The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-09-13
RI & II I n ESS
OF MORAL
LAWS
REV. CARVER'S THEME AT PRES
BYTERlAN CHURCH.
Endorsement Of tho Worlds Codes Is
Emphasized In Splendid DIS
course.

Rev. ]. f. Carver. pastor OF the Con
greGational church. said last night in
part;
few years ago a wealthy CALI
iornian gave large sum of money
10 De used In the manufacture Of a
telescope OF gigantic proportions. The
lens is to be eight and one-third feet
In diameter With it the moon can
be seen as distinctly as if 1t wero but
nifty miles away, and objects one-half
inc size Of the Washington capitol
can be clearly dlacerDed upon II. Thus
The far Will be made near. How
wonderfully does the law and word
and promises OF God bring His great
reality near unto us. He Is thus made
so near that He can guide. bless and
correct his people. Among all the
sentences of a worldwide language
none has more of deep meaning to the
race than the first and greatest com.
mandment, Thou shall love the Lord
INV God with all thy mind and with
all thy heart and with all thy soul
An Eternal Law.
Not many years ago the attention
or the world was called to an ancient
code OF laws. long buried In eastern
runs but then, after lapse of four
thousand years. brought TO the light.
Their chief claim to value lay In their
being the idea of legal right as COM
pretended by a primitive people of
forgotten race. l call YOUR atten-
ton. tonight. to a law which is Tar
older and one that, strange TO relate,
is as binding In authority and right
ness as II was In that dim past when
1t hrst was made known unto men:
Thou shalt love thy God With all thy
mind and with all thy heart and with
all thy soul Is still In point of age,
In point OF universality. and In point
Of binding authority the first and the
greatest law Of the world It is far
more ancient than the Bible for 1t
was as binding upon the first man as
1t is upon us today. II was known
long before the ten commandments
Of Moses or tho ethics and sacrifcial
teaching OF the Christ were heard.
With It's second statute, Thou shalt
love thy neIghbor as thyself,' II has
become the first law In importance,
for all other right laws are founded
upon them ..o.
1T Is said that the religious peo-
pie have no right to enforce strict
and reformatory laws upon those who
do not wish them. Because Sunday
laws, reform laws. prohibition and
Kindred measures are against the
sentiment. belief and convictions of
fhnPofnrn to1l 49, ~
should not be enacted or enforced.
The question OF the real reformatory
value Of such measures is left for
later sermon. But surely the whole
question of the rightness OF a law lies
not 10 public opinion for or against 1t,
but in the worth Of the measure IT,
self And the real scope of ali law
that has right TO place In the lives
of civilized peoples is included IN
these two. They are as applicable TO
one day and race as to another. To
deny the right OF such law is to
deny the existence OF a God, for II
there be a Creator, a Sustainer. an
All-wise Ruler. then not only has He
the right to give such law. but such
law III itself is just and right
Worth OF Laws.
we can but note that much is said
today about the right to enact laws
which are contrary to the desire OF a
large number OF people
IF law is OF value. il it is Inherent
ly right then 1t matters not BY whom
IT Is advanced or opposed, II is right
to enforce 1t. and indeed the question
of the rightncss Of law lies in its
conformity with the spirit which
should underlle all law; l. e., does It
protect the weak. safeguard the inno-
cent, and make for the general we'll
being Of society Many laws. In fact.
all laws at times. seem TO conflict
with some ones personal liberty. In
stance for example our sanitary, our
child labor. and our pure food laws,
So also laws restricting the building
Of inflammabe buildings within the
cities fire limits. In these cases
higher law than that Of personal lib
crty is in power. Personal ends are
supplanted by higher ones We see
this In patriotism. In 1850 when 25,-
900 French were encamped at Klos-
terkamp, young officer, Chevelier
d d'Assis. was sent into the near woods
to reconnoitre. He was surrounded
by the enemy who with drawn bayo-
nets warned him not to give the alarm.
Instantly personal liberty gave way TO
higher code and he shouted the
alarm. He fell, pierced with many
bayonets, but the French were saved.
So God and our fellow-men ofttimes
call us TO a higher standard of right
than our personal liberty.
Lesson From the Birds.
Such laws are needed. Strange to
say mankind Is far behind other liy-
Ing creatures In learning to shun that
which Is harmful. In some parts OF
the Tyrol. whero birds Of passage
once were gathered In great numbers
at seasons OF the year they now shuu
on their annual migrations
because of the hunters who frequent
ed those places, Darwin tells how
animals, initiating each others eau"
ton. learn by experience TO shun GER
tain traps and so no species can long
be caught In the same place In the
same way. But mankind has been
caught for ages by the same old trap
and bait. The pitfalls OF Babylon
were made inviting just as those OF
Ogden are today and souls are sold
for money. position. drink. licentious'
ness. cards and the dance today as
they were then. and still earthly hopes
are blasted and earthly days made
black by their awful harvest.
Applicable to This Day.
God had the right to give this law
TO you, my hearer. and you for your
sake and the sake OF your fellow
men need 1t: Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God is binding on you. You