Paul in Romans Il. Now. in the
government of God principles never
change; the formulary of principles
may be changed to suit the dispensa-
ton but the principles themselves
remain the same.
Now. l come to apply these condi- |
And I single out the liquor traffic. +
and the forces that produced it and t
that perpetuate it in our midst. 1t is /
in this city by the authority of Terri
tory and municipality. Not only the /
LEGISLATORS, but the electors are respon-
sible for its presence here to-day. And
not only these but every citizen who
has not raised his voice against it, and
done his best to overthrow it, and
those who placed it there. 1t is not
enough to say Won did not vote for the
men who legalized and made its pres
ence here possible. but to acquit your
self in the presence of God, you must
out and up and work against ii as you
would the Bubonic plague. Is it any
the less dangerous? Jesus said, Fear
not them who can destroy the body,
but fear him who can destroy both
soul and body" This plague, terrible
as it is can only destroy the bodies of
our sons, but the saloon will destroy
both soul and body. And yet this trap
this plague, has been legalized in our
midst. Should any one come into our