Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-11-07
w. A.Candler

That picturesque preacher and re-
former. Dr.. Charles F. Aked, who was
imported to serve Mr.. Rockefellers
church in New York, and who later iden-
titled himself with Mr.. Henry Ford
peace movement is reported to have de-
livered himself recently as follows; r.
u have learned that there, is no
" sho1t cut to the millennium. IT.
have learned that the peace maker
must be peaceable person; that if
in his own heart there is not the
peace of God which passeth all un-
derstanding, rnrv,s5s3!!-- The makers Of Co.
war, he cannot silence the roar OF y
% guns and the shrek of shaPpneE =
have learned that a good, move.
sment must be stee.ged in prayer and
saturated with devotion: that the g.
peace propaganda must be baptized
into Christ; that the way which is
not Christs way is not likely to
lead to the consummation of -Christs
purpose on the earth: that peace q. .
begins at the cross, and that the
very" tree whose leaves are forsthe
healing of the nations GROVE from.
the. seed which fell in an empty
tomb.
That begins TO look like cIari-
fed vision. There are many others
who need to clear up their faith .af-
ter this fashion. There are many
jangling. voices that jar upon the
ear today, telling US how we may
yea, how we must-do Christs work
in the world today and leave the
dynamic force of the atonement of
Christ out of their plans of making
the world better. 1t is the fatal de-
fusion of our modern culture. Such
leaders need to have the scales fall
from their eyes"
1t is not surprising that DR. Aked can
not find "a short cut to the millennium, -
for no such short cut exists, or ever
can exist. The renovation of mankind
can not be achieved by any patent pro-
cesses. whatsoever. Nor can it be done
by any moral derrick, or civilizing ele-
vator, by which the whole world can be
lifted in bulk, The removal of evil in
the world will be brought to pass by the
cleansing of each individual soul from
sin. This was the plan proclaimed in the
first century by Jesus and the Apostles,
and it will be the plan followed in the
last century when the. work of redemp-
tiOn shall have been completed. and the
final salvation Of the earth come down
out of heaven from God.
OIIen IdlSe hopes nave Deen INSPIRED
by misguided men crying that they had
found movement that would uplift all
mankind The Master forewarned us Of
such false prophets. He told us that
they would be crying 10 here, and 10
there" and He eXhorted us to go not
after them, declaring that the Kingdom
of God is within US, and not in any spec
tacular movement of an external sort.
We do well to heed the teaching of the
Lord in this particular. Otherwise we
shall expend energy and money and time
for naught.
Before our day many beautiful theo-
ries have been put forth which prom
ised millenniums of piety and prosperity
for the nations; but the expectations
raised by these theories haye never
been rallied, nor can they be. The diff
Guilty lies deeper than these theories
have looked. The trouble of the world
is not primarily in it's outward govern
ments and visible systems, but ii is To-
Gated in the heart of man. If all the
wisdom of earth and heaven combined
to frame social system and to impose
il upon men it would not of itself avail
to make them pure and happy. Sys-
TENS OF every&sort Inevitably express the
nature and spirit of the people under
them, and when bad men take hold of a
can not be otherwise, and We deceive
ourselves when we undervalue the regen-
erative power of the gospel, and proceed
on the idea that we can uplift mankind
by a new arrangement of their outward
James Martineau has ain admirable
in one of his discourses, which
is very pertinent to the matter in hand
He says:
THE trust and boast of our pc
Rod is not in its individual energy
and virtue, not in it's great and good
minds, but in it's external civili-
zation, in schemes of social and po-
litica1 improvement, in things to be
done of education, which were to
mould the minds of our children
into a perfection that would make
experience blush: system of self
culture, to nurse our faculties into
full maturity: systems of socialism,
for mending the whole world, and
presenting every one with a virtuous
mind. without the least trouble on
his part.
Even those who escape the en-
thusiasm Of system are apt to place
an eXtravagant trust in sets of out
ward circumstances; and daZed by
the splendid forms which modern
civilization assumes, to conceive Of
them as powers i'll themselves, indie
pendently of the minds that I'LL and
use them. Commerce, mechanical
art. and more reasonably, but still
with some error, the school and the
printing press, are each In turn