The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-03-20
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON eY
The REV. B. j. NEWMAN.
Subject: Our Four Anchors.


the rocks they cast four anchors out
of the stern and wished for the day."
He said
The text is taken from Paul's story
OF the shipwreck Paul was going 10
Rome TO be tried for his life, but on
the sea a storm ragged for two weeks.
In the darkness of the dead of night,
not knowing where they were, the
sailors on watch heard the sound of
water breaking on the rocks and they
took soundings. And again they
took their soundings and finding that
the water was shallower, they threw
out four anchors "and wished for
the day" We do not have to be sail
ors 10 know the value OF these an
chors 10 the storm assailed men on
that ship. They held them 10 their
anchorage until light came and they
could see their way.
Ny purpose this morning Is to con-
slider briefly the anchors of righteous
ness that we need in our daily living.
The simplest analysis of our present
day life, of one weeks experience
would show that there are dozen
influences outside ourselves and two
dozen temptations within us that are
storming our righteousness. We are
surrounded on all sides by difficulties.
Our honor, our justice, our sympa-
thies. our religion, all are assailed,
and We have got 10 protect ourselves
and our fellow men. Take the first
day of the working week and look at
the experiences we meet with in that
day. We go 10 business, and funda-
mentally the principle to-day upon
which business seemed to be based
is that of dishOnor. 1t is not "honor
all men 1t is not trust all men,
but il is distrust your fellow man;
put him under bonds" Only the
other day in the Sunday school 7 said
TO the young men and women there:
BE honest; tell the truth" and one
member came TO me and said: How
can we be honest? We have to lie"
There is a tendency in the life of men
to-day 10 get ahead, no matter what
happens To the other man. Or on
Tuesday we read in the DaDer that
some bankers TO whom the funds Of
the people had been entrusted. and
on which the stability of business
men depends, and to whom the mon
ey Of widows and children has been
entrusted. have been dishonest and
spoculated in the stock market to in
crease their own incomes. and nave
failed. Our confidence is assailed.
and we say: Whom can We trust?"
On Wednesday, perhaps, we go 10 a
magistrates court and we watch the
man who is elected TO dispense JUS
tice in your name, and we see case af-
ter case where the politicians innu-
ence is at work or where the petty
bribe is at work, and men and boys
that have broken our law, and who
should be put in our prisons until
they learn what it is to live among
their fellow men in righteousness,
are discharged and go free. Our
sense of justice is shocked. Or per-
haps IL is some man in a higher rank
of life who takes the life of another,
who comes into our courts. and under
the plea Of insanity he is declared not
guilty of his crime; while some poor
man. with the feelings of poverty and
want, steals loaf of bread from the
corner grocery. and he is sent to iail
for three months. Our sense Of JUS
tice is rightly shocked. Perhaps on
Thursday at 6 o'clock we are coming
home and we are at the New York
end of the Brooklyn Bridge, and we
see mad rush to get into the cars
There is no sympathy shown. Each
man tries to get himself in and
pushes women and children aside,
and we say: What are men that
they will do this?" And so our SYM
pathies with our fellow men are be-
ing shocked And so it is through
the rest of the week. And Sunday
comes; Sunday, the day set aside
when we try to commune with God
and learn a little bit of what ii means
10 be righteous. to do Gods will
Sunday comes, and few of us, here
and there, attend services: but there
are the so called sacred concerts,
poolrooms and saloons, all thrown
open Men say liberty" but this is
not liberty, but license to degrade
themselves. And we permit it, and
our religion is assailed. and our cul-
ture, and the development Of our cul-
ture to worship God is assailed.
Temptations and conditions out
side ourselves and temptations arising
within cause us 10 face danger daily.
We hear OF the cruelty of the factory
that allows the little boy and girl of
ten TO work twelve hours a day until
they get the great white plague"
We hear of the evils of the stock
yard. of the great railroads. and so
on. We hear of these things so Of
ten that we are growing hardened
10 them. Familiarity with evil dulls
its power 10 affect us. and dulls our
eyes 20 its ugliness, and we go on our
way rejoicing in our prosperity; and
we are unmindful when we do not
work with all our hearts to over
come these things. These things are
affecting our lives. We have TO have
good anchors TO hold us TO the right.
The right. friends. is our life; moth
ing else in life. Right in everything
not only in the personal sphere,
but in the world around us. Those
Israelitish prophets preached, not
personal righteousness, but social
righteousness; not pure by yourself. !
but pure by your state. and that is
what we have 20 do. If We love our
right we will fight for IT, and for its
best expression, even as Paul fought |
for the lives of the seamen and his |
companions when his ship was cast !
upon the rocks. And in order TO fight !
for ourselves we have cast out our |
anchors and wish for the day"
Now what are thoea anphotz7 Tho /