Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-11-13

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the streets.
And, now, 7 make the statement
this morning with strong conviction
OF its truth and sobernes5, that a very
great proportion of public evils-which
are causing unnumbered and indis-
crlba'ble losses to the souls and bodies
OF our acquaitances, ,neigh'bors and kin
dred-exist and prosper because of the
lack of zeal, the supineness, the apathy
OF the nominal followers of Christ.
The way these evils came into ex-
istence is precisely the same in which
those came into being that polluted the
temple
I'VE wake UP in the morning and
read the papers of this and tat evil
thing that has been done. We say, Is
it possible! Something ought to be
done!'
Then we go on to our own business.
We forget it. We get used to it, and,
so, at length, the evil thing has settled
among US. 1t has bought for itself a
nome. 1t pays revenue. It expects
recognition. 1t receives license.
And so our city, the State, the re-
public, is made up OF strange con-
glomeration of good and evil. Our
Fathers house is filled with all sorts
of foul and profane things.
I'VE go to worship Him, to serve
Him, to do His will, and all around us
are sights as unseemly, and sounds as
discordant as the noise of hucksters
and the wrangling of money changers
amid the prayers and praises Of the
temple.
nuIr tnal ,,[s
Wheeling-I was thinking, suppose you
could take an angel from heaven with
you and show him the sights.
Our angel friend might ask, Have
you many such places in your city,?
1--WE should have to answer, Yes,
hundreds of them, and in our large cit
les they are numbered by the thous-
ands.'
And we should have to tell him
also, We have become so used to them
that we scarcely notice them as We go
about our business. They have be
come a part OF our municipal life. They
pay a leading part of our public reve-
nue.. We don't know what we would
do without their money. Politicians
are afraid of them. But politicians
don't care for u.s.
1--WE should have to tell him also
that the politicians and office seekers
have a great regard for the inhabi-
tants of these places, and make prom
ises to them, to shield them and pro-
tect them in their nefariouS business.
But the politician don't care for the
good Christian people.
Our angel companion might well
c1 unI G
tians in these cities?'
Why, yes you answer, there are
thousands of them. The most import
ant and influential members of the
community are Christians
"'Well, what are they doing? Where
are they?' he asks. And l leave it to
you, my hearers, to answer for | con>
fess | do not know what answer to
make!
But l do know that purity and
Righteousness have been committed to
the care and keeping Of Gods peo-
pie.
Nearly forty years ago a strange
character appeared in American his
tory. He was man whose soul was
eaten up with a devouring zeal to see
the slaves free. This zeal consumed
by night and by day, until it led him
to take handful Of men and throw
himself with them upon the United
States arsenal at Harper's Ferry.
Seventeen white men and four col
ored men were his entire force.
What he expected to do only etern-
ity can tell; but zeal like his does not
stop to count and calculate.
ooh. you say, He was crazy And
I know he died at the hands of the
hangman. But his was no ordinary
spirit. as is seen from the fact that no
words SO fired the heart of our country
in those grim days of war as those
which contained his name. The words
of that son which the Union armies
carried everywhere, and which VIII
live as long as American history en-
dures:
John Browns body lies Wondering
in the grave,
But his soul goes marching on
can he is a very short sighted man
who fails to see the important connec-
ton between that Jealous mans action
and the strife and victory which so
speedily followed and emancipated the
slaves.
cat the same time, we are not to
forget that Jesus was reformer and
used a whip
'"The whip of public censure, OF pub
lie indignation, of the law is the only
weapon that can reach certain evils.
But there must be zeal. The case
calls for nothing else. This fi1msy,
placid. nothing and do-nothing
spirit is altogether out of place In
Christ's work.
That spirit is the mischief which suf-
fers so many giant evils to grow.
'Ch. if the processing Christians OF
this city. and country, had a zeal
which ate them up what could they not
do?
what we need is zeal in place OF
Iuke-warmness and Indifference.
goedly measure of that zeal Whlen
burned in the heart, and eyes, ana
voice. and hand of Jesus Christ when he
drove out the money changers. There
are probably 5000 Christians in the
city of Wheeling. Ought we not to be
felt in vastly increased proportion 70
what we are?
Il do not stand here TO tell you what
to do. or to advocate a special line OF
action. But | do stand here to advo-
cate a deadly earnestness against sln'
and for Coda burning fame OF zeal
ro,-o-+ ;,u-ard rollsing of senses and