The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-11-23
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON g.,
ThE REV. JOHN DOUGLAS ADAM.
Subject: Moral Lamencss.


preached Sunday on MORAL Lame
ness" from the text: Acts iii:6: Then
Peter said. Silver and gold have
none; but such as have give L unto
thee; in the name of Jesus Christ Oh
Nazareth rise up and walk He said:
Our text introduces us to lame
man who lay day by day at the gate
of the temple in Jerusalem, begging
for sufficient money to keep him in
life. This is a very common scene
in the New Testament. where we are
constantly meeting the lame, the halt,
the blind and the lepers, and there is
no wonder, for we must bear in mind
those were the days when there were
no hospitals, no scientific amedlcai
schools, no. homes for incpEables, nor
any societies OF aid. Since that day
Christianity, without boastfulness. has
had magnificent share in the crea-
ton of those centres OF relief. We see
no such spectacle on our streets as did
the Syrian of old upon his. Our Chris
tan sentiment and Christian love have
provided the hospital, and our lame
men are sent there. And not only the
hospital, but we have to-day enlight-
ened scientific effort, societies of char
itysand helpfulness on all hands; and
because the modern method of dealing
with sickness is not the, same as that
of The apostles. never think that it Is
not Christian. for the same CHRISTIAN
spirit plays about the treatment OF
physical ills to-day. We have to oe
delivered, it seems to me. from the
idea that God is only in the exuaor-
dinary. That He is only in the large.
It seems to be hard upon our reason
to comprehend. God is as much in
the ordinary as in the miracle. 1t IS
the same God. and God is as mucn
in the hospital, in His spirit, and IN
the modern methods Of curing SICK
ness. God is there just as truly as He
was in the days Of old. So Chrlsuan-
ity has in a large measure solved the
question: of the physically lame man.
/ am not going to speak this morn
ing of him. We have practlcaii! d!s-
posed Of him. I shall talk OF the
morally lame man. and when l speak
of him let US understand each otner.
The morally lame man may be physl.
cally equipped with the physique OF
triumphant athlete. He may pay
every debt. The morally lame man
is the man who is lame in his will.
and he knows it. His will does not
work with health toward his duty.
He is lame in his conscience: it is de-
ifectiye. He is lame in his affections.
His emotions in the higher reaches are
lame. His ina gination does not bound
toward it's goal, for the goal OF the
imapina ton is God and the Infinite.
sThe morally lame man falls down be-
fore his own self-respect in the develop
ment of his character. He fans III
his own conception Of duty and IN MS
relations as a son, or HUSBAND. or
friend. and in his relationship to town
and country. He is not factor IN
the moral progress Of those about him
or the community. He contributes
nothing. but rather takes away. rms
lame man in the story lay begging.
There are physical and moral peg
rars: but the worst pauperlsm IS
moral pauperism.s The man who lacks
sufficient force to pilot himself through
life and never creates optimism ana
moral stamina out Of his own lie
would. if the world were to surrender
IFS moral power, commit suicide. II
Won notice. the chief contributors to
this mans sustenance were the people
on the way to the temple. TneF gave
ito him sufficient to keep him awe ana
then passed on to worship. And l
think they are still the chief contrib
t1tors to the sustenance Of the morally
lame man. This poor fellow may nave
laughed in his sleeve at the religious
deyotees as they passed on, and the
true- earnest men and women are the
people who are supporting morally
those who sometimes even sneer al
their moral earnestness. 1t is those
who are maintaining the rest OF the
community. Man lives not by bread
alone. but. as he is sustained phySl-
calIy through the industry OF those
who produce bread and the necessities
of physical life, and without which
there would be physical famine, so we
live by moral bread and We are mucn
more dependent on that in the last
ANALYSIS Of life than on the physicai.
for nation like this lives upon IDEAS
and love more than OH any matera'
thing. Take these away and all our
boaSted material progress 1alls Ike
house of cards, as did the glorious ma
terial wealth Of Rome because there
was not behind it the manhood to sus-
tain it. Our world lives through the
Industry of the truest men and women
in it in the moral sphere, and If there
is no love being generated by unset
fish hearts and no faith by pure minds
and no moral inspiration by brave
souls. a nation is doomed. There are
those who not only do not contribute
moral strength. but there are those
who take away the moral bread baked
by the labor Of good men in the fiery
furnace of trial, and throw it away
and sneer at every pure and divine
thing. They are the Infamous de-
stroyers of that which is the pillar OF
power.
Oar problem to-day is the lame man.
1t is a patriotic, economic ard relig-
ious one. than which there is none
more practical. The problem before
the church is to set the lame man on
his feet so that he can make his own
way in things of the heart and become
contributor to the moral health OF
the world. Let us observe how Peter