Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-05-04
THE HOUR HAS COME.


REV. 3. NJ. Wheelock in Present Salvation. !
The hour has come for the assertion
Of the religion OF Christ, which is the
religion of man, of all menl The relig-
Ion Of Christ is the religion of this
world; the religion OF the kingdom of
heaven here upon earth; the religion
that saves here by restoring the earth
to the children Of men, from whom it
has been stolen. To the thought of Je-
sus the whole worlds love should be for
every child; the whole worlds land wa
ter, air, light, comfort should be the
heritage Of every mothers little one.
In the thought of Jesus the entire
wealth OF the nation, its opportunities,
advantages, all that it possesses of
health, comfort and happiness, would
be for each; every avenue of informa-
ton and knowledge open to all; land,
money, machinery, art and science
pouring their mighty treasures into the
lap Of common brotherhood. Only
In saving others are we delivered our
selves from the hell of selfish living.
No one has ever been saved by Jesus
who has not, by the free gift of
his own life and love, helped to make
the world better and happier
by putting the dimples of glad
ness in the cheeks of those he can reach
and help! The religion of Christ is
secular, practical, weekday, and hui
man. 1t is pure, spiritual cult of
brotherhood. 1t demands of us all I'M
wearying service-of the high to the
low, of the rich to the poor, of the cul-
tured to the ignorant. To dying civ
llization, proud of its plutocrats, its
money-klngs, the Christ says: "Better
that the race should perish than that
the dignity and ease of one of it should
be purchased with the destruction OF
the other" Today the general tenden.
cies of the popular American church.
wearing the name of the Hebrew car.
penter, are felt to be on the side OF
profitable injustice. It exerts its vast
influence to perpetuate economic con-
ditions which divide the plutocrats and
paupers. It stands as the apologist OF
unearned wealth rather than the de.
fender and champion Of the despoiled
poor. 1t proclaims such financial dog
mas as are palatable to its best paying
patrons, and clasps hands with the de.
spoilers Of labor. The needles eye,''
through which wealth could not pass in
the early time, is now enlarged to the
dimensions of a Hoosac tunnel for the
accommodation Of the rich mans Pull.
man, gliding smoothly into the king.
| DOM"
The patient toiler of Nazareth la.
bored to build up fraternaI, social
system on the earth, with, for the fret
time, fullness Of bread for all bread.
earuers, and fullness of life for all life
givers. 1t is thus entirely the opposite
OF our method, where competitive In.
dustries develop starvation for the pro.
Queer, golden spoil for the money. lend
or, usurer and idler. There is no relig.
ion outside of practical fraternity. On.
ly he who can call all men his ''broth.
ers" has a right to call his creator
Father" Our own lives are bound
up with the lowest men and women:
we can only rise as we lift them. True
salvation gives food and shelter, raj
ment and comfort, culture and liberty
to each member OF the human race or
earth. II it fails in this, it fails total
~. 1t may be too scant Of breath t
pray, but it works. Salvation is al
here, or nowhere, and all our duties
toward God are right here to our fel
lowmen. Let US haYe that salvation
In the world we are living in, until il
can no more be said that they who d.
the most work have the least to eat
The salvation that does not aim at thi
and hold this as its polar star, is but
ghostly myth, on its way to the my thi,
graveyard. Jesus never hints tina
there Is a God to be served apart from
man, for such teaching always ends il
hurting man, for Gods sake.
The abolition of the brutal competi
tive system, of wage slavery, usurv
multi-miilionaires, grinding monopo
lies and trusts, until this world is mad
to look less like hell to Gods misera
bic poor, Is what the religion OF Chris
calls for at our hands. But for such
faith to live In America now is lik
pond llllieStrying to bloom in hades
The predatory elements of our CIV
life have become our masters an,
kings. The law is on sale; the govern
ment is transformed into private cluI
OF paternalism administered in the In
terests Of the parasitic class. 1t exist
in the sole interest of property. Tn,
weakling president cannot see the pee
pie for the millionaires. Not the re,
flag OF anarchy, but the black flag o
corruption have we to fear.