The Washington herald., 1918-01-30

Text: Matthew, XIV: S-"Heaven
and earth shall pass away. but my
word shall not pass away.
When Tom Paine was about to pub
nsh his infidel book, entitled The
Age of Reason" he sent the manu-
script to Benjamin Franklin, who at
that time was q doubter regarding
some Of the essential qualities OF
orthodox Christianity, and Benjamin
Franklin returned to Tom Paine the
manuscript, with this appended: Burn
n I would advise you never to at
tempt to unchain that tiger upon the
people"
II the world Is so bad with the re-
ngion Of Jesus Christ. what would It
be without it? And the wise sentence
of Benjamin Franklin affords an un-
answerable argument to every pro-
posed from Of Christianity.
What harm has the gospel Of Jesus
Christ ever done this world? What
injury has the Bible ever done?
Show me the nation that has ever
crumbled into oblivion where the peo-
pie were governed by Christian prin-
ciples
History Is replete. Multitudes could
arise and millions would crawl out OF
the grave II God should give them
the privilege, but all would testify as
to the benefits accruing to them
through their repentance and faith in
Jesus Christ
Therefore, let me ask you, at the
beginning Of my message tonight. Is
there anything grander or more noble
that can command or arrest your at
tention or draw from you your geu-
erous and liberal support and hearty
cooperation than to give your CO.
operation and help to that which Is
and has been the most uplifting force
that has ever entered into human his
tory7
Heaven and earth shall pass away.
but my word shall not pass away"
The Bible opens with an account of
Q sinless pair in the Garden of Eden.
chronicles their disobedience and fall,
and the IS books are taken up with
the expressed and revealed will of
God to save lost and ruined world.
Did you ever stop to think Of the
wealth which perished when Para
disc was lost? Did you ever stop to
think Of the glory OF Eden, the first
estate and abode Of man7
Man Was q Fool
But man was q fool and man Is a
fool tonight, for in the exercise of
his God-gfven free will he ate of the
forbidden fruit and he fell, and what
q fall II was.
It was like the fall of virtue into
the arms Of vice. like the fall of
purity into corruption; like the fan
- - - =
the fall OF q wounded albatross from
the regions of light down into the
dark. tempestuous sea, and when
put the angel with the drawn sword.
to guard the tree Of Life lest man
might reach out and eat thereof and
live forever.
Gods original plan was that man
should not die. His original plan was
that man should not work for q liv-
ing. and II man hadn't sinned he
never would have had to work. but
he ate of the forbidden fruit and God
passed a sentence: by the sweat of
your brow shall ye earn your bread /"
II man hadn't sinned there would
have been no graveyards, no under
takers. no crepe hanging from the
doorknobs and no obituary notices in
the newspapers. Man was q fool and
man Is fool tonight to keep the con-
troll Of his life in his own hands and
refuse to submit to God and leave the
life Of sin and InicSuity. and God put
the angel with drawn sword to guard
the tree of Life, lest man, In his in
fanny and rot. might reach out and
live forever and eternally perpetuate
his infamy and his sin
A Fool! A Fool! A FooIi
Thus shifted the scenes Of the hu-
man race from life to death, from JOY
to sorrow, from roses to thorns, and
out upon the turbulent seas there
foated the derelict OF the human race.
Man IL a fool, fool. q fool. He is
. fool. A sinner Is the biggest fool
you ever looked at,
So the Bible opens with an account
Of that sinless pair. chronicles their
eating OF the forbidden fruit, then God
takes up the book and unfolds in His
mind His plan to keep you out of hell,
and men trample 1t beneath their feet
as IL 1t didn't amount to passing at
tention.
There are q few people who make
no pretensions to understand the
Bible. why7 For the simple reason
that they are too lazy to study it.
You never could hope to master SCI