Willmar tribune., 1909-04-07
:. .JUSTIFYI]VG
The AGlTATOR''
Rev. Crawford Grays breaches
Strong and Convincing Ser
mon on Timely Topic.

Strong and Convincing Ser
mon on Timely Topic.
The Rev. Crawford Grays, pas
tor of the English M. E. church,
preached a strong and convincing
sermon Sunday evening, March %,
on "Justifying the Agitator.' The
text was chosen from / Kings 1917
when Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said
unto him, Is it thou, thou troubler
of Israel" In the course of the
sermon, Mr.. Grays said:
Elijah is an excellent example of
the agitator. He stands out before
our imagination as stern reform
er, unpopular, but the one man who
really counted, and whose words
really mattered. All agitation is
not Christian. All agitation is not
to be admired. The mere queru-
lous critic is Of little public benefit.
The value Of agitation and criticism
is very little unless it is construc-
tive. True agitation is the agita-
tion of a man who has visions Of
something high and lofty and no.
BILE, who is living for great purpos-
es, and sees very keenly the evil in
the world in the light of God, and
who cares so tremendously and so
passionately about human better
ment, or about the setting up of
something good in the place of
something bad, that his voice can
not be still. Such men are unpop-
ular because they are battling
against THINGS AS THEY ARE,
and those things organize them
selves with such power that it is
very difficult for single-handed
man to attack them. Think of any
great reform. Take war. When
a man waves the white flag of the
peacemaker he is sure to hear a red
specter yelling and shrieking, Be-
gone with your new effeminate no.
tions, your international arbitration
hypocrisies! Leave us alone in our
glory Is it not so with intemper-
ance? # Attack intemperance, and
Immediately there is organization
of those who profit by intemper-
ance. 1t is better, they will cry,
for America to be free than to be
sober They will pass pious reso-
lutions pointing out the dreadful
inconsistencies of the Christian
Church, and the un-Christlikeness
of people who attack a legitimate
trade! Take the Gospel message.
Restate the fundamentals Of Chris
tianity, and the cry HERETO
will leap from thousand throats,
or, you will be branded as the in
strument of Satan, preparing the
way for the DEVILS coming master.
piece, the personal AntiChrist.'
Nobody believes in evolution
by slow stages as sincerely as the
evil one does. Let men or women
anywhere strive to hurry the pro
cesses, and hasten the Kingdom o1
God, and they will face a very great
deal of opposition and difficulty
The greatly abused proverb will be
heard, Let we'll alone But Goo
in his mysterious movements raise:
up men and women who cannot lei
well alone so long as imperfectio1
exists. History seems to point an(
say, 1T is impossible to do away
with the great evils of our lant
without constant righteous agita
tion.' Because We can only hope
for great moral and spiritua
changes by burning the truth int
the peoples lives and consciences
the agitator is a great necessit!
and poor indeed would the worlt
be without him. Look at the noble
army of agitators. Moses, the agi
tator at the court of Pharaoh; Eli
jah, the agitator at the court O
Ahab; John the Baptist, the agita
tor at the court of Herod. Thinl
of the men who have stood in al
centuries for God and truth-th
Savonarolas, the John Wycliffes, tn
Luthers, the Cromwells, the Joh1
Browns. And remember that tn
greatest of all agitators was Jesu
Christ Himself. He was, ACCORDING
to St. Luke, put to death for bein
a political agitator found thi
man perverting our nation, and re
fusing to give tribute to Caesar
His disciples were men who 'turne
the world upside down. And tha
is the work of men and women VIII
are followers of Jesus Christ. Joi
this noble army. recognize thu
you cannot possibly reform societ
in any one point without hurting
at some other point. One of til
sad ironies Of history is that r
benefit can be on for the man
without hurt to someone. But "
must think of the maximum benef
that comes from reform, ratht
than the hostility of those hurt an
the great Indifferent mass of peop
who like things to 60 on with con
parative smoothness and do not cal