Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-09-17
BY BISHOP
w. A..CANDLER
PUT THE EMPHASIS UPON CHARACTER
RATHER THAN UPON CONDITIONS

colonies of America in the eighteenth
century that he might call sinners to
repentance. saved more souls in six
months, than all our social reform
ers and clerical sociologists save in
a decade; he believed in REGENICS,
and they rely upon EUGENICS. With
elaborate schemes of moral machin-
cry, fitted up with a complicated sys-
tenn OF sociological pulleys and le-
vers, our reformers bring up very
light and very small loads of human
ity redeemed from the dark depths OF
sin Sby all their patent appliances.
Singlehanded Paul. the apostle to, the
Gentiles. did in the first century more
than all Of them combined are doing
in the twentieth century; and Paul
toiled in the Roman empire in an
exceedingly dark age, and our reform
ers are labouTing in christian lands
during a period which they delight to
eulogize as most enlightened and
progressive" But Paul believed that
the gospel Is the power of God unto
salvation while our reformers rely
upon salvation by soup and soap and
social salves."
While the materialistic view of
character by environment has had
a wide and injurious acceptation,
there is back Of these mistaken
methods of accomplishing con-
ditions and under-emphaSizi3g
character another influence which
has had perhaps far moro to do
with leading men and churches liza
this wrong direction. 1t is this:
We are inclined to do the easy
things rather than the difficult
ones, and our spiritual Incidence
often misleads us. Now, it is COM
paratively easy to clean up a street,
improve sanitation, set up a school,
or establish a soup house; but II is
very difficult to bring a human
soul into a rsgenerated life. In
the first case we work with inani-
mate and unresisting materials, and
all is visible before us; but in me
second case we are met by free
will, and all the complex machinery
of human motives and the perplex-
ing power of human passions. IN
the invisible region of spiritual
life we can rely only upon the iI'-
visible forces of the Holy Spirit to
accomplish the renewal of spiritual
strength. Sanitation. white-wash.
soup, soap, and social salves." are
utterly impotent in this region; but
we can see what they do on che
outside, and, hence, they mislead US
by the outward appearance of
things which they affect. our want
of faith in spiritual forces and our
indolent disposition to do what is
easy rather than to undertake wnat
is difficult combine to lead us away
from the method of Jesus to The
futile methods. of modern reform.
ers. At bottom every one of these
programmes. by which the enphd.
sis of religious effort is transfer
red from the regeneration of in
ward character to the reformation
Of outward conditions. is founded
on a weakened belief I'm the power
of Christ to save the lost; in some
cases resting on downright and
avowed disbelief in the efficacy Of
spiritual forces to save men.
A reaction against these mista-
ken methods and a return to the
method Of Jesus must be speedily
brought to pass The church mas
no wider mission than THAT which
He proposed for Himself when He
declared The Son of Man has come
to seek and to save that which is
lost, and to give HIS life a ransom
for many" The emphasis of chris
tian effort must be restored where
it belongs; it must be placed on
Saving the lost" Salvation Is
more needed than sanitation, much
as we need the latter. The great
black plague of sin is worse than
the great white plague of tubercu-
losis. Spiritual salvation is more
urgently required by our generation
than any social serum whatsoever.
Let us heal all the sick we can;
let us olothe the naked. feed the
hungry. and abound in every good
work; but most of all let US try to
rescue the perishing.