The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-09-29

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hound at leash,
eager To pe off, someone tugging at
his cloak and saying, Don't go 10
Rome, Paul, 10 preach the Gospel of
the cross. They will laugh your story
to scorn. Rome, remember, was the
home Of Cicero, and his orations are
still studied there, and Seneca is dis
cOursing In the streets. Go 10 them,
Paul, with little sociology, religious
pathology and ethical culture, but not
with the word of the cross And
Paul answers back: II am not ashamed
of the Gospel of Christ, for 1t is the
power of God unto salvation 10 every
one that bclieveth, 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. | may
know little OF the modern mind, but
/ do know great deal about the
modern heart, and one thing is this,
that IL is still "deceitful above all
things and desperately wicked" and,
thank God, | know what can meet It's
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 clngs In simple faith 10 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 ii was in Paul's day?
When the apostle was eager 10 go to
Rome, lecherOuS reprobate Nero, who
had sunk almost TO the netharmost
hell. was on the throne. Yet Paul was
not desirOus Of going TO Rome with
moral mud scow, but with the Cos
pei OF Christ. He knew what some
moderns do not know, that reforma-
tion follows regeneration, and so he
was eager TO preach in that corrupt
city the Gospel of the cross. What
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 to
cleanse the cesspOols Of iniquity, when
they have at their command the dyna-
mite Of God. We might just as we'll
try TO batter down a fortress with a
pOpgun and toy pistol as 90 attempt to
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 I'm
pleasure? VIII the Gospel reach such
Il world? As Paul stood facing Rome,
mad with pleasure, ne said, II am
ready TO preach the Gospel TO you that
are at Rome Also And yet the city
was almost altogether given over 10
pleasure. During the reign OF Claudl-
US, who preceded Nero on the throne.
the gladlatoral games became almost
an insane frenzy and In NerO'S time,
as we know, 1t was no better. Paul,
the Gospel. II is a great challenge
that the pleasure-loving world sives
the preachers Of today. How shall
they meet itI Shall they. IN extrem-
ity, try something else besides the
Gospel, or is the Gospel still the pow
er Of God unto salvation, even unto n
pleasure-loving world? One OF the
saddest sights 10 behold is ministry
that has abandoned the Gospel and
substituted In the place n sociological
shovel and n pathological plaster. II
hell ever laughs IL laughs AT such a
substitution. for IL knows that make
shift will never meet the worlds
neei and defeat hell.
Come on. preachers the world chal-
lenges US, let US meet the challenge
with Paul's II am ready 10 preach the
Gospel" What Gospell Why, the
Gospel OF the cross, OF course, for
there is none other. And with Paul
let US say. no matter what the world
may say. we are not ashamed OF the
Gospel OF Christ Why not ashnmedi
Because IL is the dynamite Of God"
That means IL has Ia itself the power
20 do business for God. No wonder
Paul. facing intellectual. corrupt,
pleasure-lOying Rome. said. II am
ready. am not ashamed to preach the
Gospel 10 you that are at Rome also"