Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-10-09

Speaking from the scripturaI tex
IF any man will" Mr.. Sunday las
evening delivered a most exceilen
sermon, which he directed espe
cially to the Masons who attended
the meeting IN a body. In part ht
said:
In the seventh chapter of JOIN
and the seventeenth verse: "If any
man will do his will, he shall know
of the doctrine, whether 1t be Of
God. or whether l speak Of myself.
The revised version simplihes
that verse and says: IF any man
willeth he shall know whether
speak OF myself or for the Lord"
have now, and l hope and pray
that l always will have sympathy
with any man or woman that has
difficulties. intellectual, spiritual or
moral and If by any word or ad-
vice Of mine, can sweep the cob
webs from your vision and cause
you to see, 1 account the work done
just as valuable as though l have
been privileged to aid some man
or woman already a believer into 4
clear conception OF his or her re-
sponEibility and obligations to God
and the word.
The skeptics said. I'VE know
you, we know your mother, your
brothers, your sisters and we know
where you were born. How do we
know that you are the Son of God
How do we know that you are true
instead Of false?"
Jesus said, AZ say I am the Son
of God. You say l am a liar, a
fraud, a devil and a prince of dew
lis. Would you like to know wheth-
er you are right or wrong? If you
do Gods will you will know that
what you say is lie and that
what l say is true"
Will to do Gods will and You
will know of the teaching. whether
1t be from God or just l, myself,
talking.
A Georgia preacher one time par
APPRAISED his text by saying. "If you
want religion do It. 1t won't be
long until you have It,"
In other words start out and do
what any honest man will do and
you will not be in the dark. Now
the proof Of the pudding is not in
sealing the bag or chewing the
string but II is in the eating. Yet
we have a lot of people trying to
prove the inspirations of Christian
ity by chewing the rag.
Well, that requires no amount OF
brains nor sense nor reading but
it requires a great deal more to put
the words of my text into practice
III any man willeth then he
shall know"
I suppose as long as the United
States minis stamp coins and make
them worthy one hundred cents on
the dollar, there will be found men
who will counterfeit them. But
that does not destroy the value Of
the genuine. You think all the
more Of 1t.
You find as long as Gods cause
IS going along, you will find men
hat will counterfeit it.
Prophecy Fulfilled.
Now Jesus Christ foretold all this
n his prophecy about the kingdom
IF heaven being like a grain of
mustard seed, and the birds shall
build their nests in the branches.
That prophecy has been fulfilled
10 today in most of the churches !
md you can find anything from d !
bird to a turkey buzzard. |
In a town one time out in I'LL |
lois, something was said in the ser
non that made a young fellow mao. !
lie went out cursing and damning |
md said he did not believe in the |
,ible or God. That young fellow
vas a Mason. So they had ses-
ion called at the lodge.
The next day a friend of mine |
net an officer of the lodge and said,
I understand you had an all night |
ession, laboring for an erring
lrother."
THAT young fellow didn't be-
ieve in God or Christ or anybody
Use. That young fellow was a
Knight Templar. He can come TO
thirty-third degree and believe ia
lod but when a man wears that
White flag and blue uniform, he has
" " bCl4CFU AA SS6HD CAA-6b S-AA /
be new testament
In a degree of the Masonic lodge
ney say these words, mo inf1del
an walk here and he can not get
L."
If there is any bunch on God Al
lighty's dirt that / have q right
} expect cooperation of, it is the
len who wear the Masonic badge.
ank it off or profess your faith.
his young fellow was a knight
emplar and they labored all night
yer his case. And finally they de-
lied not to turn him out of the
,dge.
Say, there is not lodge in this
ty or in this country that has not
ypocrites in its membership. Is
lat any argument against a lodge?
hen any man uses it as an argu-
tent he is a fool.
And there is not a church, either
atholic or Protestant that has not
ypocrites in its membership. Is
lat any argument against Chris
anity or Jesus Christ? II any man
5es it as an argument, he is fool,
I'D he is a jack-ass of a fool if he
1es.
And so 1 tell you that l have a
,ntroversy with the church today, :
8tholic and Protestant, and that :
is the laxity on the :
art OF the officials to apply the !
-inciples to men who live in OPP !
1sitiou to their promises and will
1T stick up for Gods truth.
You know that many a time our
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