Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-03-05
q jewel in the plan of salvation it is
thu of conSiStancy

that of consistency.
"The women, the. salt Of the church,
and everything else that is good,
yearning for the saving OF the help
less, so out with their Kindergarten,
open door missions and other helps;
the men pay money and pass by on
the other side of the cause which
makes the necessity for all this work,
and think they r doing Gods SER
vice.
The Power Of Thought.
God does not demand that his
church shall Danish evils and reform
the world through the force of prohibit
tory law. or carnal warfare.
Man is a free moral agent, he can
make his own heaven or hell to his
liking.
st. Paul says that if salvation is
through the law then Christ died for
naught.' 1t is impossible to make
people honest, yirtHous and decent
through the law. These virtues must
come through the forces of thought,
faith, Christianity, and Christly ideals
in material things.
Christ and his apostles came to
turn the world upside down, because
the works of the serpent had put the
world wrong side up.
Every step in human material pro-
gress in morals has been won by faith
and loyalty to Christly ideals in ma
terial things. Saviors and moral he
roes are born only through these
Christly ideals of 'unselfish love OF
our neighbor, and good will to man.
which Christ a y is the whole OF the
law and the prophets
God comes totthis age with peculiar
significance to SHOW us the power OF
thought, and faith in the control of er-
rors for the good of humanity. He de-
signs this power of thought shall be
used through his church for the sal
walton of his people, by keeping this
selfish. material, mortal, man-ridden
world right side up If the church
uses this God given power OF thought
in the moral uplifting OF material
things the gates of hell cannot prevail
against it,
Spiritual and emotional worship IN
church buildings is all right, but ii
is not all of the right, nor is the Law
ish expenditure of money on churches
colleges, libraries and big shows, al
Of salvation.
Gospel campaigns should not b'
confined to church buildings, init
which the prompters Of evil never en-
ter. Christs spirit comes not II
answer to formal prayer or verbal sup
~plication, unless this prayer is coupled
with works in material things.
Church doors may continue t
swing, the sparsely attendance OF me
! continue to be largely a perfunctor,
pass time; but until the church get
rid Of it's trite saying of cant an,
brings the power of thought and faitl
: to bear on the evils and errors tina
are cursing this material mortal worl
the swing of doors will not appeas
a consistent and just God.
t ''lf the Mormon church can keep tn
:, drink habit, with all its trail of evil
:. out of their country by the mere fore
of thought, why can't our churches d
the same?
"If that church has no other virtu
except that of proper thought n a
attitude on the liquor question, ths
one virtue alone should entltle Smot
f to a seat in the United States Sc
S ate. If our churches would put mol
of their Shoots into congress
would perhaps be better for us.
e when the Rachaels, all over tn
country are weeping and refusing
be comforted because their childre
are not; when loving mothers are bein
b sent to premature graves, because
the debauchery of their loved ones
d when our courts are being clogge
e with applications for divorce from tt
intolerable curse caused by the drin
e habit; when the location of the houst
of d~ebauchery, in all large cities
o large as Ottumwa are as we'll known
everybody, except the city officials,
G are the corner groceries, then it seen
to me that it is time for the churt
to make a departure, come out fro
it's cloisters and go preach the gosp
d of education, and the eternal veritl
l. of salvation as preached by Chri
o and his apostles.
a Cannot Follow Worldly Sentiment.
IS W. are talking about the churc
n The world a say can't The wol
can say follow worldly sentiment, tai
k paw for condoning the evils and erro
IS that af1ict humanity. The church ca
not say this and live. Christian CT
l. lization cannot follow worldly sen
ment and long exist. If history teac
re es anything it is that the governmer
le and civilizations go down up
e the ruins of one another, when tn
n abandon Christ's teaching and II
II on worldly sentiment and on mo
IS questions.
"'Counting for righteousness {
m not weigh in the scales for the saw
Ut of Sodom and Gomorrah, hen G
Il, came to adjust the balances. Cou
III ing Of worldly millions will not wei
=. with us.
is God inspired the poet to say:
cit is the hour of fate and thu
~ who follow me reach every state.
MoYtals desire and conquer every L
on save death, but those who doubt
Or hesitate
Condemned to failure, penury and W
,ai Seek me in vain and uselessly implo
| answer not and return no more
ne 81 conclude that if there is not a
" parture by the church, God will dep
We and history will be repeated, that
~. there is any truth, it is. that you 81
81, u reap what you SOW
IL
nd Cheap Landseekers' Rates to the
cd Northwest.