The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-02-24


=:Ss=sss=sss:SsS@=[ss dences. We report
AaIaR fsssgssLkg one of these from
the text, righteousness Exaltetb a
Nation: But Sin is Reproach to any
People" proverbs xiv. sd. The speak.
CT said
Many besides myself surely were as
tonisbed to read tie following extract
from the Wall Street Journal, under
the caption. What America Needs -
What America needs more than rail-
way extension and western irrigation
and bigger wheat crop, and mer-
chant marine. and new navy. is a
revival of piety. the kind father and
mother used TO have-piety that count
ed it good business to stop for daily
family prayers before breakfast. right
in the middle Of harvest: that quit field
work Il half hour earlier Thursday
night. so as TO get the chores done and
go to prayer-meeting. That's what We
need now 10 clean the country Of filth.
Of graft, and Of greed petty and big,
Of worship Of fine houses and big
lands. and high Office and grand social
functions"
This reached the eye Of Bishop Can.
dier. whose comment is so appropriate
that I cannot do better than quote it
here
This editor is right in calling us
back TO more earnest forms of life than
all these things involved. He wants
religion in the home; he calls for lives
OF prayer: he insists that we need the
the country from moral wreck. And
he is right. But can we get that sort
of religion under the spur of the mo
tive to which he appeals? Hardly.
I'VE cannot get revival Of religion
by seeking revival of religion. No
where in Gods Word are men sdmon-
ished to seek religion or To seek re-
vival of religion. They are always
urged to seek God, All the reyiyals
of religion which have blessed the
world III. the history Of the past have
come when men have undertaken to
seek God. Nvue have ever come 9th.
erwise. We cannot defy even a revival
Of religion. God must be the supreme
object OF our love and desire.
MEN Called Preachers Have Explained
Away the Word of God"
Herein is our trouble--we have lost
God Men called preachers have ex-
planned away the Word of God. max.
luz it 10 longer a sure word of proph-
ccy, but an antique for the critics to
analyZe and discuss. The moral law
has been lowered. The ten command
ments have been reckOned as piece
Of Mosaic plagiarism applicable to the
moral needs OF ancient nomads in the
wilderness. but have no more than n
Qualified bearing on the life Of today.
The Sermon on the Mount has been
treated as An iridescent dream
The Lordsbip of Jesus Christ has
been denied. while treacherOus com.
pliments have been poured out upon
his uamc, as that Of great teacher
and noble martyr His teachings
have been defied or set aside wherever
they have stood in the way of ram.
pant worldlipess or an insurgent ra-
tioDalism. The outcome of it all is
that multiplied thousands have lost
all knowledge of God IN their souls.
To all intents and purposes God is
dead 10 them. They take no account
of His will in any Of their plans and
doiDgs, but live as if there were no
God. They are atheists without tax
ing the trouble to declare formally the
atheism which they have inwardly &C
cepted.
The people must now be called to
seek God. He is real. living Person,
and He will be found Of those who sin.
cerely seek Him. But He must be
sought as the supreme need Of the
lives of men. He must be sought for
His own sake. He will not be found
OF men who seek Him simply to RENE
dy bad commercial situation. or to
cure social and political ills. He will
not consent 10 be used as q sort OF
celestial and omniscient chief of police
10 help US suppress grating and steal.
ing and licentiousne3s
1T is quite true that if all the PEG.
pie turned to God they would he turn.
ed away from every evil thug. But
they will never turn TO God until they
feel that the worst disaster in life is
that one should fail to know our Heav.
emily Father. They must be made to
feel the sorrowfulpess Of the orphan
age of the soul until. like the prodgal
of the parable, they begin TO say each
within himself, I will arise and 20 to
my Father
I'VE have had already too great o
disposition TO try TO use God for all
sorts of social ameliorations. moral re
forms. and political reuovatious. It If
time now we sought Him for Himself
alone. IT is time we began TO cry with
the Psalmist, Whom have in hea ven
but Thee. and there is none upop
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