The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-11-04
THE lnternatleHai Sunday School
lssson Ter New. 7 10 "Jeash Re-
palrs the rsmpls."-ii Kings
tt:at; t9:te.


UsBJS tBsVUs
(Dv WILLIAM 7. gLLis.)
II I were GEAR OF this western
world In this present uneQualled cri-
sis In human events, there are three
or four fundamental things that
would set the people to doing. Chief
among these ! would require that all
the churches and religious societies
throughout the land receive fresh At
tention. and that a. may be neces-
sary, they be rebuilt in their physi.
cal equipment and spiritual organiza-
ZION. Wherever there IL q breach In
the walls Of the church--literal or
netaphorical-it should be quickly
repaired. The fashion Of young king
Joash. OF long ago, whose experience
In rebuilding the temple 10 today's
Sunday school lesion, IL q funds-
mental fashion to follow.
The reason II clear; such crises In
q nations life ~ the present are to
be net FIRST Of all by spiritual
forces. All tho armies and navies
that military genius could devise or
command cannot safeguard nation
whose people have lost their vision
and their noblest purposes. Ideals
are ultimately the defence Of ma
tion. No graver issue Is before
our time than that OF rehabilitating
In the minds Of the multitudes the
great old convictions and purposes
which first made W strong. Nobody
need lose sleep At night from fear
Of q hostile invasion; but there 10
real reason for slcepless concern
over the steadily undermining Of the
integrities Of faith and duty which
may be detected In process.
The nation looks to the church for
spiritual strength and for the vision
that will meet the new duties Of the
high hour that IL upon US. What
help remains II. In this time of
times. instead Of . church with a
clear. lofty, ringing message to
mems souls, we have merely an az
Slomeration OF petty. contending.
small.minded and sordid ecclesiasti-
cal organizations. so engrossed with
triding politics ahe the material
needs Of self-sU bsistence, that they
are deaf and blind to the heroic
summons OF God and humanity?
LIE Mirrors Religion.
Like every ether national leader
who has had wit enough to know
anythinG about his business. Joash
Understood that tho prosperity Of
Judah was bound Up with the wei.
fare and fidelity Of religion. No ma
tion ever comes to it's height apart
from the inspiration and support Of
. religious faith. Both France and
Germany . year ago. were the sub
ject Of many articles concerning
their religious decline. Now. in the
seventlrnes heated furnace OF war
both have found their souls. Yet
u n because the nations had subord-
mated spiritual concerns to material
values that we have this world war.
Life mirrors religion. When relig-
ION becomes perfunctory, mechanical
or secondary, then we have such
oollapses of civilization az that
which 10 today staggering humanity.
ID Il too much to hope that after
the awful obligations which this
war Il creating have been laid upon
the survivors. and accepted open
eysd. some nation will deliberately
undertake to give religion the right
Of way In its life? Can we imagine
q people dedicated intellectually
to Gods highest purposes! What
could not such q nation do In this
rs.made world. Occasionally man
Mind has seen what one wholly, ded-
icated Christian could accomplish.
When Dwight l.. Moody was young
man be heard a speaker say. THE
world 10 yet to rec what God can do
with . wholly. ccnsecrated man..
Moody resolved that he would be
that man. And Moody. whose bones
are moldering on Little Round Top
In Northheld. still lives as one OF
the worlds greatest forces.
Making . Clean Sweep.
II anybody asks why the temple
st Jerusalem so sorely needed re-
pairing. there IL one sentence In the
lesson which makes answer. After
the record OF Joash's loyalty to God.
We read "Howbeit the high places
wore not taken away; the people
still sacrificed and burnt incense In
the high places" That Is q good
picture Of modern life. Theoretical
y, We have Q Christian civilization:
actually, materialism. pride. AFRO
sance. cruelty, selhshness and
svarics have kept the incense burn
Ing on their high places. There Is
no room even In the circumambient
ether for the smoke Of the rival In
csnse from the altar Of Jehovah and
the affairs Of idolatry and self-indul-
asnce. God demands that He be
God alone.
A queer notion IL lodged firmly in
certain pious minds that the passive
virtues are all that are needed for
the bringing in Of the kingdom Of
heaven. Some folk don't want to be
disasreeabls even to the devil him.
elf. They would not speak Ill about