Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-04-19

like the mountains: the Door man with I
his patience is to be filled up like the |
valleys. Start now: for the ak is laid |
to the root of your tree and down YOU
will come if you don't have fruit. |
Share your abundance with those who |
have nothing; cease to squander your |
money on clothes and food when men
are naked and children are hungry. |
Stop levying unjust taxes on the poor.
Abide by the law and speak the truth.
rake what you earn and nothing more. |
Jesus caught UP that message and
cried Repent" John had been preach
ing to classes as the prophets, had
prea ched to the nation. Christ brought
the truth home to the conscience of the
individual Each one of you knows
of his own self what is right Then
do it, Otherwise your religion is
sham. Your prayers are words Your
theology is speculation. Only he knows
GOD who wills to do His will. You
have no peace i'll your soul. no JOY in
your life. but you are weary and heavy
laden under all this luxury and formal
| ism. Your money is your undoing.
| Turn from it, Resolve to seek the
| right and do it, come what may. Your
| foes will be those of your own house
hold. You will be as q. sheep among
wolves. But you will find peace and
! joy and will be really free. In this
way He awoke the conscience of the
Mediterranean world and quickened
individual responsibility
| How are We to arouse among us re-
| spOnsibility and quicken our individual
and social pentance. But is not that
preached by every pentance. But is
not that preached by every evangelist?
1t is, and some men are touched by it.
But when they go to the evangelist as
men went to John the Baptist and 9th
ers went to Christ asking "What
| wouldst Thou have us to do?'' the an
swer is "Stop smoking, leave off the
use Of alcohol. keep away from the
theatre, join church. pray daily and
read your Bible. This is the whole
duty of man. And other men, virile
men. seeing the insipid character of
Christianity thus professed don't fight
it-this is the age Of religious tolerance
but pass it by as good for women and
children.
l appeal to the conscience of every
man and woman here to-day. We
are followers Of Jesus Christ Now.
only His first word to the world is
repent. He gave many more. but they
all depend upon that for their real
meaning. Until we truly repent Chris
tianity for us is sealed book. Have
we repented? We have looked over
our personal lives. Here was fault
Here was a sin. There was mistake
We feel ashamed of this. Henceforth
in our personal lives we shall be diff
ferent. God forgive! And we feel for
given. There it ends.
Ends in an age where there is more
wealth than in any age of the world
before; when that wealth is attained
by some men. not by hard labor OF
hands or brains, but overnight: in an
age when because of this wealth there
| is more luxury in Il city like New York
than in all the world fifty years ago;
where men and women live for money
and sell their souls for money! What
should repentance mean to-day?
It is message to those who have
money. Search your consciences to see
how you came by your wealth. Car
you say with Zaccheus, Lord, il
by false accusation .estore him four
fold? 2" You know and I know thai
:, many of our fortunes have been dis
honestly, Illegally and unjustly &C
cumulated By false returns to STATE
officials. by false use Of trust moneys
!. by false use of the powers Of Govern
: ment by false business methods hat
: this money been obtained. Repentanc'
:. demands that restitution be made t
the individuals or the community from
: whom this money was taken. Searcl
your conscience to see what wealth i
: i9oing to you.. Since you entered int
\ the possession of money by work o
by inheritance are you a nobler ma
0 or truer woman? Or has none
4 made you little-souled. mean, narrow
proud, extrava CANT arrogant, superci
L ious? Give away at once. every cen
! Of it.. It is better to go through If
:. with no money than with money to s
!. down into he'll fire. Ie
> Money is sending thousands of me-
T and women to what Jesus called he'll
! in this city. They got their wealth j
= defiance Of Gods and our country
, law; they can only keep it by contro
- ling legislatures and creating monoDt
= lies. And what Go they Say? The
!. fall back on conditions and dodge rt
!. snonsibility. Repent. Fail? You prot
u II ably will fail. Conditions are. bad
g politics and business. But God bio
= you fail. Go forth as sheep anon
y wolves and fail. You will save you
a. soul alive here and thereafter. It is
= message to those who have no none,
- Money itself is not evil. but the love>e
:, it, the lust after it. Many man WI
has notsa dollar has the love of it. an
- is giving his soul to get it. It is h
- envy of the rich that is sin. If sue
~ man had money he would becon
:. like the rich he now envies, for b
! soul is like his brothers soul. Circur
- stances may vary one may live
st. ~ ~,
he oue 'i.ei, .o.1,s etl ~
til lle llen nan y Hlo eluD . ~ ~ ~