The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1899-04-26

anarchy Tosuffer it to stand unenforced
altogether. is quite as bad. Dead laws
point to Indifferent citizenship, lead to
corruption and crime, and tocivil upheaval
and chaos. Lax juries, weak and trucu-
lent judges, are but the Towering out of
lax and weak communities. The maud
lin sentimentality that weeps over the
criminal and fills his cell with flowers and
circulates petitions for his release, would
take all the stiffening out of law, and
Justice would come from those who have
no stitfening in their consciences and no
sense of duty to society, What we need
in this country to insure peace and sta
bility, is sense of duty to law SO strong,
SO heroic, as to demand its execution
against the man who steals railway and
lives in palace, just as promptly, just
as impartially, as against the man who
steals coupling pin or loaf of bread and
lives in the slums.
There is the duty to the church of
Jesus Christ. The example of Christ
and the apostles, as we'll as certain pre-
cepts of the word of God, have led the
church to establish the method of assem-
bling for worship. First, then, we should
attend the church service because this
is the plan of the church to bring about
the desired end, which is to benefit men
and to glorify God. Second, Christ
has promised to meet with his people IN
such services. Third, people need the
instruction in holy things that is given
in such services, and the help that comes
from the prayers and praise of Gods
house. Fourth the church needs
your presence. How many sermons are
broken in fragments on hard, empty
pews. How many ministers are dis
couraged by the stay at-home members
of their congregations! How many souls
are starved by neglecting the food of
fered How many souls are eternally
lost by their indifference to Gods call to
repentance, and the neglect of high and
responsible duties! 1t is very fashion
able among some people to criticise the
church. They think that to do SO is to
show superior wisdom or righteousness,
not realizing that really they are reveal
ing their want of reverence and breadth
of mind. To find fault with the church
is to find fault with the agency to which
the world owes more than all human
causes combined. The church has been
the greatest benefactor of the race.
What we are, as free men and women, we
have become because the church has
been the mightiest factor in the universe
for the uplifting of men and nations.
The most sacred scenes of the worlds
history, the noblest impulses of the
human soul, the grandest thoughts and
purposes and movements in the history
of nations-all have been interfered
with by the vultures of evil who prey
upon society and government. All the
noble impulses and movements of modern
times are preyed upon by the same
vultures of evil. All efforts towards a
more vital union of christian denomi-
nations the high. humanitarian purpose
of our government in the Spanish war;
the close union of England and America;
the noble sentiment of the Car of Rus
STA for disarmament; whatever tends to
the advancement of civilization and chris
tianity, all are arrested by these human
vultures of prey. Hence the necessity
of higher and stronger conception of
our duties to God, the church, the
nation, society and law.