The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-04-01

~
etc.
IL was 50 written, and the words con.
tanned a precious promise. hut here they
only strengthened suggestion 10 do
thing which was wrong. 1t is written
again said Jesus. Thou shalt not tempt
or make trial OF the Lord thy God -
Oh. II IN the history OF the past, SO dis
figured by bitter contests for half truths.
the wisdom OF this 1T ls written again"
of Jesus had only been realized How OF.
ten have the advocates OF a blanched Cal
.Slnism, OF men who had become the n.
.Lalisue enthusiasts for one particular
mode OF administering baptism. or with
one mlsht theory of the inspiration OF the
Blble-a theory, for example which put
the Book OF Esther, winch does not con.
tam the name OF God, on an equal footing
with ST. Johns Gospel, how often have
such misguided people cried out. 1t is
written, as II that were the end of all
controversy. Never can the true balance
and proportion OF hte be discovered in this
way. Again II Is written, = Jesus for.
mula. An isolated text does not settle the
matter. Every false teacher who has di-
Nded the church has virtually done 80 by
an III ls written
First, We must nave recourse 20 the prIn.
ciples OF sanity and common sense, Ind
out II what We are tempted 20 do Is IN
sincere accord with what God has taught
us generally IN HIS word and IN common
sense, and. then decide For Christ 20
have cast Himself from the wing of the
temple INTO the abyss that yawned below
would have been to tempt God we do
not make experiments with those whom
we absolutely trust - When a man be-
gins 10y PRAYER test, or any like thing. 10
make experiments with God, he shows
that he lacks the subtle, spiritual quality
called faith which Is the only means by
which he can reach God. Therefore II is
the habit OF trust TO calmly abide IN God
not trlie with or put Him TO the test.
As long as Jesus renamed within the
sphere OF the revealed will Of His Father
lie could trust Him. Ii He should break
or contravene that will. then He should
no longer feel He had right 10 Gods
care. In other words Jesus Christ IN
ills second temptation, flushed with a
victory which must have given an impulse
to faith in the Fathers power and suf.
holency. declares 70 us' that II Is necessary
10 have a care for ourselves as well as
commit ourselves into the keeping of God.
Because We are Gods children we may not
break the laws of the world to which we
lciong and expect Him 10 miraculously
interfere 10 prevent the consequences.
Contempt for nature and practical reason
~ wretched policy To begin religious
life with We live under physical law.
under moral law, under spiritual law To
ianCy that because we have come 10 feel
the power OF the spiritual and even the
Supernatural we are at liberty TO fy IN
the face of known physical laws, or sane
and widely received moral laws. j. fatal
error, and for It men are ALWAYS punished
IN the end. God Is the source Of all these
laws and We tempt the Lord our God
when we break them We are not 10 rely,
either, too exclusively CT pTesumptuous.
ly upon the care Of God. As far as our
practical reason serves us. We must also
take counsel of that, recognizing that faith
and sell help action and patience meet
IN equilibrium and complete each other.
II Jesus, the exceptional and pre-emi
nent object OF divine care, had yielded 10
tins Cast Ihysfll down lie would first
have broken away from us lis brethren,
who live under moral and physical law,
and second, lie would have substituted
Tor HE environed by nature guarded,
guided, fed by 1t, participant IN ITS forces
because subject to its laws. n lie divorced
from nature, hostile TO H. refusing 10
tempt God or to break away from our hu.
man lot and world, showed us the sanity
and strength OF a genuine trust IN God.
1t u not nervous, tanatiCal or presump.
tuous 1T neither courts nor shuns
death H. - prudent wary, viii not
oyCrstCp the limits oi a sober faith. and
yet when the VIII OF God clearly demands
-
death and daIes all hell
My friends the modern sin of presump.
ton turns up under many forms Now 1t
appears IN the guisc OF religious pride,
IN the puIbllnd assumption Of some &C.
Clcsast.Cdl Charlatan uttcrnC with great
swelling words of vanity some oracular
opinion which he claims 10 be Of equal au.
thouty with the teachings Of the Son OF
God Gou have 1t IN the Vaccinations Of
fIa. h. Il.
the SYSTEM sIavlsh liberalism and prepus.
teroas overcaims. The contempt for the
physical that the system brcathes and
breeds, the refusal TO give medicines out
OF those stores which God has LAID up for
us IA Leaf and plant and flower and min.
eral, and which millions OF educated men
have gwen their lives TO make available,
the willingness to cast themselves or a
child over the precIplce, claiming the sane.
ton Of certain Scriptures az Their warrant
for escaping destruction is IN the eyes OF
most men and women to-day, a sin Of pre-.
sumption. The system Is against the cor.
pOfatc common sense of the race, against
the proportion OF faith; IL dscards doc.
trnos Ike the blessed truths OF Christ's
deity and atonement, which have been
held by the overwhelming majority OF the
members OF the Christian church in every
age from the beginning. 1T ~ written"
they cry Yes Christ teaches us 10 an.
swcr, and again II ~ written. Thou shalt
not make the trial OF the Lord thy God"
You have It-one hcsItatcs TO alludc IN a
Christian pulpit TO the vulgar seCt--in the
sacrosanct po.ygamy Of the Mormon, of
which such an informing expose has been
made by Congressional committee during
the past week Not that the Mormon is
the only aduterer; would God he were,
but Ne Is the only man now before the
Christian public who claims new revca.
ton Of later and higher authority than
that made through ;he holy and slness
Jesus, expressly sanctonIIG his lustful
creed.
81 az the chosen OF God nave had a vis-
ION which uproots and superscdes the NOR.
alty taught by the Lord Jesus Christ; |
Ike Mohammed's about the family better
than Chrlst's, therefore ] hear my pref.
crenCe sanctioned by a voice from heaven.
Henceiorth my revelation shall put ne
above the law Of the land Outwardly /
may have TO comply, but I secretly Will
ignore 1T There ~ not occurred ia
modern times a more pcstiierous example
Of religious hypocrisy and delusloni And
when we remember that repeatedly IN re-
cent years emissaries from Utah have pro
claimed thIs accursed system here IN the
East, chiefly among simple minded rustIcs
and mountaIneeTs, We realize tie sIn OF
permitting 10 thus long.
This counsry can never endure part
poyRamist and part monogamist
But, my iri.- d., the capital Pin 81 pre-.
sumption - committed nearer at nome
than this. There - self satisfied credulty
which makes men fancy that they can
break all manner Of spiritual laws, cast