The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-15
DOUBTS THAT GOD
is MOVING CAUSE.
DIR. Jordan Touched Upon Recent


Calamities in "Ideas and Ideals"
Whether God be in these things
as a moving cause I know not, but
doubt it."
In his sermon on Ideas and Ideals"
to a large congregation at the First
Baptist Church last night, Rev. DR..
John d. Jordan, the pastor made this
statement.
"Since we met here one week ago
we have heard of great and absorbing
events" said DR.. Jordan. War in the
Orient and a conhagration in our
neighboring city, Baltimore. Whether
God be in these things as moving
cause / know not, but L doubt 1t.
When Elijah was anxious to see the
Lord he took his stand upon noun
tain to watch for Him. There was a
great and strong wind, but the Lord
was not in the wind; and after the
wind, an earthquake; but the Lord
was not in the earthquake; and after
the earthquake a fire: but the Lord
was not in the fire; and after the fire
a still small voice.
81 know one place where God is, or
wants to be, and that is in your heart
dies and CONGREGATIONS of the world
are those of the human heart.
The daily papers furnish us abund-
ant news of all these wars and con-
tlagrations and the temptation to the
preacher is to rehash them and draw
conclusions that never conclude. My
desire and purpose is to draw your
minds and hearts from these startling
and trying things, and place them upon
God, or let God come in to save, keep
and comfort. The happy and peaceful
heart is the one that is staid upon
God.
Ideas and ideals are great things,
essential things, but how they may
change. This idea has been advanced,
first our ideal is to be policeman, or
street car conductor, then a baseball
or football player. then to marry the
brightest girl in the class, then to whip
the head professor who rebukes us in
the presence Of that girl; next to be
President of the United States; then
to make q decent living, and finally
to keep out of the poor house will be
enough. There are certain great and
fundamental ideas and essential ideals
thap cannot change. They are set
forth in these Psalms to marked de-
gree.
The first Paslm sets before us the
righteous man and the unrighteous
man. The Bible knows but two classes
of people-righteous and unrighteous,
saints and sinners, saved and lost. The
righteous man eschews evil and
cleaves to the good. His meditation
and delight is in the law of the Lord.
The fifteenth Psalm embodies the
ideas that make uD the ideal citizen
of Zion. He is upright and truthful.
If you were to kill all the liars in town
you might greatly reduce our popula-
ton. He never backbites or ISLANDERS
with his tongue. Q the contempt for
such tongues as Islander and back
bite! Such tongues had better be cut
out. If they were there would be
many people without a tongue to loll
tomorrow. He SwearS to his own hurt
and changes not. Mark such a man. SO
few men are willing to swear to
their own hurt. Or do anything to
their own hurt even if the general
good demands it. That is why evil
and crime run rife in our midst. Aft
er all the way of the wicked and law
breaking citizen is to his own hurt,
the hurt of his neighbor and the COM
munity.
"The ideal man will not receive an
exorhitant interest for his money.
Here is a test of the true man and a
genuine religion. Show me the man
who seeks the unreasonable and UNI
merciful interest from the helpless poor
and 1 will show you a great sinner
"In Psalm we get the ideas of hui
mility and love and unity. More love,
sympathy and unity is what this world
needs. That is what God offers and
what all true citizens of Zion are
striving for.
ITO sum up the ideal man must have
a pure heart. a clean life. and a god
ly conversation. These all depend on
the heart for out of it are the issues Of
life. and out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaketh. A new
heart and a clean heart may be had
through the blood of Christ"