The Penn's Grove record., 1908-08-14

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planned, but IL we will struggle sin
will die. It IS for us to labor. 1t
is for God to direct. 1t is for us to
follow. He shall lead. However
insurmountable the obstacle or
time-honored the g~rievous sin, God
VIII enable us to overcome through
the might of His power If we win
but serve with steadfastness and
fidelity. But God Himself cannot
bring the victory to an army that
will not follow, or success to a pious
host tina is afraid of a long fight
n a hard one. No, my friends.
weakened and weak-hearted piety
is a more subtle and dangerous foe
to the nation than all the forces of
w~ickedness combined.
Another danger is the danger of
indifference. Men do not care about
the public good, they are too busy
OF too lazy or too self-consumed and
conferred to think about the public
veal. When sin stalks the street
they stay at home with an easy chair
and a cosy nook for comfort, saying
to themselves, Il have enough. Whrt
can I do? Let others battle; I am
content" 1t is as though the hand
said to the foot, as Paul declared,
81 have no need of thee" Such
men are enemies, twofold enemies,
to the republic.
A still more subtle danger is that
of loose, careless. slovenly, dishon-
est thinking. The glory of our
schools is that they fit men to think.
But how few of our citizenship take
the time or the trouble to think
deeply. thoroughly, conelusively,
with a real and painstaking effort
not to justify a theory or a precon-
ception, but to ascertain the facts
and to comprehend the truth. In
the press and in the pulpit, at the
bar and In the business world, dis
honest and lazy intellectual effort is
as rife as 1t is appalling. Jesus said
Eye shall know the truth and the
truth shall make yon free" Jesus
never dignffled thought as a means
to force facts, to justify preconcep-
lions or as a means to. stultify the
truth. Jesus was a clear thinker. a
close thinker, an honest thinker. He
wanted the truth. He WAS not in
terested in supporting theories. He
gave His life to the revelation and
ILC COLipi OhSlotOA VI tiC StSl nal
truth of God. But to-day how other
wise it is, ven after centuries Of ex-
ample of the unwisdom of dishonest
thought, among wen the very fol-
lowers of the Christ who was the en-
bodiment of the truth. The press
twists fact and truth to Justify the
lie, too often, for the public good.
The pulpit descants with scant wis
dom, too often, upon the errors and
inconsistencies of movements and
principles that bid fair to challenge
or to overthrow, not religion, but
the ecclesiastical status quo. The
lawyer defeats justice by the maze
of unhealthy and obnoxious techni-
c~alities and perversions of the spirit
of the law. The business mar CLOSES
sin for a consideration. And so
1t goes. Close thinking is too hard,
clear thinking is uncomfortable, hon.
est thinking is improbable. There
fore, let us think loosely; let us
think good is bad-for profit; let
us clothe the ancient lie and call ii
truth, that the status quo may be
preserved. The danger is evident.
May the God Of truth protect us
from 1t.
Another danger is the prevalent
inclination to forget and to dismiss
religion. No theory of government,
no system of economies, no discip-
line of philosophy, method of life,
can endure w~holesomely and vigor.
ously except there be foundations
laid in the religious consciousness
of man. Without the saving, con-
serving. Transforming and inspiring
presence and power of the spirit OF
the living God as a resident fact and
force in the individual and national
| life we cannot maintain the integ-
rity of our flag or the health of the
people. No nation can realize its
greatness, as can no Individual. with
out God. In Him we live and move
and have our being. He is the
source of all light and progress. Ec-
| clesiasticism may misrepresent Him
as it has aforetime done. But let
us never forget Him. For He is
unacceptable. He is greater and
grander and more beautiful than
all our theories about Him. He Is
our shield, Il defense, our guide,
our love and our friend. We can
do nothing without Him. With Him
We may do anything. This is ele-
mental, it is simple. 1t is infinite
and everlasting truth. Let US never
| confuse disaffections with churches
and ministers and creeds with
atheism. However unsatisfactory
and falteringly Gods children may
reveal Him to their fellows, let us
never forget Him, let us never cease
to serve Him. The danger is that
drifting from the church men may
drift from religion. The danger
is that leaving the Christ of the
churches, with rather much less
reason than more. they shall lose
their vision of. and shall deny the
Christ of God. Nothing could be
more dangerous to America than
that. In the day that America for
gets Jesus let America place her
flag at half mast. For in His truth
lies her greatness and in the appro-
priation of Him by the nation lies
the hope of the ages that + yet to
come.