The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-09-29


nature that the illustration OF a vessel is
a poor analogy 10 a human being. We
are moral creations and in every moral
act there 4s not only self surrender, but
self-assertion.
THE ACT OF ASSERTING OURSELVES
The act of asserting ourselves is Just
as necessary and moral as the act OF sur
rendering 20 God
The truth is that self surrender and
receptiveness have become less n virtue
than we are willing 10 admit No man
can so harden his heart TO the good I'm
this world as not 10 receive IT, From
sainted parents IL becomes bone OF His
bone and flesh 81 His flesh The school
works Its influence upon His mobile life.
The atmosphere OF the church. the integ-
rity and truthfuness OF the business
world, the influence OF our public insti-
tutions. the inspiration OF strong. noble
men and women, are waited I'm upon him
unconsciously and redeem the environ
ment wherein he finds himself There is
no quarter OF the globe today where a
man can live among men and not receive
some OF the blessings OF Gods kingdom.
He must breathe IL In as surely as the
citizen Of this country must be imbued
with the spirit OF free institutions as the
humble peasant In Italy takes In the
charm of the sky and the setting OF the
sun, as the hardy Swissman is inspired
and strengthened by the beauty and
grandeur OF his mountains and natures
great amphitheatres.
NO MAN WHOLLY REDEEMED.
IL Is for this reason that there can be
no man wholly redeemed into the king
dom OF God. until society, his most po-
tent environment. has been redeemed
With the emphasis placed on this by
Jesus and with the evils that have ex-
lSted he tna
exists today In our social national life IL
Is not strange that ministers OF the Cos
pei have left their pulpits 10 preach the
Gospel of Christian socialism 10 the world
and TO question the truth and validity of
the very foundations OF our social life
When President Mckinley met his un-
timely death the word socialism was
signal for hostile attack. But II the time
comes during the next six months. when
not only our schools and churches are
closed and our homes are unbearable,
when not only the poor of our cities suf-
fer, but when children I'm the inhospitable
tenement houses shall die from cold. we
shall all, at yeast. be more in sympathy
with a wider national control. I believe
that the time Is coming when the great
natural resources OF these states those
necessary for the well being and life Of
the people. will be taken from the hands
of a few capitalists and placed under
may hasten that day
And II the present administration does
not soon exceed It's authority and at
least use fits influence correct the exist
ing evil. IL will be 10 the shame and dis
credit OF the party now in power.
WHAT SALVATION MEANS.
Salvation means the salvation Of socie-
~. as well as the salvation OF the indi-
vidual. and l repeat that since the indi-
vidual is placed In a position where he
must receive the blessings Of God with
the air he breathes, the mere act OF
receiving has less virtue in IL because un-
conscious and involuntary. But when a
man by his own conscious act prepares
himself to receive the best and then has
received IL, he has only taken the pre-
liminary step toward becoming n man Of
force and character That which counts
for character. IL matters not whether IL
be business or Christian character. is less
what man receives and more his atti-
tude to what enters into his life.
We are commanded TO grow in grace.
This simple command is not fulfilled for
two reasons. There are those who try
to grow. not in. but into grace. They
make the effort to grow. but IL is outside
the realm Of grace and consequently un-
der adverse conditions. They do not sue
ceed. There are also those in grace, who
live under the necessary conditions. who
have received the gifts of God. yet who
do not make the necessary effort by using
these gifts. This Is perhaps the condi-
tion OF large per cent. of men and wo-
men inside the Christian church today
They believe in righteousness and live
upright lives, but their righteousness
means little to themselves or any one
else.
WORLD FINDS 1T NECESSARY.
The world finds II necessary to be told
from time TO time that there is a living
spirit Of God. that spirit is so little in
evidence as ii was manifested by Jesus
Christ.
We need TO arouse ourselves TO the
fact that the mere reception of Gods
gifts without exercising our own in MAX
ing these gifts Of God useful may be our
condemnation, as we'll as our justifica-
ton.
The dead sea has great receptive pow
ers, but its waters instead OF blessing
the desert are death to vegetation IL
has no outlet. May IL not be just as
true of church and OF a man as of a
sea, that the more the institution or the
man receives and the less that is done
for humanity the greater the curse. That
man who processes that his calling and
election Is sure who is continually pro-
claiming what God has done for him
and yet who has never done his duty to-
ward God, in the only way a man can do
IL, by serving his fellow man, that man
exposes himself 10 the open and just
criticism Of the world.
IL Is a fact often noted. but singularly
strange. that men into whose lives has
swept the current Of sin practice the sin
with an eagerness and power that is too
seldom seen in the lives OF men who
have received Gods grace.
IL is not strange that vice succeeds
where virtue fails. when the agents OF
vice are whole-hearted and the agents OF
virtue are luke warm.
VICE is ORGANIZED
The liquor power. as an Illustration, in
this country is thoroughly organized II
is well nigh unit IL works with united
action toward a common end. But what
can be said Of those who labor for pro- |
or even temperance. The ex-
treme prohibition party has too often
spent the major portion OF its time in
sistng on complete abolition or nothing.
and the remainder OF the time has been
spcnt I'm iSOlating. by unwarra nted abtsa