The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-02-20

ggA2IssNesseEl one Of these from
the text, righteousness Exalteth a
Nation; But Sin Is. a Reproaeh to any.
People"Proyerbs xiv, 34,. The speak
er snid:- 9Ils---, +; y
Many besides myself surely were as.
tonished to read the following extract
from the Wall Street Journal. under
the caption, what America Necds":-
What America needs more than rail.
way extension and western irrigation,
und bigger wheat crop. and mer.
chant marine. and new navy. is u
revival of plety, the. kind father and
mother used to have-piety that count
ed 1t good business to stop for daily
family prayers before breakfast. right
in the middle Of harvest; that quit Geld
work n half hour cartier Thursday
night, so as to get the chores done and
80 to prayer.meetins. That's what we
need now to clean the country Of filth,
Of graft, and Of greed, petty and big,
Of worship of ane houses and big
lands, and high office and grand social
functions"
This reached the eye OF Bishop Can
dler. whose comment is SO appropriate
that i cannot do better than quote 1t
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
most earnest type of religion to save
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 u revival Of religion
by seeking a revival of religion. No.
where in Gods Word are men adtnon.
ished to seek religion or to seek re-
viral Of religion. They are always
urged to seek God. All the revivais
of religion which have blessed the
world in the history Of the past have
come when men have undertaken to
seek God. None have ever come 9th.
erwise. We cannot defy even revival
of religion. God must be the supreme
object Of our love and desire.
"Men. Called Preachers Have Explained
Away tho Word of God.n
Herein Is our trouble-we have lost
God. Men called preachers have ex-
planned away the Word of God, max
Ing it no longer sure word Of proph-
ecy, but an antique for the critics to
annlyze and discuss. The moral law
has been lowered, The ten command.
ments have been reckoned rs a piece
OF Mosaic plagiarism applicable to the
moral needs Of ancient nomads in the
wilderness, but have no more than d
qualified bearing on the life Of today.
The Sermon on the Mount has been
treated as AN iridescent dream
1.-THE Lordship Of Jesus Christ has
been denied. while treachcrous com.
piiments have been poured out upon
his name, as that Of great teacher
and noble martyr. His teachings
have been defed or set aside wherever
they have stood In the way Of ram.
pant worldllness or an insurgent ra.t
tfonaifsm. The outcome Of It all is
that multiplied thousands have lost
all knowledge Of God in their souls,
To all fntents and purposes God IS
dead to them. They take no account
of Ills will In any Of their plans and
doings. but live us II there were no
God. They are atheists without tax,
ing the trouble to declare formally thu
atheism which they have inwardly nc.
copied.
"The people must now be called to
seek God. He is n real, living Person.
and He will be found Of those who sin.
corely seek Him. But lie must be
sought rs 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 TO be used us sort OF
celestial and omnisclcnt chief.of.police
to help us suppress grating and steal.
Ing and licentIousncss.
1T is quite true that IL all the peo.
hle turned to God. they would be turn.
ed away from every evil thing. But
they will never turn to God until they
a.l a = ~. 49,