The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-10
MANS DOMINION
OVER THE EARTH.
Was Theme of the Rev, DR.. |,
D. SteeIe'S Sermon
SIN OUR GREATEST ENEMY
Christianity puts Man at the Top, and
Heather Civilization Puts
Him at the.
Bottom.
SIN OUR GREATEST ENEMY

The Rev. DR.. l. D. Steele preached at
/ the First Cumberland Presbyterian
church yesterday morning on Mans
God-given Dominion" taking his text
from the sixth verse of the Eighth
Pslam Thou madest him to have do
minion over the works of thy lands"
DR.. Steele spoke in part as follows:
The royal ruler of the earth is man.
While God rules all things yet the domln-
ion of the earth is given into the hands
of man. There are two kingdoms sub
servient to him, the animal and the ma
terial Kingdoms including the forces of
nature. He is pitiable in one sense and
! great in another. He is called a god in
ruins because he is debased and sinful.
| He is called little less than a god be-
| cause of his spark of divinity and men,
tai greatness.
The Forces of Nature.
The forces of nature are the servants
of humanity. The sunshine and the air
serve us without our asking. The fire
serves us in cooking our food and in
warming our homes The water serves to
cleanse our bodies and garments and to
quench out thirst, and when converted
into steam it turns our mills, pulls our
trains and drives our ships. Electricity
is the most recent and most useful serv-
ant of humanity. over the wires and on
the rails its service cannot be estimated.
We have been slow to come to the God
given material dominion but we are COM
ing How great human dominion may be
is not yet in sight, and it is too great
for speculation.
Our dominion over the soil by the skill
of labor causes the earth to bring forth
food and clothing and material to sup
ply the needs of the whole world. This
enters into trade and Is called commerce.
Commerce brings to hand food and cloth
ing for the body and comforts for the
home. Religion administrators to the
moral and spiritual nature. Commerce and
religion were born in the Garden of Eden
the same day that God fixed mans re-
lation to his Creator and the relation he
should sustain to earth
By our skill and labor the earth yields
an abundance for all our physical needs.
Those nations most advanced in agricul-
ture and commerce are the most adj
vanced in a high type Of Christianity.
Christianity has led the way and unlock
ed the doors for commerce to enter more
than one nation. Commerce naturally fol-
lows the missionary from the Christian
nations to the heather kingdoms While
the missionary teaches the gospel he also
teaches mans right to dominate the
forces of nature. s 81
The Distance Measured BY Religion.
The greatest distance between the saw
age and most progressive Christian peo-
pie is measured by his religion and his
commerce. The savage has never accepted
the full dominion God has given him. Any
race because of laziness or stupidity or
any other reason that fails to fully en-
ter this given dominion must be replaced
by another that will take it. The savage
has no arts no science, no history no
commerce. He fails to use the forces that
the Almighty has put at his command
and he has no dominion over them
Heather people are not savages, but
only those of Christian nations have led
the way in using the forces of nature and
made all the great discoveries and In
ventions which so greatly bless the world.
Mr.. Morse who invented telegraphy was
not only a Christian but the son of a
preacher James Watt who invented the
steam engine was a Christian and was
buried in church.
Christianity puts man at the top;
heather civilization puts man at the bot
tom and nature and her forces on the
top The heather worships the forces OF
nature such as the sun, moon, stars fire,
rivers, animals or mountains, images of
stone, gold silver and wood Christian
ity teaches man that he is given domin-
ion over all these and they are his serv-
ants.
Commerce Great Aid.
The commerce of Christian nations
greatly aid Christianity in the destrue-
ton of idolatry in the earth. The gospel
goes with or before commerce and
both teach that material things are SUBJ