The Savannah morning news., 1903-12-21
GRATING HIS THEME
REV. DIR. JORDAN SCORES THE RE
LIGIoUS LEG PULLERS.
.PITIES THE BUSINESS MEN.
"FOR SWEET CHARITY is MUCH
ABUSED, HE SAID.

ell in Issuing Proclamation
Against Pagan Celebration of the
Birth of Christ-Says Merchants
Have as Much Right to Protection
as Have the Churches-Churches
and Charities should Live Within
Themselves and Not Be Public
Beggars.
Religious Graft" was the basis Of
Rev. John D. Jordan's sermon at the
First Baptist Church last night. AS
DR.. Jordan expressed it he touched
where the skin was thin" He summed
up the question of what is graft by
saying that it is Incorporating any
thing into something where it did not
originally belong.
Few things, if any," said DR.. Jor-
dan, have been so badly grated as re-
Iigion. 1t was one of the chief COM
plants of our Lord against the He
brews of his day. They had grated
the traditions of the fathers into
the written law until the traditions of
men had in a large measure taken the
place of the law of God. Christianity
among Gentiles is a graft. All that is
holy in our religion, all our best teach
ings and much that is best in the
world came to us through the Jews.
In his mercy God has admitted us on
an equal footing with the Jews,
through riches of grace in His Son,
Jesus Christ, who, as a man, was a
Jew.
A Hindrance to Christianity.
christianity has found it's greatest
hindrance and shame in the spirit OF
graft which has crept into its faith and
practices. Churches and denomina-
lions exist to-day whose distinguishing
features are sciones of graft. Perhaps
the most far-reaching of these are
'BaptismaI regeneration and Infant
baptism.
1T stands to reason that if all Chris
tians stood by the original root and
stock of Christian faith and practice,
without addition or subtraction, we
would be one instead of so many
churches or denominations. When
see the people of Christ, the people for
whom He prayed that they may be
one, so much divided on so many
things I do wonder that the world
doubts and that Zion moves as with
clogged wheels in miry place.
THE man who determines his church
affiliations, not upon the grounds of be-
lief, but with a view of obtaining GER
tain personal advantages, is a CRATER
of the vilest sort, having denied the
faith. To join a certain church for
merchandise, to get patients clients, a
position, a wife or increase in salary is
religious graft. Religious graft stalks
a giant abroad in the field of religious
finances. Here the religious people
have drifted from the deep sea of grace,
love- cheerfulness, devotion and liber-
ality to our Lord onto the treacherous
shoals of trade, traffic, trick, device and
sometimes to gambling and the re-
ligiouS hold up
pulled" for Charity.
'I feel sorry for the merchants and
business men of our city. The way
they are approached and pulled in the
name of religion and charity is a sin
and a shame. Because l do business
with a man in merchandise or other
wise, is no reason why l should then
turn and hold him up for a contribu-
ton for religion or charity. 1 belittle
both myself and my religion when 1
do it. 1 really think that the mer-
chants and business people of our city
4ACCu " VI d plOICCllNG dSSOCld-
ton against the religious and charity
crusade and grafters.
What do you think of the action of
the merchants and City Council in
regard to the conduct on our streets
Christmas Eve night? The merchants
and Council did exactly right Our
merchants carry on their business at
great cost, and no one in the name
of religion or anything else, has a right
to interfere with their business. The
law guarantees protection to us for
our worship to be undsturbed Were
it disturbed, l would appeal to the
law for protection.
The Abuse of Christmas.
This question calls my attention to
the saddest commentary that 1 have
ever known on a Christian commune
ty. For people, claiming to be Chris
tians, to so conduct themselves in what
they call a celebration of the birth of
our Lord, who came to bring peace
on earth and good will towards men,
as to compel the business men, both
Jews and Gentiles, to appeal to a He
brew Mayor and his Council for pro-
lection. Remember, they looked at the
business and legal side of the olles
ton without any disposition to inter
fere with any religious right or any
person. This is an awfully sad com
mentary on our community, but let rs
hope that it will do great good in
bringing many of our citizens to more
properly consider a great question in
our religious thought and life
1.-THE best way to honor the Christ
Is to accept Him as a personal savior
and His teachings as the rule of our
life. If we would do this our COM
munity would be saved any such lust.
but humiliating rebuke"