The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-05-29

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eye gate to the heart,
This second commandment forbids
high nature worship-the making Of
a craven image of anything that is
in heaven above. 1t forbids low ma
ture worship or the worshiping Of
images in the earth below or that is
in the water under the earth. Under
this head would come the prohibition
of hero worship, more prevalent to-
day than we are willing to admit.
1t is idolatry either to worship a
dead hero or a living dignatory.
Every woman that kissed Hobson af-
ter his daring exploit. broke the
second commandment and every man
that kisses the Pope's toe is guilty
of idolatry.
Following after other Gods is spirit.
ual adultery and spiritual adultery is
scriptural idolatry. 1t prostitutes
the holiest uses of the soul and be-
gets Legitimate thought and emo
tions. evil and adulterous" is the
way God characterizes the idolatry of
Israel when he seeks after other Gods
God is a jealous God. He cannot
look upon infdelity to the marriage
| VOWS On the part Of His bride the
Church in any other than an offended
way.
Jehovah, God is Israel's husband
and He cannot bear to see his bride
prostitute herself by illegitimate alli-
ances. When money, dress, domes-
ticites, business or profess ion become
dearer to us than religion, we need
to read again the second command
ment.
III The second thing to which this
commandment calls attention is the
dscouraglng and encouraging aspecte
of the law of heredity. No one
present was created in the image of
God. We are all made in the imags
of Adam after the fall. 1t is dis.
couraging to feel that we may prop
ogate diseases, vices, peculiarities-
that "the iniquity of the fathers may
be visited upon the children unto
the third and fourth generation, but
such is the fact. And it would also
seem that evil is more easily propo.
gated than good. Charles II. Spur
geon once said to his son "Tom l
car transmit my gout to my descen-
dants but not the gift of grace.
In every slum district there are
"chiIdren of the. slums" and this is
usually a term for wickcdness OF
every sort. There ought to be q
law forbidding the intermarrying of
criminals for this is acknowledged to
be the most direct way of perpetua-
ting iniquity.
II may be argued that the accept
ance OF this aspect of the law OF
heredity is ia consistent With man S
free agency, that it is averse to the
idea that all men are ere ated equal,
that it is unfair to the poor boy of
the slums and that it quenches re-
sponsibiity, but each otthese ques.
tons can be easily answered and
Ezekiel in the 18th chapter, does
answer the last. Read it. 1t is a
comforting thought that heredtv
is not fatality. Henry Wilson,
Massachusetts boy, was so asham-
ed of his dssolute and dlsslpated
father, that he took another name.
He despised the sinlulness of the
man who brought him into being,
and determined not to initiate him.
He began his education when most
boys finish theirs, made little
money as young man and lost it
all as soon as he made it. And
vet with the "merciless law of
heredity' against him. he steadily
arose from positions OF eminence to
higher ones, from State Legisla-
ture to the Senate of the United
States. and closed his political ca
reer as vice-president Of this great
Republic. Let every boy doomed
from his birth to an unequal strug-
gle. catch inspiration from this eX-
ample and determine that he, too.
will rise to take place Of useful
ness and honor aud prominence IN
the world. He may. il he will.
And then, too, it is comforting to
teel that while the iniquity Of the
fathers shall be visited upon the
children unto the third and fourth
generation OF them that hate God,
Mercy will be shown unto thous-
ands (not thousands of persons
but thousands of generatlons) OF
them that love Goa and keep his
comm andments. This, this is the
hope of the world, The truth we
teach our children they will teach
their children and children's chill
dren shall come to know the en-.
couraging aspect Of the law ot hered-
itY as they come to know the mercy
OF Jehovah.
Make no craven image OF Jehovah
nor bow down to any likeness OF
Him in heaven or ealth or sea, but
let the only perfect revelation Of
Him-Ilis perfect son, have undi-
vlded claim upon your undivided
Worship.
Cat Qaxe Harm