The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-30
Rev. John ?. Peters Sermon at
Epiphany P. E. Church.
4 Christian Conception of Life Neccs-
snry to Unite Capital and Labor in
pies of Unique Organization Set
FOrth-LcsSODs From the Bible.


! his sermon he took Isaiah VS.: Woe unto
them that join house TO house. that lay
field to field, till there be no place, that
they may be placed alone in the midst
/ of the earth" Dr. Peters said, in part, as
1 fellows:
/ 1t was time of considerable outward
prosperity in Judea. and a time Of cor
ruption of morals and manners, owing TO
the increase of wealth. Isaiah and his
contemporary, Micah. both found the vel
fare of the State in danger, through the
accumulation of large means in the hands
of a few. According to Isaiah, along with
this accumulation of wealth in the hands
of a few individuals, went the corruption
of justice.
Both prophets foresee in this greed for
wealth and the methods pursued in ac-
! curing wealth ruin to the state. halt
century earlier when the Kingdom OF
! Israel was at the height OF its power
Amos had seen in the greed and luxury OF
the mobiles and wealthy men Of Samaria
menace to the welfare Of the State; and
now Israel was decadeHt about to vanish
from the face of the earth, and the same
fate threatened Judea from the same
cause.-the greed and the luxury Of the
wealthy, the oppression of the poor and
the perversion Of law and justice by the
wealthy in their greed for wealth. or in
their INDUCING of their luxurious desires.
IL is a story with which we are familiar
in many lands. The story Of the growth
Of wealth: great distinctions between
classes in consequence of the uneven dis
tribution of wealth. the greed and luxury
OF one class. the poverty and oppression
Of the other: the corruption Of the entire
body polite, the fall of the State.
Dangers of Wealth.
Let us turn to the New Testament. Our
Lords words with regard to the dangers
Of wealth to the individual. as recorded F,
in st. Luke are extreme, not to say ex-
travagant. 1t is harder fer a rich man 10 |
enter the kingdom OF heaven than for a
camel to pass through the eye Of a needle |
Again, we have the story OF Lazarus ard /
Dives.
Again. turning to the account of the /
rich Young man that wished to know what /
he should DO that he might enter the king /
dom of heaven. Cur Lcrd's counsel OF per- |
lection to him was that Re should sell all /
he had and give it 20 the poor and then Z
come and follow him But this the young
man was not ready to 60. for he was very
rich New. note the effect Of this sort Ct (
teaching upon carry u4StipllNt. W e are
told in the fourth chapter OF the book OF
the Acts that they had 10 personal. phi
vate property. Each one scld all that lie
had and all lived out OF a common purse.
There was communism pure and simple
is this essential to Christianity? What
does cur Lord mean by such say ing5 as
re made use u1 Nth rCedrd to wealth. Z
Before We Try TO answer these questio-s
let US turn back moment 10 the O'd
Testament. How are We to interpret tie
By the prophets OF tho-e
men who accumulated large SUMS,
laying field to field and house to house.
until they rad monopoly to use cur
modern term; that they nj ht be a O-e.
10 ice the expression OF tie text. JeAt=h
legislators and Jewish prophets alike L.
sist upon the Brotherhood # the men
Of Israel
The Brotherhood of Jews.
Christianity took up the Jewish theory
Of the brotherhood OF Jews with ore an
other and applied it TO mankind. Il dropped
he details Of the laws by Viii h il Was
attempted to enforce that BROTHERHOOD
nd put in their place the one great law
Ok love. Cur Lord lays down as the Law
ii the nobility the arist5c.acy Of h.s
kingdom. the law of service. He illus
rated tire meaning Ct this law on the last
light Of his life b. taking the pace OF a J
lave. ard, Girded with a towel about his
oins, washed the feet OF the apostles, who
we're disputinE among themselves rs TO
no should be the greatest in the king 7
lon. teaching them that h who was tie
eTvant Of all was greatest. Now. il t
must be perfectly clear to anyone at S
he man whose life is devoted to the az I
Emulation OF wealth. the woman who lives j.
n luxury, served by all the appliances OF D
.ealth, DO not take the true Christian /
lew Of life, because their lives are rot b
ives Of service. o
Are We. then to say that all wealth Il
must be held in common. as the disciples ,
t Jerusalem at first did, Are we to re- r
ard wealth in itself as cyii2 TOls.oy ad- q
coates as the true expression of Chris I
ianity condition which we ordinarily re- q
ard as a condition Of barbarism. No !
honey. no luxury. each person working 81
nth his hands to produce what is needed h
Dr. maintenance. Is that truly the idea q
{ Christi Is that what he meant By his q
inflammation Of wealth ] think not The a
rOgress Of the race is dependent on the q
evelopment and satisfaction Of those in b
.incts and aspirations which God has put II
our nature. We cannot and should not "a
e content merely to toll with our hands So
, obtain from the earth food enough TO "
eCp us warm. and houses to shelter us as
Man Is beast until he desires and u
'eks 90 obtain Injuries He cannot be ei
lntent merely to ill his belly with food q
e must desire that that food be dainty. -
,ried. weli-seryed. he cannot be con
mt merely TO cover his body with cloth
x enough TO keep him warm He must -,
ssire 10 make that clothing ornamental. ~.
'autiful in fibre and form and color II NJ
not enough hat he should build a house -
shelter him. He must seek to make .o
at house pleasant to look upon thing 4
beauty. 10 is part and condition Of ~
S higher nature that he should strive a."
ter Injuries. But luXuries OF any sort Is
yOlve a certain accumulation OF wealth. an
q the other hand. AL are agreed that =
ere is point at which luxury ceases to n
good and wealth becomes an injury to u
r individual. When IS that point reached b
ow are we TO determine what is good 8
xury and what evil luxury What ac- g
mutation OF wealth is good and which is g
d. n
1T seems to me that by placing our q
,rd S denunciatiOu Of wealth side by side s
tn his exaltation Of service we shall find q
S true meaning. He goes to the root Of q
ings. He lays down a principle. To 8
Elk for yourself is evil Wealth is wicked y
st in so far as il represents that self Il