The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-11-23
TIE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON HY
. THE REV. JOHN DOUGLAS ADAM.
'5ibJect: Moral Lameness.

preached Sunday on "Moral Lame
ness" from the text: Acts iii:6: Then
/ Peter said. Silver and gold have 1
none; but such as I have give 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 in
life. This is very common scene
in the New Testament, where We are
constantly meeting the lame, the hult.
the blind and the lepers, and there is
10 wonder, for We must bear in mind
those were the days when there We're
no hospitals. no scientific medical
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 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
ity and helpfulness on all hands; and
because the modern method Of dealing
with sickness Is not tffeDsame 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 be
delivered, it seems to me. from the
idea that God is only in the extraor-
binary. 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 1s
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 He
was in the days of old. So Christian
ity has in large measure solved the
question of the physically lame man.
I am not going to speak this morn
ing of him. We have practically dis
posed of him. I shall talk Of the
morally lame man. and when speak
of him let us understand each other.
The morally lame man may be physi-
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; 1t Is de-
fective. He is lame in his affections.
His emotions in the higher reaches are
lame. His Imagination does not bound
toward its goal, for the goal OF the
imagination is God and the Infinite.
The morally lame man falls down be:
fore his own self-respect in the develop
ment Of his character. He rails III
his own conception Of duty and IN MS
relations as son, or husDand, OF
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. Thls
lame man in the story lay begging.
There are physical and moral beg
gars. but the worst pauperism is
moral pauperism. The man who lacks
sufficient force to pilot himself through
life and never creates optimism anu
moral stamina out OF his own Ire
would. IL the world were to surrender
its moral power, commit suicide. IL
you notice, the chief contributors 10
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
think they are still the chief contrib
utors TO the sustenance Of the morally
lame man. This poor fellow may have
laughed in his sleeve at the religious
deyotees as they passed en-. and the
true, earnest men and women are the
people who are supporting moran!
those who sometimes even sneefA at
their moral earnestness. 1t IS tnose
who are maintaining the rest OF the
community. Man lives not by bread
alone. but. rs he Is sustained physl-
cally 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 physical,
for q nation like this lives upon IDEAS
and love more than on any material
boasted material progress falls like a
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 II 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 1t away
and sneer at every pure and diV>ne
thing. They are the infamous de-
stroyers OF that which is the pillar OF
power.
Our problem to-day is the lame man.
1t Is a patriotic, economic and relis'
ions 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
n contributor to the moral health of
the world. Let us observe how Peter
and John faced the problem. First.
they faced it squarely. They did not
dodge it. They were not too anxious
about getting to the temple. While
worship has its supreme place ip 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