The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-05-09
FAITH CURES
SINFUL RISKS
CONTRARY TO GODS LAW
SAID REV. A. VI. WILLIAMS IN SER
MON ON TEMPTATION"

Medicine Gods Aid TO Suffering
Man Gambling DOuble-Bhr-
relied Sin-TemptatiOn of Wine
riaGes for PHYS sake, from Mar
riages to Reform Drunkards.
From the subject Sinful Risks"
Rev. A. NJ. Williams, pastor of Trim
itY Methodist Church, last night
preached a strong sermon, dealing with
general questions of the day and their
answers. The sermon was another of
the series on the Temptations of
Jesus" and was based on the tempta-
ton to cast Himself down from the
pinnacle.
After distinguishing between sinful
risks and risks that We're allowable,
Mr.. Williams said, among other
things:
I'VE begin, in the discussion of risks,
in the house of God. A serious mis-
take of some Christians is presuming
on God in their reckless disregard of
sound judgment. There are many who
believe religion in it's best expression
is to follow impressions, impulses,
emotions. These injure the cause of
religion by their follies.
"A man knows God more when he
uses his judgment than when he fol-
lows his impulses. judgment is the
faculty that is to decide on the wisdom
of a course, emotion furnishes the fire
to move. When emotion takes the place
of judgment there is a contraction that
is dishonoring to God.
Many absurd things occur from this
theory. Three young preachers were
counting the same girl. Each one told
her that God had impressed him that
she was to be his wife. She said that
there must be some mistake for God
was not a polyandrist. Much harm is
done the good cause by such absurdity.
Christian Science Methods.
IAN these schools that preach faith
cure without the agency of natural
remedies, violate the principle Christ
here adopted Science is as much of
God a S prayer.
The man who accepts the study of
men who have devoted their lives to
the study of mans system, its diseases,
and those agents of nature that count
eract these ills, is more in harmony
with God. He is in sympathy with
Gods system for mans development.
The person who ignores the best
means God has lead man into adopt
ing because of some ISM needs to
contemplate Jesus as he turns Satan
down in this great conflict. Thou shalt
not tempt the Lord, thy God
There is much suffering in the
temporal affairs of men because they
have taken sinful risks in business.
Men set their notions against the ex-
perienCe of the business world. plunge
into investments, and emerge penniless.
Others get cranky notions of their
superiority and rush against counsel
and advice. A large per centage OF
lifes failures are accounted for just
here.
Gambling and Intemperance.
Gambling in all its forms, from pet
~ games 10 large speculation, involv-
ing the interests of great classes, must
| be classed as a Sinful risk. The sin
in this case is two-fold. The effort
to get from another without giving
value received comes under the head
of bread badly bought.
THE taking of a risk that involves
the accumulation of lives. The future
usefulness of the individual, and the
welfare of his dependents, is alto
gether sinful. Gambling is a double
barreled sin. 1t is evil whether a man
wins or loses.
"Tampering with the wine cup is an
ether form of sinful risk. The wretch
edness of intemperance cannot be gain
said. Gladstone says it is greater than
war, famine and fire combined.
Never a week comes but l see its
dread consequences in some new case,
If not novel, form. Well does the in
spired prophet urge, Look not on the
wine when 1t is red in the cup; in
the end it biteth like a serpent and
stingeth like a scorpion.
Social Evils That Exist.
MANY marriages illustrate sinful
risks. The girl who takes a fellow
out of pity, marries the drunkard to
reform him, becomes infatuated with
the adventurer.-Oh, the barrels of
tears, the land of signs, the closet of
| skeletons, the centuries of agony, the
detail of specific cases under this head
Near akin to this class of sinful
risks. let me give you another social
danger. The love of pleasure, the in
| toxication of nerve, the fascination of
the moment, has lead thousands into
| the dreadful plunge. The history of
| the world is full of such stories.
"Davids fall in watching the bath
| ing Beersheba. Esaus hasty sale of a
birthright under the pressure of hun
| ger; Herod's rash vow under the spell
| Oh the ldSClNlOuS udiCe VI the uduSH-
| ter of Herodias; Mark Antony's infat-
uation with Cleopatra, causing him to
madly throw a world away; all these
| and many others might be cited. Here
in Savannah, every week that comes,
| some poor girl falls.
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord, thy
! God Have the wisdom to study His
! law; have the decision to hold under
| all circumstances to that law have
the courage to Withstand all the plaus-
| ible, pleading, devils. The Jesus who
! prevailed on the Tempter's pinnacle