Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-07-28


Establish u royal statute and make
firm decree that whatsoever shall ask
petition OF any god or man for thirty
days. save of thee q king. he shall be
east into the den of lions" Thus, AZ
we hear the Partisan mobs cry Hail,
thou Goddess of Reason, hail, hail"
we hear the Babylonish Inhabita uts In
rod king Darius. Thou art king OF
sings aud lord Of lords Hail. HALL
iIail.' oh. the Babylonish inhabitants
were not atheists. Far from IT, They
were dcists They were the most lib
rral Kind Of deists. by the stroke OF
u kings pen they could make new
god whenever they wished. Now. II
was into snch a vtiuting atmosphere
of religious liberalism as this that Dan
lei and his three comrades went to live.
The Uncicap Food.
caa hear his friends talking TO him
and trying To persuade him 10 eat this
unclean food. oh" they say, Daniel,
of course your God is all right But
what is the good of being u blgotf Why
are you So hidehDund about this food?
Why do you not Worship the Babylonlsh
gods: Why do you not theologically
broaden out: Why do you stick 50
close Ia your Jewish laws: Why do
you not become student Of the new
thought" But what il the new
thought" says Daniel. Why" say
the Bahylonish friends. don't you
know! Have you not been reading our
new theology: Why, the new thought
is "A beautiful belief. This Is IL In sub
stance: God is goodness. God is In u.s.
We are all part OF God. Just try to
think of God as good being and try
To develop all the good IN you. and you
will grow better and grow like God"
but" says Daniel. what has that TO
do with the first commandment. which
Moses gave To- the children of Israel:
am the Lord thy God. which brought
thee out of the land Of Egypt and out
of the house Of bondage: thou shalt
have no other gods before me-" "Oh,
Daniel. Daniel. Daniel say the Baby
loniSli friends. we have outgrown all
that snperstitious stuff We have out
grown all the commandments aud the
Jewish dietary laws. We are the adyo.
Gates of the new thought In that
new thought we just try TO be good,
and that Is all one needs to do" My
friends. cannot you hear Daniels
friends trying To get him TO eat the I'M
clean food aud adopt the religious lib
Il..l tsth al
Is not Satan trying TO get You 10 eat
Of the unclean food in our modern
BabylnnS by the same pernicious hrgu-
nent az theological liberalism: | am
not the least hit afraid that you will
become a hlntant atheist | am not
afraid that YOU will turn your back
upon Christ or upon the Bible. But
am afraid lest the insidious advance of
the new liberal thought should under
mine the foundations Of your faith. |
find ii doing its deadly work In the
church and In society. Men are giving
up their anchorages and are drifting
out on the sea of doubt toward the
rocks OF eternal disaster. Never let go
your faith ia the essential truths OF
Christianity. The divinity OF Christ, his
SiulcSs life and his atoneInent Oh the
cross. his resurrection and ASCENSION
the work OF the Holy Spirit. the neces
sity of the new birth and the inspira
ton OF the Bible these are the dis
tingulshing doctrines OF our faith. To
abandon these Is to surrender all that
tn. lao.
world: Ii il 10 turn christianity into
dry, dead system Of ethics. In Christ
alone have We life The Bible declares
IL. II you deliberately go forth TO eat
of the unclcan food in the Bahylonish
capital you must perish. O God. may
we never become So liberal that we
cannot make the words of Jesus Christ
the center the circumference. the all
In all of what we should believe ana
how we should live,
National Prejudice.
But there is still another fact which
would have made the eating OF the
kings meat easy for Daniel. The kings
food was spread IN the presence of the
young mans enemies. II Daniel did
not eat the meat and drink the wine
which came from the royal kitchens
and wine cellars ut once, in all proba-
bility the refusal would be reported TO
the kings higher officials. and Daniels
bright political prospects would not
only he stopped, but without. doubt
Dnniel would lose his head. Well
YOU say. that is strange. How can this
be-! Daniel did not have any enemies
as yet. He had just been selected for
future political favoritism and had not
yet eaten his first meal In the palace"
All. my friends. 10y that question |
know one fact You have not travelled
much abroad
In our country the word "clannish-
ness has not much meaning. When
we 20 back to our Revolutionary days
we find that koscinsko and Baron
Steuben and Lafayette helped to win
our Independence Then we find that
Hamilton and a host OF other states
men who helped make us what We are
were foreign born. Then we find that
scores and hundreds OF inventors like
Ericsson mud InunpvpI kings like Car.