The Globe-republican., 1902-08-07

edy which may rescue the victim,
limit the influence of his pesti1ent ex-
ample. Men are ashamed to acknowI-
edge Christ, but take pride in re
counting their misdeeds-
The worldly maxim seems to be:
Better to die in sin, If we may but
die quietly, than to purchase life and
honor by contending for them" If
men will be wicked, let them be
wicked, if they will but be peaceabIe.
Here we have wickedness transformed
into virtue, and the reformation of
&sle wicked disturbance of the peace
CT society
But peace purchased at such price
will destroy. There is no such thing
IS giving up laws to concilfate the IA
vor of the hagitious- The degenerate
Romans paid tribute to purchase
peace of the northern barbaria2c, but
every concession brought another still
greater, until finally Rome went down
under the mountain of bribery
Who would not be glad to have vice
suppressed and good morals promoted,
if these events would come to pass OF
their own accord? But when the
question is asked, what must be done?
There is a panic, and the well-wish
crs of good morals go over to the en-
envy. The noise and c1amor of haunt-
ing, brazen wickedness frightens
them, and they say: oh, we are
SURFING up Q1SOrO0Ts we are Q1SluA u
ing the peace of society; it is safer
and wiser for US to 90 Lothing. So
the enemy gains victory against the
side of truth. Suppose truth and vir-
tue beat upon drums, blew trumpets
and out-noised wickedness, would not
the latter fee and leave the victory
with the good?
Men are busy buying and selling;
their professions are lucrative and
their harvests rich. 1t is enough, and
society must take care Of itself; the
coming generation must provide for
its own safety No one has anxious
thought concerning the future
Alas, that 1 must say it, How eager
men are to effect a reformation when
it can be done with perfect safety to
their political interests. Their popu-
larity is at stake; the devil has votes,
and they take their stand on a safe
middle ground. They do not oppose
either side-they wait, till they per
ceive Israel or Ama1eck prevail and
then up go thef. hats in loud huzzas
for the winning side.
Let me reduce the power of this
temptation to carry water on both
shoulders by laying down maxim,
that when the federation of crimes be-
comes the price of public Suffrage
when the people will not endure the
restraint of righteous laws, but re-
ward with place and position, officials
who suffer them to sin, and wink at
moral laws with impu-ity; and when
Office seeke S sell th cir conscience and
the public good for a little brief au-
thority, a trif1e of gain, then the pub
lie suffrage is of it'll value, for the
day of liberty is drawing to a close,
and the night of despotisa IL at hand.
Remember this: when the fagitious
the corrupts, the conscienceless con-
troll the government, the people may
the wicked rule with a rod of iron.
No compact entered into by men is
more unha1lOwed than the tacit agree
ment between rulers and subjects to
dispense with the laws and tolerate
crime.
Like the captive Israelites, we sit
down and fold our hands, and sigh
and weep and pray that something
may be done, but at the same time
we predict that nothing can be done
1T is a land that eateth up the inhab-
itants thereof, and all the people that
we saw in it men OF great stature
And there saw the giants, the sons
of Anak. which came of the giants
and we were in own sight as
grasshoppers, and so were in their
| sight
Thus walled the Israelites in their
! dependency. Nothing could be done;
the work was too vast to be done at
| a stroke, so becar-e It could not all
| be done at once. nothing could be
! done.
When we think of reformation, the
! sins of the whole nation rise up be-
| fore in appalling mass The
! aggregation of its crimes fill us with
| despair. What? Refuse to do a little
| good because we can not do a great
| one? Where is our persevering in
dustry? Have we forgotten that tho
1 land is formed of little grains f
sand, and the mighty ocean of petty
| drops OF water?
There are those who do not despair.
| Oh, no, they presume, which is as
| deadly They pray and wait for God
1 to deliver them. They have no con
ception of human exertion. But you
/ may pray and wait forever, upon this
| principle. and the Lord Will not come
| For the kingdom of God is a kingdom
of means, and though the supreme ex-
| cellence of the power belongs to Him
| exclusively. human instrum mentality is
| Indispensable
Not only is the individual, you,
| yourself. jeopariized, but the life OF