The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-12-04

Y u \ u u 0S,
Christendom is losing the sentiment OF
gratitude to God. and Thanksgiving
Day is to many merely a holiday. In
religious matters In general. Christen-
dom is rapidly approaching the condi-
tons prophesied by St. Paul. when
men would preserve the form OF god
liness but deny its power. I'll Timothy
iii. s., The cause of this the Pastor
trnced to the increasing intelligence
Of our day which. nlong religious lines.
has cut loose from the Bible and pro-
portionately cut loose from the true
God.
Hi. er Critics not content with the
rejection of the creeds Of the Dark
Ages. have attacked the Bible. prejn.
diced against It by the Inconsistencies
of the creeds. Thinking to render as
sistance to humanity and to the Truth.
they have for fifty years been quietly
and successfully engaged In undermin.
ing the faith of Christendom in the
Bible as Divine Revelation They
claim for themselves similar inspira-
ton to that OF the Apostles. while they
ridieule the thought that holy Prophets
Of old spase and wrote as they were
moved by the Holy Spirit OF Cod
II Peter /. q.
Evolution and Higher Criticism.
Rejecting the Bible as special Dr.
vine Revelation from a personal Cod
the next step OF the Higher Critics
was an easy one-to proclaim nature
the god and creator Of all things an
impersonal god. Thus they were just
in line for Darwin's theory Of Evolu-
tion-that nature IS god and cork Is
the law Of nature-the survival Of the
fttest-and the fttcst the most pug
nacious md overbearfng. and selfish
and scheming
Thus we have gradually reached the
| place where the masses of Christen-
| dom doubt the existence Of persona!
! God. and are inclined to believe in
| blind. brute force--a nature-god-
| to hope that by some process of evo-
luton their children's children. in the
far hereafter. may attain to something
| better than the present: hut they see
not even the assurance OF future life
! for themselves. any more than for the
brute creation.
Unthankful. UnhoIy. Covenant ereak-
crs.
| This explains to us why the masses
4 feel little interest in Thanksgiving
Day. except MS holiday. They hay
lost their God-the living and true
| Coda Heavenly Father Under these
circumstances. declared Pastor Rus
sell. it is not strange that they nre TN
1 believers-that THANKSGIVING is be
coming Il mere Formally. that the
churches are nearly empty and the
prisons oraraov,.ng and many OF the
world pleasEre-r,sd st. pauls words.
without God ard having no nope in
the world. surely Git the majority OF
Christendom today These conditions
breed the reverse OF thankfulness.
namely dissatisfaction. THUS we set
the world enjoying blessings as never
before. and discontrnted MS never be-
fore. The opening Of the eyes OF un.
Outstanding to the fact that our race
is one, and that the blessings OF earth
belong equally to all. is now coming
to men. These are great truths. witt
4 this knowledge should come an appre-
citation of the Divine supervision OF
the earfh's affairs. and knowledge
& of the Divine intention to rectify all
the inequalities and in-equities Of the
present time in a future Age.
Since the desire of MI mankind is
happiness. our college men are un
philosophical In prociaiming a theory
which is destroying happiness. and
which threatens shortly to destroy our
civilization through anarchy
What Unthankfuincss Costs.
! We may be srre that nnthankful
ness today will hiring upon man. nat
nrally. n great c,irse-a great calami
Z ty. We see it coming. Unbelief III
God means more trust in scif-rneans
more observation-disclosures strife to at
/, taia The .hi1gs coveted ~ means IN
archy means the disruption of gu.
present social system. ;ls the Word q
God fore.ells. daniel XII. l., Ren.
at your convenience the Apostles az
gument on this subject Romans T.
u The silver lining TO the dark cloud |;
t in the Divine promise. OF rescue afte
! the world shrlI have harmed Il lcssc
j for eternity The Scriptures assure 3
4 that the timesof trouble aud ;milah
, will be followed ny the estabiishmer
, of Messiah's glorious Kingdom Ill
binding OF satan the Ietting loose g
every good Influence nnd the tr,l
knowledge Of t;od-the rising Of III
Sim of Righteousness; with hcaling Il
!. tx beams. Tint gorious tire must h
waited for