Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-10-09

I in the individual and in national life.
But more than this. the prophet IS
a constructive statesman who builds
up the kingdom of God and always
speaks with the vision before him of
the age to come. The most striking
examples in all history of national
prophets, standing forth in vigorous
rebuke of the evils that sapped the
life of their people and in tender en-
treaty to return to God and the way
of righteousness, were the men Of the
ancient r. ebrew nation. Their souls
were afiame with moral passion as
they pointed to triumphant national
life as the positive result If faith in
God
Significance of II.
Ii has been unfortunate that all
along the course of the development
of Christian thought ii has not been
kept in the forefront that the ancient
prophets were statesmen and spoke to
the nation and with particular refer
ence to national needs. 1t was be-
cause their messages were not needed
that the nation came on grievops
times. The significance of very much
the Hebrew prophets preached had
application to a period of social temp
tation and decline. This fact has been
overlooked in the effort to give their
messages a purely individualistic ap-
plication. The modern prophet will
find, too, that the contents of the
messa ges of the ancient prophets has
vital relation to the present situation,
for their messages rested on princi-
pies and truths that apply to any ma
ton that has moral ambition and
recognizes its responsibility To God.
"a N p
periods in each of which some par
ticular force dominates. One period
may be intellectual, another an era
of discovery, invention and conquest;
another is given to industrial organ
i2ation and still another is marked by
moral enthusiasm and religious inter
est The leading nations at present
are passing out of a dominantly ma
terialistio period. The war is the
throes of the death struggle of the
materialistic and the birth pangs of
the newer period of spiritual progress.
1t is no accident that just now men
are able to talk almost around the
world by wireless means, an astound-
ing fact, which reminds one that the
nations of the earth are to be closer
neighbors than ever. The message of
the modern prophet is to eNalt the
idea and spirit of Christian neighbor-
liness.
In ancient Israel a period of de-
Velopment in law. moral character
and the ceremonial details of re-
ligious worship preceded the days of
the prophet. This period was that
essentially of the priest, but when
Israel passed through his period OF
material accumulation and material
splendor, she succumbed to tempta-
{frr. t1a4 fAn 6n6 10 T1H Ia. 10
and moral power, and made necessary
the coming of the prophet, or Isaiah
or Amos or Micah, who cried aloud
and. spared not in condemnation of
sin. The modern prophet who can
see the presence and movement of
God now in human affairs and can
help others to see it, is the man for
the hour.
0pportune Time.
The present time is auspicious.
Each age has had some characteristic
service befitting the age which the
church has rendered. There is going
on in human affairs movements and
works of a transformative and con-
structive character thai have essen
TALLY moral and spiritual elements
compatible with the Kingdom of
God. There is manifest through
these movements an eagerness TO re-
lieve men of distress, to succor the
needy to overcome unfavorable en-
vironment and conditions, to impart
moral energy, to lift the level of life
a little higher There are so many
of these diversified movements it is
difficult to keep up with them. The
modern prophet will relate them to
the developing Christian order of life,
1t is the age of numerous ministra-
tions. spiritual awakening is slow
ly, but surely taking place. The
heritage of truths which are vital
and have stood every test belongs to
this age. The task for the modern
prophet is to reveal and explain the
moral and spiritual significance of
what is going on today before the
very eyes of the people.
CLERTGUS