Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1900-02-23
WHAT JESUS DID.

The announcement that Rev. Chas. M. Shell
don will have charge of the Topeka Daily Cap
ital one week in March, and will conduct it as
he thinks Jesus would run it, has called out col
umrs of comment from the newspapers and
ministers, which have come to light IN print, and
a world OF criticism and speculation from all
classes of people, which has not. But while
waiting TO have Bro Sheldon to show how
Jesus would run daily newspaper, no one has
stopped to consider "what Jesus did"
Nineteen hundred years ago there was a
moneyed class and prestcraft that had things
pretty much their own way in church and state.
The Carpenter of Nazareth took stand for the
right, and in doing so, antagonzed the two
powerful factions of the society of that day.
and in ministry OF three and one-half years.
converted thousands from the churchanity of the
times Of course, He was unpopular; of course
He was clucifed
According to the census of 1890, there were
in the United STATES 62,622,25o people of all
ages, sexes and conditions.
Of this number 20 or, 900 were members of
one or the other of the several churches. These
Now let's figure little. Ten years ago there
were I1o,o22 ministers in the United States.
These ministers had back of them over 90 and
one-half millions of professed Christians; senti-
ment was in their favor; there laws
hostile to religion. Presuming that each one
of these ministers preached at least one sermon
each week, each year for the ten years, we have
57,67S,44o sermons. Counting revivals, night
sermons and week day meetings, there have
probably been more sermons preached in the
country from the standpoint of "What Jesus
did )" and ''What Jesus would do, " in the last
ten years, than there were people in the United
States when the last census was taken.
And what has come OF all this? Rev. Mad-
son, in his quarterly meeting sermon at the M.
e church here two weeks ago, said that the
"Year Book" of that chuch showed that the
inemb ership had actually decreased in the past
year, and the presumption is that other denom
nations are doing no better.
This is what we call "The Army of the Lord"
1t is 20 millions strong; it has over 900
leaders, and still it is on the retreat
There is reason for all this. Do you know
what it is, my Christian brother? Jesus didn't
make any such campaign as this! Jesus laid
down rules for carrying warfare against
the adversary, which if followed would lead to
IN ore satisfactory results.
Jesus had but one rule-the golden rule. He
hadn't an iroa rule for business-and He was
business man as we'll as teacher-and gold
en- rule for his sermons.
Dear Christian Brother the reason the church
is losing ground is because "professors' do not
live as Jesus commanded them to live.
There are too many "professors'' who have
one code of morals for business, and another
code for the church. There are too manv SER
nous preached to tickle the of the man
who contributes literally toward maintaining
the church Too much is done to exalt Elf,
and too itte is done to lead sinful man from
error.
What Jesus would do were He running news
paper is easily surin1sed.
He would do as He has commando dothers tC
do--"shun the very appearance of evil" and
were He pastor OF modem church, He would
preach such truths as wolll bring Him again
to crucilixiou.