Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-01-17
A GREAT GOSPEL NEEDED TO
SUBDJE Il GREAT AGE TO GOD
By Bishop W. A. Gambler

there is some thing called the world
which contends against God for the
hearts Of men. No tepid terms are used
to describe this antagonism of the
world" to God: the warmest and strong
est terms are used with reference to 1T.
The inspired writer's OF the New Tes-
lament are all agreed concerning this IT.
reconcilable conflict, and they speak OF
1t with the utmost emphasis. st. James
says, "Whosoeyer will be the friend of
the world Is the enemy Of God and
s:the friendship Of the world is enmity
with God ST. John declares IF any
man love the world, the love Of the Fa-
Their is not in him. st. Paul exhorts
his readers, Be not conformed 70 TINS
world"
The Apostles derived the idea from no
less an authority than the Master HIM
self The night before he diecl he said
to his disciples eff the world hate you,
ye know that 1t hated me before
HI hated YOU" In his interees-
sorry prayer for them he said TO the
Father, II have given them thy word,
and the world hath hated them because
they are not OF the world. even as am
not of the world
II we attach any Importance 20 the
WOTQS OF OnLlHl anu HIS AROofANpf y
must conclude that there is very sharp
warfare between THE world" and God,
and that the safety of human soul
is found In being on the side OF GOD
and overcoming 'the world. 1t Is no
mimic, make believe contest, but real,
strenuous struggle, upon the issues OF
which the most precious and enduring
interests depend.
But what do they .nean by tine
world?' They can not mean the planet
upon which we live God pronounced that
good when he made it. and 1t is good.
Nothing in all creation below man Is,
or can be, hostile to God.
Nor can they mean by the world
the inhabitants of the world. That world
of human beings God loves with death
less love Concerning II Christ said,
God so loved the world that he gave his
only begotten Son, that VIII Ssoever peliev-
eth in him should not perish, but nave
Everlasting nfen Certainly God would
not have any of his servants hate the
men and women in the world. On the
contrary, we are taught to love all sorts
and conditions of men, even our ene7
mics.
What then is '4he world" that wars
against God, that '1ieth IN darkness,
that all godly souls must fight, that
must be "overcome" by faith? II is
d1Iflcult 10 OeklHd- II dPpCoAS az ~
team forms and 1t is perpetually shift
ing its point of attack upon God and
goodness But some ~ its features
which are constant, may be pointed out,
and by them II may be recognized. IL
Is alienation from God which operates
in bulky and domineering mass 1t IS
current of life which flows away from
God and runs counter to His law. II
Is society as il exists apart from God.
oh a orirff r1raUailQ IN
which the organism as a whole forbsds
and of the individuals that enter into
1T from being perfectly conformed to
Gods will 1t is, therefore, sort or
conspiracy of all against each, and a
mutiny against the authority of heaven.
1t manifests many of the aspects OBJ
served in lawless mobs which commit
outrages which no one in the GROVE
would alone perpetrate, and yet against
the commission of which no one VIII
stand up in opposition.
1t might. therefore. be deemed as trea-
son against God infexible law Of right
eousness In order to yield submission
to the low and wavering standard OF the
average morality OF the whole commu-
nifty around one. its intellectual manifes-
tation is loosely expressed by the words
public opinion,N-a form Of opinion OF
which there is no definite interpretation
or record, but which each man inter7
prets for himself and IT, he be not de-
voted to God, to which he submits with
out word.
Some times we express the nature of
'the world" which is hostile to God by
the words "the spirit of the times II
is what the Germans call the "zeit-
geist" It Is against this very spirit
that st. Paul levels his words BE not.
conformed to this world or, rather,
en- - -, "a ~ this age r
We might say then that the worldli-
ness which the Scriptures condemn Is
time serving instead of serving God.
we may know that we are on the
boundary of this forbidden world II we
find ourselves where the mandates of
conscience are clear and unequivocal and
we respond to those sacred and impeTa-
tive mandates in such words as these
Il know what Is right and that | ought
to do it; but can not afford IT, Sucn
response means that the DEGREES of
the world have sounded in our ears
and that we dare not disregard them
1t means that we will defy God before
we will break with "the world. And
1t is no groundless fear before which
we fall down in submission to tine
world: for the imperious world Is
very Jealous of the slightest semblance
of revolt against its authority, and It
wields the most powerful machinery TOT
repressing disaffection and Furnishing re-
bellion towards it. It refuses to allow
any one to live either below or above its
base standards, and it deals more Sc
verely with one who lives above its low
levels than il does with one who falls
below them. When 1t cruciied the Son
Of God between two thieves Il acted In
perfect accord with its character; two
OF its victims il adjudged to be too bad
to live and one to be too good. In like
manner today. 1t spurns poor drunk
ard in the gutter and it denounces the
preacher who condemns elegant drunk
ards I'm the banquet hall; it loathes
gambling -hells't and loves "bridge-par-
ties" Il is shocked at 'free-love' with
out law and defends loose divorce under
law In short all its virtues and all
it's vices are modish, and the one offense
II always Furnishes is the offense Of be
ing out OF conformity to its fashions
of life.
without taking the pains to formulate
with precision its statutes the world
maintains such a. general unity of
thought and uniformity of influence that
It makes its voice heard and needed.
It's authority is most powerfully ex-
a., foo ma