The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-03-05

lists. vainly trying To move forward by
walking backward They are In the
clutch of a dead hand aud overcome by
dismay with every new idea. Is 1t such
Is Il crime To think about God your
selfe Is a fresh vision of the Savior
heresy2 What Tod was. he is. God
has not contracted His residence. lie
has not demonstrated his activities lie
has not withdrawn Himself from man.
lie + guiding as surely now as In the
days Of the pillared presence. lie -
working now successfully as I'm the
time of oracle and miracle. lie is as
close To- you and me as He ever was 10
Moses and Paul. lie has much for
our age as lie ever had for any age.
COD Is what he was. This does not
mean that the present 10 succeed. must
duplicate the past. Reverence Is not
necessarily imitation. Because God does
not change we are not 10 conclude that
the world must not change. The world
must he becoming more ana more what
God wants T. - be-. That implies con
ear: after that the fun corn in the ear
That Is the divine plan Tor the growth
Of soul. IL Is also tho divine plan Tor
the growth 81 the world There must
De constant development and not cease
less reduplication.
Each age has its definite contribution
20 make TO the worlds religious life
one age got close 90 God ana We have
their religious experience embodied in
the sacred scripture. Another age recciv-
Ing the legacy 81 scripture. got close To
God. and We have their religious eX
perience embodied in the cTceds of Chris
tendon
our age IS neither Biblc-making nor
a crecd-makiug age. Both al those be-
long 10 "A past development. but we have
definite work Ia 10. What Is It? The
religious life II today Is developing in a
two-fOld direction.
The first has 10 do with the source
OF authority I'm religion. What Is author
lures. the church or conscience That
goes back Of creedS. back Of Bible-mak-
Ing. II l. the mightiest question Chris
uan thought has Yet grappled. II Il be
ing fought ont 10y giants i'm the hottest
controversy ih.. church has known.
The second has 20 du with philanthropy
H. Is not ductrinal.. bat practical. II is
the effort 20 conform social conditions TO
the teachings of Jesus. The emphasis was
never 80 strong on deeds. We are trying
20 think God into capital and labor God
is ringing in old truths Ike the beati-
tudes and the golden rule upon lfe. This
Is the work he Is doing before our very
eyes. Because lie is not writing Bibles
now and working out miracles now. we
need not conclude that the. old Bible Is
human book and the miracles hctions.
Because the stalk grows the ear after IL
does the blade. the ear must not conclude
that The blade is hctinn. What God
does for one age, He does for all ages.
The growth Of the stalk yesterday is a
contribution TO its development today and
tomorrow.
Instead therefore Of saving God never
worked a miracle because ne Is not now
working miracles. and all the past is a
fie which f. not duplicated by tie pres
ent. let Us get close to God and embody
the religious experiences of our age in
the development that is immaueEt
Above all. let us recognize the fact
that God is on the ground Divinity ~
age II is mans sublimcst epoch. Stupid
dreamer IS he who signs for "A residence
in the middle ages Poor saint is he
whose best work is given To relics. Up
fr.m among the graves and attention, for
God H. marching on.
All greatness IS not sepulchred. All d.
vinity Is not In the catechism and the
prayer book The preacher is rot the
only apostle of God All life is sacred.
and wherever one stands in earnest toll
he may have the vision Of God upon his
lifeg and catch into his own innermost
soul the living message Of the inaudble
voice.
speak for an enthusiasm Of life and
a decent treatment Of today. Quit digging
IN ashes Of the past; stop shooting at
stars Of tomorrow. and grapple the
chances If today He is most Gods
prophet now who
secs. in some dead leaf. dried and
Curled.
The deeper meaning Of the world:
Hears through the roar Of mortal things
The Gods immortal whisperings.
Sees the world wonder rise and fall
And knows that Beauty made it all"
Toward today there is but one attitude
for 4 valiant life-diligence,
FOREVER
Tomorrow God will he what lie ia and
was. lie is more than all history. both
ancient and modern. He holds the keys
Of all unknown. Jesus Christ. the same
forever" Can YOU take IL in?
Some of us cherish queer views of the
hereafter. We regard death as A sort of
supernatural presto change. by which
without either rhyme or reason. what
was very bad becomes very good, what
was very shameless becomes very repu-
table and what was very worthless be-
comes very valuable.
There are others who think of the
hereafter as n blissful collapse of all ac-
tivity, an instantaneous Introduction into
an Eden of celestial idleness.
NV text pronounceS both views of the
forever life false.
God will he the same that he 60. What
IS Infamous here will be infamo here
after. That which is punished here will
continue to be punished. God does not
change morals when he changes worlds.
Incidence win be as much n disgrace