The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-23
THE NEWS AND OBSERVER TUESDAY MORNING. JANUARY o. 1900

ever, he swears, but that hurts nobody.
He drinks, but that hurts only himself.
He breaks the Sabbath, but whose bust
ness is lit? Them here's a church MEM
Der that YOU can't trust for bushel of
meal Yet he goes around in a most
solemn sort of way, attends church reg
ularly and is always here at your ALTAR.
How about them? Both are in the same
predicament. One has a certain sort of
righteousness and honesty. He wants
to keep unspotted for business reasons
his reputation for honesty; but he's his
own God. The other has some idea of
God and in dim sort Of way worships
Him, hut thinks he can cheat Him by his
petty rascalities. Between these two
mem there's no choice.
Its horrible thing to steal and get
caught and get in the penitentiary. And
vet, according to the Bible, its no worse
to steal than it is to swear. /"
Il have heard it from the pulpit, 4 have
read it in the church papers, that the
one great effort is TO explain the universe
without God. Drummond tried to har-
monize Moses and modern science. lie
Conte writes book ON evolution and re-
ligfon, and tries to get Moses and Dar-
win to kiss. They make me tired. What
difference does it make? / don't care if
they never do make the Bible and
science agree. Back of all stands God.
We will not compromise or give up for
anybody.
THE preaching we need is the preach
ing that makes God a personality. The
matter has gone to the point at which
we say religion is dosing its grip on the
masses. Well, the Lord knows the sort
Of religions some of them are trying to
perpetrate on the masses ought no lose ITS
grip. Too many people look ON the
church as a sort of gymnasium to which
they are expected to go ON Sunday, III
their best clothes. and take sort of
spiritual exercise. There is many a man
in his seat here on Sunday, simply to
keep up his record-he's long been in
the habit of being here and he keeps conn
ing. There is no longer that feeling, once
a characteristic of the orthodox Metho-
dist, that unless we got olr hand ON
God we must fail; no more wrestling
with God for a spiritual blessing: no
longer "a striving for the spirit or a work
ing out of the salvation with fear and
trembling. That was the faith our old
Methodist mothers taught us. Did 1T
thunder? God was talking. He maketh
the lightning and createth the thunder
The preacher went ON to say 1t was
not the attributes Of God. but His prom
ises. that makes His people have faith
IN Him.
Its not His power, or love, Or omni-
presence. Behind these there must be
the promise-eternal. persistent. immuta-
BILE. This stamps Him God and gives us
faith
Then discussing the attributes of the
Deity. he said:
Truman love is. in spite of us, largely
a matter of cumstance-governed by
circumstances and changing with them.
But here is a love that never changes.
You love that fellow as dong as he Is IN
society or Yields power or influence IN
the community. Then he can best9w
gifts and add TO your enjoyment. But
when he has lost this or has been ostrl-
ciscd from society you do not see him
when You meet him on the street. 1he
mother doves her prattling child. Bot as
he grows older he leaves her side, goes
through temptations, falls a victim to the
sins of the world. becomes an outcaSt
and fser heart is chilled toward him. The
mothers love is all gone"
Coming back to Spencer ard Darwin
and Drummond. DIR. Kilgo said in CON
Guiding:
I'm tired of natural law 1t makes
this old heart of mine sick. I've heard
it ding-donged by the locomotive that
passes my window day after day. W.
heard it in the factory bell about my
honya. I've heard it i'm the rattle Of the
traces of the beast of burdens drawing
their loads. I've seen it in the marks
ON the brow Of the toiler. 1T comes -
me in the poetry of a Walt Whitman or
in an analysis from a laboratory. Enough
of this everlasting natural law!'