Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-06-20

uuLudu ives! Lie WINGS OF fortune,
as the saying is, have been too much
for them, and they are simply drift
ing. The vast majority do not seem
to care whether the drift ends disas-
trously or not.
Possibly the majority do not think
of the power of the influence about
them that causes the drift. 1t is not
fair to God to charge him with be-
ing so arbitrary in his sovereign con-
troll that man is without responsible
ity. Whatever may be the destiny
that shapes our ends, man is in true
sense master of his own fate.
Seeking after pleasure is a strong
wind that is blowing and carrying null
titudes before it. The great theaters,
as rule, are packed for practically
every performance. In the saloons,
men are standing two or three deep
before the bars. Where ices and
sweet-meats are served, the tables viii
all be taken. Go to the great athletic
fields, and thousands will be found
The spirit with reference to pleasure
seems to be, Let US eat, drink, and
be merry, for tomorrow we die"
Is the church caught in any drift
A way to the world is the movement il
many churches, and not only congre-
cations but entire denominations are
diligently using the methods of tke
world in order to successfully ''put
over" certain great denominational
schemes. Sad is the condition of the
lay!
What about the drift of Christian
teaching? twenty-five years ago mer
were asking with some concern if the
teaching of the great German theolo
gians might not be ultimately dan
gerous. Quickly came the reply
''These men have truth and are the
heralds of a day of religious an6
spiritual enlightenment for which the
world has been hungering" The same
question was asked in later years, bu
the power of false teaching continued
and the church of God, caught in tht
drift, went on until the great worlt
War was like a searching light makins
everything plain. That drift has no
stopped, and MANY days, yes, possibl,
years, may pass, before the churcl
reaches some Isle of Melita, where i
may possibly go to pieces on the rocks
but Gods people in it be saved.
What is the great lesson from sucl
drift? First, keep where the wind o
doubt and criticism may not catcl
you. It is simply not true that tn
day in which we find ourselves, as t.
Christian teaching and living, is bet
ter than former day. Spiritual val
ues cannot be calculated in terms o
dollars and cents, nor in steam an
air pressure, dead weight or voltage
How foolish it is to think that tn
scientific attachments of men can solv
spiritual problems. Germany's scienc
was said to have been given by Goo
in order that she might rule the world
The blast of the Lord came to Ger
Sennacherib.
If possible, do not get into tn
drift. There are plenty of godly me
and women today who fully escape
the skeptical drift of the last qual
ter of a century. Keep close to tn
truth of the Word Of God, and nc
only yourself but your cause will b
saved.
How easy it is to get into the drif
of immortality. The gross sins ar
not committed at the first. The eatin
of the forbidden fruit by Adam an
Eve was not a gross sin at all; indee'
| it was not sinful in itself, but it wa
an act of distrust and ultimately {
diSobedience, and thus became a sill
But there is something more impo
tant than high morality. There is
drifting away from the personal Co
| The only return to God is by pc
sonal surrender to Jesus Christ.