Evening journal., 1905-08-28
BISHOP COLEMAN S
STRONG SERMON
Referred to Many Modern
Business Places as Dens
of Thieves
TRIBUTE TO LATE Mr., DUPONT

DAeARR NNANAiAaA AANAtNANE GA A+fNNN
esting sermon at St. Johns Episcopal
Church yesterday in which he scored
business methods of the present day,
He took his text from St Luke, 18th
chapter. 10th verse, and said:
"The incident connected with this
text occurred in Jerusalem at the end
of the Blessed Lords ministry. when
he drove from the Temple those who
were engaged in their worldly BUSH
ness. and said. in His righteous indig-
nation and with almost miraculous
authority. It is written. Ny house is
the house Of prayer; but We have
made it a den Of thieves"
The Bishop then pointed out how in
these words Jesus emphasized the
separation Of the secular from the re-
lligious. The business in which those
were engaged who were driven out Of
the temple were I'm themselves legiti-
mate enough. Indeed they had 10 do
with the purchase Of animals used in
the ceremonial worship OF the Jews.
But they had improperly interested
themselves within precincts exclusive
ny set apart for religious worship. SO
today, as ever, the church insists that
her places of worship shall not be
used for any other purposes.
Yot even persons who frequent
them ostensibly for this purpose offend
their Lord by allowing their minds
during the hours Of worship. to wan
der with thoughts Of their business
or their household cares. or Of their So
cial engagements and recreations. II
is little Of enough Of time that even
the best give to worship. and it is
but robbery to allow any of that time
to be devoted to such wandering
thoughts.
No doubt it is hard for us to rightly
maintain this distinction between the
Secular and the Religious. and to in
sist upon the due proportion Of at
tention belonging to each. But it can
be done. and is being done by some.
/ Here the Bishop. with evident emo
/ tion, alluded to the late senior war
den Of this parish, Francis G. Du-
Pont, who had died since the Bishop
last preached in that church.
He was a man at times deeply en-
CROSSED IN the affairs of a great BUSH
mess; but he always found time to at
tend to the business Of his Lord and
of his soul. Alusion was especially
made to his regular attendance-even
during the fiercest of wintry storms,
and at the end of long and fatiguing
business travels-at the early celebra-
/ tions of the Holy Communion on the
Lords Day; he counting such Occa-
sions as the best opportunities for
worshipplng the Lord, and Of gaining
such strength whereby alone he could
faithfully discharge all of his many
obligations.
The Bishop asked If it were altoge-
Their inappropriate to designate many
iof our modern plans of business as
ldens Of thieves. When one takes into
consideration the amount of trickerl
land dishonesty and untruthfulnes.
which enters into modern day trade
land commerce. the utter disregard OF
common morality i'm many mems
methods declarations. and appliances
the brazen-faced manner I'm which
some accumulate and employ theiI
wealth to the impoverishment of their
fellows, and further, the utterly UNI
concerned way in which they with
hold their money from works of re-
lligion. charity. and reform. it is by nc
means an exaggeration to describe
such mems places Of business as dens
of thieves.
There cannot be any such standard
of righteousness and equity in the
business community as we should
wish TO see until a death-blow is given
to that evil. yet most aggressive spirit
which is so intimately associated with
the growing disregard of the Lords
Day, as evidenced, in part, in the alb
lsence of so many from our Heavenly
Fathers houses of prayer And here
the Bishop included i'm his denuncia-
ton the modern engaging Of all classes
lin what are called sports oftentimes
at the very hours of public worship
land by many who can best afford 4
take their recreation on other days OF
the week This. he said while him.
self a warm advocate. as an old ath-
llete. of all games that are decent and
lorderly. But to engage i'm them e
1.-THE neglect of Divine worship is tc
bring persons so engaged under the
ldivine condemnation emphatically ut
tered in the incident under present re-
view. He. therefore, begged his hear
] lers so bravely to resist all the temp.
tations TO such undue attention t'
things secular as would be an intru.
sion upon things spiritual Thus they
would keep themselves from beinl
dens of thieves, and become holy tenn
pies Of their Creator and Redeemer.
FINAL WEEK AT SHELLP01