Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1916-10-05

eager to be off, someone 'tugging at
his cloak and saying, Don't go to
Rome, Paul, to preach the Gospel OF
the cross. They will laugh your story
to scorn. Rome, remember, was the
home of Cicero, and his oratlOns are
still studied there, and Seneca is dis
coursing in the streets. Go to them,
Paul, with a little sociology, religious
pathology and ethical culture, but not
with the word of the cross" And
Paul nswer back: II am not ashamed
Of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every
one that %believeth, to the Jew first and
also to the Greek"
There are people today who tell us
that the Gospel Of the cross doesn't
meet the modern mind. Well, l may
know little Of the modern mind, but
l do know a great deal about the
modern heart, and one thing is this,
that it is still "deceitful above oil
things and desperately wicked" and.
thank God, l know what can meet its
needs and that Is the cross of Christ.
The trouble, friends, Is not with our
heads but with our hearts; let them
be cleansed by the blood of Christ and
the modern mind has no difficulty in
understanding the story Of the cross.
Problems there may be, but the heart
that knows the cleansing power OF the
blood clings in simple faith to the
Cross of Christ.
Then there are those who say that
| the Cross of Christ does not meet the
problem of today. What problems are
| there today that were not the prob
lens of yesterday? What about the
| moral corruption of the times? Is 1t
any worse than it vas in Paul's day!
| When the apostle was eager to 60 to
Rome, lccherous, reprobate Nero, who
had sunk almost to the nethermost
hell, was on the throne. Yet Paul was
not DESTROYS Of going to Rome with
a moral. mud scoW,s but with the Cos
pei of Christ. He knew what SOME
mOderns do not know, that reforma'
ton follows regeneration, and so he
was eager to preach in that corrupt
city the Gospel of the cross. What
n lesson to some would-be preachers
Of today who, not knowing the power
of the Gospel to regenerate society,
are trying with their puny scoops tc
| cleanse the cesspools Of inlquity. when
hey have at their command the dyna'
mite Of God. We might just as vel
try to batter down u fortress with u
popgun and toy pistol as to attempt tc
overcome the forces of evil in the
world by any moral reformation which
leaves out the cross of Christ.
But what about a world immersed ir
pleasure? viii the Gospel reach sucl
n world? AS Paul stood facing Rome
mad with pleasure, he said, II an
ready to preach the Gospel to you tina
are ut Rome Also" And yet the city
was almost altogether given over tt
pleasure. During the reign of Claudi
us. who preceded Nero on the throne
the glad~intorial games became almos'
an insane frenzy and in Nero's time
as we know, it was no better. Paul
however, was eager to go there will
the Gospel. 1t Is n great challenge
that the pleasure-loving world give'
the preachers of today. How shall
they meet it? Shall they. in extrem
ity, try something else besides thu
Gospel, or is the Gospel still the pow
er of God unto salvation, even unto
pleasure-loving world? One Of tn
saddeSt sights to behold Is a miniStr.
that has abandoned the Gospel ant
substituted In the place a sociological
shovel and II pathological plaster. i
hell ever laughs it laughs at such
substitution, for 1t knows that make
shifts will never meet the world!
need and defeat hell.
Come on, preachers, the world chal
lenges us, let us meet the challeng'
with Paul's II am ready to preach tn
Gospel" What Gospel? Why, tn
Gospel Of the cross, Of course, 70
there Is none other. And with Pau
let us say, no matter what the worlt
may say, we are not ashamed of tn
Gospel Of Christ. Why not ashamed
Because 1t Is the dynamite Of God.
That means 1t has In itself the pOwe
to do business for God. No wonde
Paul, facing Intellectual, corrupt
.pleasure.loving Rome, said, Il an
ready, I am not ashamed to preach tn,
Gospel to you that are ut Rome also.