The morning journal-courier. (New Haven, Conn.) 1907-1913, 1908-04-06

themselves by an ideal and forget
those practical steps by which we are
70 climb, Thus It happens that many
social reformors are WneerIng al the
old-fnshioned people who are content e
work IN the harness towards the max
Ing Of which a thousand centuries have
contributed But the plain truth Is that
old-fashIoned people arc stlll tho salt
of tho earth, the people who believe IN
the homcly, sober virtues, and practice
thcm, who feed the hungry, clOthc the
naked, exact no more than that which
Is due them, refrain from violence, tell
the blunt truth, and live eontentedly In
the place where God has put thcm,
Everywhere ! turn in the complex life
Of to-day IN business, IN politics, In
society, In the church ] find that men
have lost their grasp upon the stern
truth of this text. that the only road
to the ideal Is straight up along the
way OF those plain unpopular virtues
to which old-fashloncd people stll'
cling
From all this ! would not have YOU
draw the Inference that there Is noth-
Ing more IN religion than what Is IN
dlcated IN the text, what have called
the practice of the homcly virtues, tho
living u life of charity and righteous
ness. John himself, YOU will remcm-
bcr. spoke certain mysterious words
about n baptism with the Holy Ghost
and with fire, But, this deeper re-
ligious experience was to come as a
result of fulfilling their moral obliea-
tions. Tho first step Of the Christian
lifo Is always one Of obedience, In
many respects there was a great diff
ference between the methods of Jesus
and John, but on this point they were
! In exquisite harmony Both emphasize
ed the need Of beginning 4 religious
movement "a the realm of moral obli-
CATION rather than in that Of spiritual
ecstasy The words with which John
I launched his revival were these sharp
and ncisivc utternnccs Of the text
moral. practical iniunctions every one
Of them Jesus simply set men ~
work fulfilling the obligations Of BROTH
/ erh0nd His word % the people was
always that one So familiar 10 us, Fol
\ low me-" and when they followed him.
i It Was to find that he never led thcm
To- the synagogue, hut straight ont into
tho great world whore men and women
were suffering aud dying for help,
John the Baptist saw with the prophets
eye that religion which overlooked or
was Indifferent TO the social evils was
a sham aud mockery. It was salt that
had ioet It's SAVIOR. II was q lamp that
had gone out. Therefore he bore
down on the conscience Of the people
with those burning injunctlons that
looked towards the fulnllmcnt Of
moral obligations. II was as If he had
said to the people. YOU take care of
the moral side of your life, and God
viii take care of the religious, YOU full
M the sacred obligations of brother
hood. and IN doing that, you viii dis
cover to your eouls Joy the blessed and
secret companionslip of your heavenly
Father
And was not this Jesus message 10
His disciples? az yc keep My COM
mandmcnts. ye shall abide In iy love;
even as have kept my Fathers COM
mandmonts. and abide In His love
Everywhere IN the New Testament tho
fulfilling Of moral obligations Is made
tho condition Of receiving spiritual
blessings. From the first page OF
Matthew TO the last page In the Rcvel.
alton II Is the same story. The dlsci.
pies and those who came after then
sought TO broaden and deepen tho re-
lieious life of tho people by pcrsuadinp
them TO follow Jesus, to keep His com.
mandmont, to fulfill their obligations OF
charity and justice and Righteousness
Live as Jesus lived was their exhorta.
ton. and the Same spiritual experiences
that filed his soul with JOY viii noot
your own.
And this method Of promoting splr.
itual awakening that was practiccd by
Jesus and His followers was tho
method Of the prophets who came he
fore them Read the books Of Amos
Hosea, Micah and Isaiah. These met
We're true rcvivaliets In their time
Above all things they desired the spir
/ lAhhl 'litA MUS w VIC I''lll's pUl "
cvcrv case they launched their rcviv.
alistc enterprise in the same way tina
John launched hls, by an appeal to thu
peoples sense by righteous ohliga
ton. Every man was to save himscl
by striving To save his brother The,
know nothing Of the salvation OF indi
vidualS apart from the salvation o
the people The prophets always lift
cd their appeals above private and per
sonal interests. There was a breadtl
and splendour IN their exhortation
that moved upon the imagination
There was no appeal to the individual
hope of winning heaven There was II,
, rhetorical play upon the feelings The,
spoke straight out like strong mon VIII,
We're dealing with large and vital In
terests. They plead for higher typ
. of citizenship. They emphasized In
J ineyorableness Of the moral law. The,
turned their burning denunciaton
against the social evils about them. I
that day tho rulers were compelled (
!, reckon with The prophets for the rea
: con that those prophets grappled wit
: the live issues that had to do with tn
municipal or national life. For a
much therefore as your treadng
, upon the poor" are the words of Amo
: "and We take from him burdens {
: wheat; ye have built houses Of hew
: stone, but ye shall not dwell in then
y We have planted pleasant vineyard
' but We shall not drink wine of then
: For ! know your manifold transgres
y sions and your mighty SINS they al
nlct the just, they take bribe, an
they turn aside the poor in the CAT
: from their right. +. Seek goo,
) and not evil, that We may live; and ,
the Lord the God Of hosts, shall !
j." with you" Observe in these la
n II find health in the pack
80 fyN