Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1905-11-23
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES .
' SUNDAY SERMON
A Scholarly Discourse By a
Rev. John D. Adams.

Sssssssss&sssssssssssssSss
Brooklyn, N. Y.-The Rev, John
Douglas Adam, the pastor of the Re
formed Church on the Heights,
preached Sunday on "Moral Lame
ness" from the text: Acts iii:6: "Then
Peter said. Silver and gold have 1
none; but such as have give l unto
thee; in the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth rise up and walk He said:
Our text introduces us to a lame
man who lay day by day at the gate
Of the temple in Jerusalem, begging
for sufficient money to keep him III
life. This is 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 We're
no hospitals, no scientific medlcai
schools, no homes for incurables, nor
any societies Of aid. Since that DAY
Christianity, without boastfulness. has
had a magnificent share in the crea-
ton of those centres of relief. we see
no such spectacle on our streets as dld
the Syrian of old upon his. Our CHRIS
tian sentiment and Christian love nave
provided the hospital, and our lame
men are sent there. And not only the
hospital, but we have to-day enlight-
pned scientific effort, societies of CHAR
lty and helpfulness OH all hands; and
because the modern method of dealing
;,Jy ic pnt fhn tnNt
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 nave 10 De
delivered, it seems to me. from the
idea that God is only in the eXtraor-
dinary. That He is only in the large,
1t 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 much
in the hospital, IN His spirit, and IN
the modern methods Of curing SICK
ness. God is there just as truly as lie
was in the days of old. SO Christian
ity has in q large measure solved the
question of the physically lame man.
am not going to speak this morn
ing of him. We have practically dis
posed of him. l shall talk OF the
morally lame man, and when speak
Of him let us understand each otner'
The morally lame man may be physl,
cally equipped with the physique OF
a 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 1t IS de-
fectiye. He is lame in his affections.
His emotions in the higher reaches are
lame. His imagination does not Douhd
toward it's goal, for the goal or inc
Imagination is God and the 1nflnit"
The morally lame man falls down be-
fore his own self-respect in the develop
mpnt of his character. lie 1alls 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 a factor IN
the moral progress Of those about hlm
or the community. He contributes
nothing but rather takes away. rms
lame man in the story lay hegGihS'
There are physical and moral peg
cars, but the worst pauperlsm IS
moral pauperism. The man who lacks
sufficient force to pilot himself through
life and never creates optimism ana
moral stamina out of his own Ire
wouId if the world were to surrender
its moral power, commit suicide. II
Won notice. the chief contributors TO
this mans sustenance were the people
on the way to the temple. They gave
TO him sufficient to keep him alive and
then passed on to worship. And l
think they are still the chief contrib
utors to the sustenence OF the morally
lame man. This poor fellow may nave
laughed in his sleeve at the religious
doyotees as they passed on, and the
true, earnest men and women are tne
pqople who are supporting morally
those who sometimes even sneer at
their moral earnestness. 1t Is those
who are maintaining the rest OF the
community. Man lives not by preau
alone, but, rs he is sustained physi-
caly through the Industry or those
who produce bread and the necessities
of physical life, and without Whlch
there would be physical famine, so we
live by moral bread and we are much
more dependent on that in the last
ANALYSIS of life than on the physical,
for a nation like this lives upon ideas
and love more than OIL any material
thing. Take these away and all our
boasted material progress falls like q
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 1t 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.
Our problem to-day is the lame man
II is a patriotic, economic and 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 OWL
way in things of the heart and become
a contributor to the moral health OF
the world. Lot us observe how Peter
and John faced the problem. First
they faced 1t squarely. They did not
dodge it. They were not too anxious
about getting to the temple. While
worship has Its supreme place in the
religious life Of every man, there is
something else. They did not criticise
the poor fellow; they helped him. And
our question is how they helped him.
They did not give him money. They
had none, and they did not feel the
pressure Of the limitation either; they
felt they could solve the problem
without It. The silver and gold in the
moral sphere are not good and con