Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-02-20

A gentleman of intelligence and high
character, who represents in the South
a large commercial establishment In
New York, was speaking to me the 9TH
err day of a certain preacher whom he
had heard recently and, he. said of the
sermon, lit set forth a sort of senti-
mental God whose character was iden-
teal with that of a good-natured old
woman in her dotage, ndiscriminatingly
approving everybody whether good or
bad" He added that such preaching
was bound to have an evil efrect morally.
socially, and politically. engendering
habby moral character and, forestalling
any vigorous effort Of fallen men and
women to repent and reform.
The next day after my interview with
this gentleman read in one Of the great
weelxlies Of our country this utterance:
1.-THE sterner doctrines have too
much dropped out Of sight in these
later days, and this may we'll ac-
count in part, for the failure to reach
men. A renewed emphasis needs to
be put on the fact that God is light
as we'll as love, terrific as we'll as
tender. While He is a Father, He is
distinctively the Holy Father He
is a Judge and a King.s The divine
attributes can not be entirely sum-
med up in affection. God is some
thing more than a bundle of parental
instincts. This sort of thing does not
show US what He does in this world.
How can we trust It for another
world? Sentiment is not the final
court of appeal. Righteousness has a
fundamental place among the attri-
butes of God. AS conscience is SUI
preme in the moral constitution Of
man, so holiness is supreme in the
moral constitution Of God. God
makes regard for His own purity and
honor the standard by which all out
going of affection for His creatures
is to be controlled and limited. Many
have failed sufficiently. to compre-
bend that ideal fatherhood includes
sovereignty, and that punishments
are perfectly consistent with love.
Love has a stern as well as a soft
side. Indignation and reproof are not
in any wise antagonistic to it. Love
can not be wise and omit these
things. Cowardice. negligence, sell
flshness, indifference to the childs
highest interests and permanent well
fare are in no sense marks of love.
All this, we think, is getting to be a
little better understood than it was;
and insofar as it is allowed to color
and guide the tone of the preaching
men win be more apt to feel that
there is something in religion for
them as well as for their wives and
daughters and sisters and aunts."
These men, who thus express them
selves, are right We have had far too
much sentimentality in the pulpit dur
ing recent years. Sin has been treated
more as misfortune than misconduct; and
by consequence we have on hand a great
multitude of sinners, who feel more re-
sentiment towards society for their con-
ditlon than they feel genuine repentance
Tor their sins.
Just the other day, for example, there
was held in IT, city of Cincinnati what
is called "The Hobos Congress, "a most
grotesque manifestation of the prevalent
disposition to cure all ills by calling a
convention or inaugurating a move
ment." 1t was composed of about three
hundred men, who have mis-spent their
lives and who wish to lay the blame
on society for their failures An eye
witness OF the molly assembly reports
that fully fifty per cent of the company
were buns of the strongest type" The
same reporter says 'the dominant note
in the congress was one of resentment
against social conditions" The subjects
considered were "a shorter work day;
a minimum wage; a free national labour
bureau; transportation to the job indus
trial insurance against accident and I'M
employment; and a demand that the
government open great arid and swamp
regions in the southwestern part Of the