The times., 1898-04-04
THE PEOPLES CHURCH.
Give Cuba Her Freedom, Says Rev.
DIR. Kent.

Rev. DR.. Kent took for his text yester-
day: Can these bonds live?" Ezekiel xxx,
LA. He said:
Much of the imagery in the book of
Ezekiel is bold and startling, but the seer
reaches his climax in the 37th chapter
He compares the people of Israel to
lot of dry bones such as one might see on
an old field of battle where the slain had
been left to be deyoured by the birds and
the beasts. and where their bones had
been torn from each other and scattered
promiscuously in the valley where they
lie. In other words. they were so sadly
fallen that there was little in their char
acter or bearing to suggest the dignity of
the estate which once was theirs But the.
old prophet was a man of faith He be-
lieved in God and he believed in his people.
He believed that God had still in store a
great destiny for the Jew and that he
was Gods messenger to command these
dry bones to live. to be clothed again
with the sinews and flesh and skin of a
robust and vigorous manhood and to let
the breath Of a divine purpose animate
them and raise them from the moral and
political death into which they had fallen.
and to bring them out of their graves into
the light of redeemed and invigorated
manhood and nationality.
'tThese are favorite figures with the la
ter Scripture writer's TO set forth the NOR
al and political conditions of a people To
fall away from their religious or political
ideal or TO be carried into captivity by
another nation was to lose their life. to be
morally and politically dead. To be relg-
iously awakened and aroused and to win
again their freedom and independence
was 10 be brought again to life. to be
raised from the dead So Daniel speak
ing of time of trouble which would
prove also a time of moral awakening,
said. And many that sleep in the dust of
the earth shall awake; some to everlast
ing life, and some to shame and everlast-
ing contempt, and they that be wise
shall shine as the brightness of the frma>
ment, and they that turn many to right
eousness as the stars forever and ever
And Jesus in passage remarkably SINH
lar said The hour cometh and now Is
when the dead shall hear the voice
of the Son Of God, and they that hear
shall live. Marvel not al this for the
hour is coming in which all that are in
their graves shall hear His voice ana
come forth they that have done good to
the resurrection of life and they that
have done evil to the resurrection of con-
demna ton. Resurrection is always OF
the man or the nation-not of the body.
II is a moral and spiritual quickening-a
rising from lower to higher levels of
thoughts and actions The merely ami
NAL man or the crafty, cunning man is
dead. I am come, said Jesus, that they
might have life and have 1t more abun-
dantly
THE father, in the parable of the Prod
igal Son. said, This my son was dead
and is alive again. He was lost and il
found We know, said another, that we
have passed from death unto life because
we love the brethren.
And this usage is not peculiar to the
Scriptures. nor to ancient times. We
speak today of political parties as dead
and buried, of their reviving or being res
directed
And Whittier in his poem on Webster
said:
when faith is lost, when honor dies,
the man is dead.
This is just as true of nations as of
individuals.
This nation has fallen away from the
high ideal Of government voiced in its
Declaration of Independence 1t has
been dead to the requirements of JUS
tice and to the call of humanity, both at
home and abroad. 1t has done much in
charity, or aims giving. | grant but it
has neglected the weighter matters of
justice, mercy and fidelity. Our people
are sadly lacking in that public spirit
which makes it the main business of life
to see that in all our activities we are
promoting the general welfare. We do
not hold our governments to the end for
which they Were instituted. We allow
them to be used selfishly to subvert these
ends. Greed and corruption have in
trenched themselves in the very strong
holds of power. Where they do not oc-
cupy the offices they manage in some
way to get line on those who do. So
desperately bad and discouraging AT
times seems our condition that we are
moved to cry out with the old prophet,