The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-03-20
SERMON BY REV.
JOHN SHAPE
The Cry of a Perishing
World to a Sleeping
Church.


fist Church, March 18th, lD0l
Text: What meanest thou, o
Z sleeper Arise call upon thy God,
if so be that God will think upon us
that we perish not. Jonah To.
u This text is frequently used TO
exhort the sinner to turn IRON his
Y evil way and then 1t is usually par
APPRAISED thus"'' Arise o sleeping
Z sinner, what do you mean by this
I lethargetic stupor; call upon God
before You sink beneath the waves
OF your uubellei and be forever lost.
But cursory examination of the
text will show that this obviously
is not the meaning Jonah is not
the sinner Though just al this time
he is very disobcdicnt saint he
\ represents the church: the heather
crew the sinner. And it's The crew
represented by the ship master who
exhort Jonah. Ii is "T'he Cry of a
Perlshing World to a Sleeping
Church. "
4 There are three things which our
theme suggests and the first is
/ !, The Worlds Danger. There
is danger to-day from the muddy
WAYS OF materiallST, \ material.
list is one who denies the existence
OF spiritual substances and main
tains that the soul Of maa is the
result Of particular organization
Of matter in the body. He denies
:he possibility of future life. To
him there can be no intelligent and
4 personal Creator. Creation itself is
neon ceivabie and therefore impos-
sible. The Christian philosophy is
against all this. and yet there is a
materialism abroad in the land
against which a warning cry needs
10 be raised Materialism always
denies the supernatural and how
far will one have togo in these days
TO find men ready TO sheer al him,
who finds his surest guide and
steadjest help in spiritual commu-
Aicatlons with the Divine Father.
J Says the eminent Rabbi Joseph
Kranskopf, ID. d. in a lecture "|Nho
- is tod that should hear him.
From every portion OF the civilized
world there comes the alarming cry
OF a decrease in God belief and an
increase in God iessncss. Germany
is alarmed at its empty churches
and filled saloons; France att its de-
caying meeting houses and flowing
b olhels; England at its deserted
apeis and crowded music halls;
america, at the apathy i'll religious
matters and the intense interest in
everything that nurses the greeds
and appetites All OF TINS is proof
OF the existence OF an intense ma
1srlalism. The Tires OF ma erlalism
&ei.ld soon die down and out in our
fair land. were they not constantly
fed with the fuel OF American apa-
thy and appetite.
IN many Of our homes the family
altar has been broken down, the
custom OF returning thanks Tor DAT
ly bread abandoned, the religious
training OF our children neg lccted,
their presence in the public services
OF the church being an unknown
thing, The little boy that looked
established AT hroriru craze said
at a meal in = fr,eud's Il ,me was
about right, " hen to the question
whether God was not worshiped at
his house replied: I'VE haven't any
God at my paoa's house.
But the world is also iii danger
,.o,o In. waves of ,rrost,rism A
~1.,,os,ir IS a man who knows every.
thiur. an aonostic il one VIII, knows
!. p,,hInu Thcre is no,hnr unon
v,hi,h , onos,i. cannot win hold.
NO., .ncal;. there ;s rn,h;no nnon
winch An onno..ic viii sneal, with
confidence lie would he nerrectlv
harmless if this were all Int if is
fnn,. lie NOT nnIv will noi know
b;m..f Inn, SAYS ntbar. c,ruot He
nci,nrr as.aris NOR denies he
sbr,,. hi. sb,u)Lar. and I,oI, .
cr4dn.ous lie il , douhter Jonah
W., for The t,meI nm ornos,ic for
he doubted God and Hrd awav from
&. dn;,. and wont IN Size, in = shin
al. ,s mat ,uun-,irivn ',h,rh find :
;ts c,nress;on IN d,rhI,,J distrus,
nj God and Of his word which is
rio .hi,vnus ard L,rmtu1 70 con,
,fess ones INABILITY 70 ra,hnm the
mini nt I'm. t;nitc - l,itI. ia Iouh,
thc ,,,sdom ;u.tirc and lave ut God
;s ,,,nst;r;.n
III tbara is ,l.o l,,aa,. ,,,o,r five
rrLI. ,rsacberoT. snnnt ,,h",a,n
". ia,gh at il and t~ant th, mar.
+ar I,nhfI,. I'm, - 10 snh,In IAN.
rnr,r. ,nemv "a ihr chin 81 rhr,s.
%,,u aim Tho u,t.ri1,I.t dierc.
u,r,ls Gnd AVID ,s ;ubi1,rrcui. tho
s'rr,s,ir dnnhts ,,oJ ard * mis-.
.L,a,,us tho ,,I.i-, d.r,cc IoI