Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-09
A World Made New
Sermon by
REE. ii. ID. &. MhCLACIiLAN, ID. d.,
Pastor OF the Seventh street Chris
tIun Church.
Text; Rev. xxi. ;.

There is sense In which all that
exists undergocs IL perpetual process of
gradual renewal. AS the poet puts IT.:
Every morn is Il fresh beginning.
Every day Is world made new"
Ihat is evolution - Gods regular
method Of bringing things to pass
hrst tho blade. then the car, then the
fuil corn In the ear"
But there is place also for rcvolu-
ton. for sudden changes. for times Of
crisis when In day almost the old
passes away and the new takes its
place. Just as the islands in the sea
can either he built through long
period Of time by the sand deposited by
the ocean currents, or can be cast up
by volcanic action almost in Il moment.
so history reveals two kinds oil prog
ress, the gradual and the sudden the
silent and the noisy. the regular and
the cpochal. There is the century
plant and the Jonah's gourd the slow
erosion Of the mountain. the sudden
destruction Of the earthquake.
Our text suggests tho latter kind Of
change. when God enters human history
in visible unmiStakablc power. Such
change came when Constantine made
Christianity the official religion Of the
Roman empire. and thus. under Cod
guaranteed it's worldwide sway. II
came again at the period known as the
Renaissance, when modern history be-
gan with the fall of ConBtantincplc the
new learning and the new astronomy.
The French HevOlutioa and American
War Of Independence mark the begin
ming of another cpoch-thc epoch Of
democracy and the rights of man. AT
each OF these crossroads OF history.
God was making all things new In a
way that was plain and visible to all.
And go, to-day we stand III the midst
of one Of these divine breaches in the
dam of human custom and tradition.
through which the stream Of life long
pent UP is already pouring and making
for itself fresh and undrea:ned OF chan
ncls as i: rushes onward 10 fulfll new
plans and purposes OF The Most High!
CAN DISCERN SOME
DIRECTIONS or NEW CREATION
We arc witnessing the creation Of an
other world old things are passing
away. behold all things are becoming
now: and already. | think. II we look
closely. we can discern at least some
of the directions Of this new rcation
l. For one thing. the world Is being
made new politically. The map OF Eu-
rope is being changed-not by the kai-
ser and his cmissari-s OF darkness u
do not mean thaD. but by God Him
self who assurcdly before this war is
won will have 20 used tho wrath OF men
that all the frontiers Will be rectihed
so as TO give place IN the sun 'the
Kaisers own phrase 10 All na'iona!i-
ties. however small. and VIII guarantee
we trust for all time the right OF every
pcople 10 icvclop their peculiar ma
tioual life In peace. undomineercd over.
unmcnaccd and unafrai! Reigiuin VIII
be given back to the BelEinns. Aisace
and Lorraine Will be restored 10 France
Serbia will be rehabiii,at"d. The two
Polands VIII he free. Nationality WI,
receive n new charter Of It's rights and
military aggression VIII b. eNecrateo
hy the new international conscience vi
tho world
look for chances Already. almost in
a day the power OF one autoc"nt has
been broken and there az" Hu''erra'
mean mntt,r rings even in the f"ad""
of Potsdam. which bodc Ill Tor IN"
divine right % kings DOCS ''F ~
doubt that. after the war. when the
Hohenzoilcrns and their Junker Sa'e!-
litcs have been beaten to their knees
the German people VIII be se1-Eo'-
erning? that the end OF Turkey III:
urchdes pctiam. is In sich thtt JUS
tria, II not dismcmbered. Will hav" |"
accord equal rights TO her suh!ec'
states? that ireland will soon be self
governing. after fashion satisfactory
to both Ulster and Cork and that even
tho d.mocracics OF England and Amer
ion will arise from their baptism OF
b,ood ard fire rercncrated. rrHne,l and
purified? Truly This war Is making
the WORLD safe for democracy. Under
the black shadow OF PrussiaEiSin. &C.
docracy in Eurore could not "efei"p
normally. Militar:sm was necessity
for every nation that did not want to
be wiped off The map at the will OF
some more powerful nation. and the
shirt of nilitarism Is dcmocracyS
greatest foe. That is why we n ist
fight until we secure q peace that
will last--a peace that will allow each
nation TO develop internally in accord
ance with the principles OF justice.
liberty and equal rights for all.
WORLD BEING MADE
NEW ECONOMICALLY
. But not only is the world being
made new politically. it is also be-
Ing made new economically. The old
shibbnle.hs of political economy, based
on indivdualis'n. are being riddlcd with
the sudden criticism of necessity. born
of actional danger. TIE right of pr-
vatc property is receiving new in
terpre:at!or in France. ENGLAND and
America. Never again. | think. Will
we hear the old slogan. Il can do what
] like with my own" All of rs are
learning in the hard school of war that.
IN the last analysis there is TO sucn
thing private property, but that
everything we possess is a sacred trust
TO be administered by us for the pub
lie good. The idea OF cooperation is
taking the place Of competition. Our
government is exercising rights to con-
troll output ana regulate prices such aS
would have seemed the dream OF IL
mailman a few years ago.
Communicating of an engine from
the city of Richmond is only an index
of what may yet happen. If the rail-
roads. coal operators and food produc-
ers do not use their vast powers more
equitably than some of them seem will
ing to do, the government may soon
be forced. in the interest of the nation
at large. to take charge of these indus
tries and administer them, not from the
standpoint of profit. but Of the COM
mon good. In England industry has
already been socialzed TO very large
extent, and the increased efficiency thus
attained will be a tremendous argu-
ment for the continuance Of the same
eystem after the war is over. Though
have used the word "socialized" 7
am not thinking OF the old political
.:1a.ia Lin Ihat h in