Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1906-05-24

own act! But religion points up
ward to God and whispers, "Be
patient for a little while. He
who created you has care for you.
A sparrow cannot fall to the
earth without His will, for it has
the claim of existence upon him,
and you, made to his own image
and likeness, have the claim not
only to existence but to son-ship.
Look up and hope and love-"
But let the Agnostic whisper to
this broken-hearted wretch that
there may be no God, that he
cannot know there is such
thing, that all that | have said
is but plous poetry; then life is
worth living no longer, and he
falls, the victim of Agnosticism.
Let us look at some other
sentinels that guard society from
destruction. Look, for instance,
at the sanctity and Importance
of an oath. Washington in his
farewell address, calls attention
to this point when he shows the
necessity of religion to maintain
the young Republic he had so
gloriously founded. A mans life,
property and character may be
stricken down by a false oath.
What maintains the awful re-
sponsibility of an oath, but the
fact that God is called to witness
the truth of what is said and
will punish the perjurer though
the law may not discover him.
Why is it that perjury is boom
ing so common and why is it
that the law does not punish it
as severely as of old? Simply
because faith in its true moral
guilt is decreasing.
Look again at the anarchy
that threatens the world What
right has one man to rule an
other? Are not all men born
free and equal? Why usurp
authority, only because you have
physical force enough to crush
your slavish subject?
My friends there is but one
true and rational theory of the
power of man over man, and it is
that God made man a social be-
ing and order requires that soke
should be above and rule others.
All power comes from the God of
society. Hence to violate the
Law of the land is sin not only
against the Law, but against the
great Creator Himself.
1t is particularly necessary
that we should remember this
great principle of authority. We
make and unmake Legislators and
magistrates, and are liable to re-
gard them as merely our crea-
lures. OF old God sent His
Prophet to anoint the foreheads
Of kings, who were representa-
tives of His power and ministers
of His justice. Now He sends
His prophet to anoint the fore
heads of his people and they
elect their rulers, but these rul-
ers have power to govern those
who elected them, and must be
obeyed. l have shown, if you
loose all consideration of God
anarchy must follow.
And now | may ask what does
Agnosticism substitute for these
preservatives? What are the
great motives for the sacrifice
necessary to overcome our pas
sions? We are told, indeed,
that in the long run it will prove
more pleasant and more useful to
be good. Pleasure and utility
are the chief factors. Are these
sufficient? Will not men differ
about what is pleasure and what
is useful?
Max Muller in his Origin of
Reason" gives a very striking
extract. A lady Agnostic who
had argured herself out of the
old motive which belief in God
inspired and was left solely to
pleasure or utility as the criter-
ion and motive of good He quotes
on page 489. She writes:
Enjoyment is good, and
frenzy and love are good but
hatred also. Hatred answers
we'll when we cannot love.
Wealth is good, because it can
be changed into enjoyment.
Power is good, because it salts
flies our pride. Truth is good as
long as it pays, but treason is
good also il il fetches a higher
price. Marriage is good as long
as II makes ZIG haDnv hNt nOO6