The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-03-16
LAWS Of STATE
AND MORAL CONDUCT
May Be High ideal Toward
Which the People May
Strive.
Segregated District in City of
Churches is a Call to Vice,
Says Rev. DR.. w. ]. Young.

AT Centenary Methodist church the
pastor. DIR. w. j. Young, took for
his text at the night service Hebrews
7:l9. For the law brought nothing
to perfection. But the bringing IN
of better hope did
He discussed tho oft-repeated
statement that the world cannot be
made good by legislation. seeking TO
show how much Of truth and how
much of error may be in the asser-
ton.
Ii is quite evident that no amount
OF law. however well planned, can in
itself make mems hearts pure. Not
even Gods moral law could do that.
The better hope of the gospel OF Je-
sus Christ bringing with it new
power for the renewing of the life,
the strengthening of the purposes,
the enrichment of the character. alone
can do that. The great need of the
world today is revival Of religion
with an insistence on the message OF
Christ to Nicodemus, "Ye must be
born again."
This would clean out all question
able districts. restore the wrecks IF
humanity, aud bring to us the king
dom of God
This better hope gives to lis new
confidence in ourselves as the chill
dren of God. Having this hope In
US we purify ourselves even as he
is pure This purity goes through
all the relationships of life, both If
public and private kind.
1t also creates within us larger
confidence in the power Of God to
keep men faithful to all the obliga :
tons of life 1t insists on the alb
surdity of the assertion that a man
cannot be good, that any temptation
lis more than he can bear.
Moral Obligations.
But this hope does another thing.
IT calls to mind that we are all under
high moral obligations. 1t recognizes
the authority of these divine regala-
tons and their human counterparts.
it helps to make these laws effective
in the life Of the world, and inspires
each one who comes under Its awak-
en.ug touch with the confidence IN
the value Of law and causes him 10
see that every righteous law Is holy
and every moral com mandment Is
holy and just and good.
AS St Paul puts IT, grace does not
make the law, but esta bishes the law
more securely in the world. Indeed.
this new and better hope In the hu-
man heart Immediately begins for
the sake of the individual and of So
ciety a fresh and vital statement OF
the laws concerning Righteousness,
and to lay plans for the building OF
the kingdom of heaven on earth.
No such evidence of the presence
of this better hope, this kingdom or
God among men. can be afforded as
is seen in the insistence OF the right
eous forces of community in the
,sarJt n
laws as LOOK to the making of the
life OF the people pure. The tolera-
ton OF evils in city like our own.
evils hoary with age and through
all the years bringing one continued
curse, on the ground that restriction
is better than destruction or that laws
that prohibit cannot be enforced. IS
strong proof that something ais
the great multitude of churchgoers
and the densely thronged Mems Bible
classes, of which we boast.
Asks aR Awakening.
II these churchgoers and Bible class
men and others of like sort were SUI
ficiently dominated by the gospel hope
they would register their new life
and new convictions in better laws
and better law enforcement.
But law itself can do very much
towards righteousness. else in his
own kingdom. God had not announced
it. 1t is the everlasting declaration
OF Gods attitude towards evil. and
it may be the thunder Of the right
eous convictions of those who have
heard the thunder of Gods voice on
the mount.
It may thus become the contln-
ued test OF the effectiveness of the
Christians better hope. and so be-
come the spiritual laboratory in which
to carry out the diagnosis OF the re-
ligious and moral life of a commu-
nifty. When the community finds IT
self TOO weak to bring to pass certain
moral reforms, II needs moral tonic
or perhaps more Even the preacher
may ask himself what ails his preach
ing, IL that preaching has simply
brought about a liberation Of condi-
CONTINUED ON Third page.)