Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-11-17

a ruler and Il creator also. Ia his own
sphere man Is like king upon his
throne. lie is Il free agent. He can
rule his own domain US he Wills. He
can do right or do wrong. He can gov
crl well or govern badly. He can
build or lie can destroy. Ia a 1guratlve
sense. no one can say him nay. Let
me try TO illustrate my thought by
some of the ordinary happenings OF
everyday life.
Man Is ruler in u material sense.
You cannot think of king without a
material kingdom. Man. the ruler. has
his material throne. God gave him do
the fowls Of the air and over every liv-
Ing thing. Literally has not this con
ccption been fufilledf Has not man
become master OF all that flies In the
air. and swns in the sea. and walks
upon the land? Aye hns not man
learned how To make the very elements
fulhll his purposes? The mammal is
stronger. but man is his king. The
tiger is swifter. the fox shrewder, the
hawk kecner eyed: the eagle. with flap
Of wing. mounts aud disappears into
the blue abyss above. but man Is king
The mighty limbe,l African lion. with
wild roar. makes the forest echo and
all the Inhabitants of the jungle crouch
and trembe. But the lion retreats be-
fore the advance OF man. for man Is
king.
Not only Is man Il ruler of the beasts
Of the fields and the fowls Of the air
and the fish OF the seas. but man has
learned how TO tame the elements and
make them his servants Franklin
went forth rs cowboy upon the west
crn prairie and. sending his steel wire
into the heavens. lassoed electricity,
which Morse trained for message
carrier George Stephenson harnessed
steam into block traces and made the
iron locomotive take the bit. Daguerre
has made the sun print our pictures.
Robert Fulton pointed the ships prov
into the teeth of the northeast wind.
Thomas Edison has turned midnight
INTO midnOOn. Yes. man. In a material
sense. is king. As the psnlmist sang Of
the great Jehovah: lie covereth him
self with light as with garment He
layeih the beams OF his chambers In
the waters. He maketh the clouds his
charuiS He walketh upon the wings
III the wind"
Not only is man ruler in n material
So. al 4. mi
sense He has absolute control over
his own actions He is u free agent.
God endowed him with this freedom.
warning him of the consequences Of
using it u do wrong Yet how have
men abused 1t. Ii is as when Il boy
leaves his fathers house and goes out
into the world His father might keep
him at home under parental restraint.
hut That would not he the way TO
max, man of him lie must 70 out
and learn 10 resist temptation. Some
times he learns only by bitter expert
encr what are the consequences Of
yielding So Cod left man free. and
the first use he made of his freedom
was to diSohey God says 10 him
Man. you are a free agent You can
do rs You will have made thee rul.
err over the beasts of the fields and
over the birds OF the air and the fish
of the sea and also over your own
actions You are made after my
image You are an independent being
in your own domain or sphere You
are independent ms long rs you live ON
earth. but do not forget that there is
day OF Judgment
Free Agent.
oh. II Is an awful fact for a man
sponsibility for man TO be able 10 do
ms he would and that the higher power
does not Interfere to stop him from
doing wrong The other day | was
talking to one of the ministers OF the
west During our conversation he told
me that wears ago he had broken down
, with nervous prostration For nearly
five years he had suffered the tortures
of nm inferno All night long he would
have strange apparitions come 10 him.
and one evening" he said II was 20
Ing home II was winter The river.
along the banks OF which | was walk
ing was full ~ Ice And | remember
how | looked at those flowing waters
aud said There ID peace In that wa
ter: Their" is peace from these trou-
bling dreams Then he said mo
sooner did ! say this than my very
hair stood M in horror My God !
said. am | going Ia be untrue 10 my
better selff Am | going 20 drown my
self in yondcr river and leave my wife
and children 10 battle with the world
alone| knew that only one step
more and | would have been helpless
amid yonder marcilesS ice and flowing
waters A. that man had the power
to throw himself into that river. 50 we
have the power 10 destroy ourselves
morally physically and spiritually If
we will God made Us all free agents.
In our own domain we ara kings We
ran leap OF the prccipice Of sin II we
will. Tod has made Us in his own
image We are born free agents and
can do as we choose but for what We
do we must give account to God
Mt without Guidance.