Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-08

pfeSS1FG or the lnulVldual emOLlOI5
OF the poet. A classic illustration
Is Browning's Home Thoughts from
DrAbroad':
30, to be in England now that
April's there etc.
But these words are not only
lyrical: they are martial The
preacher quoted as an Illustration
Whittier's martial strains of THE
Pipes of Lucknow" These are the
impregnable lines of the Christian
defense, THE love OF God which
is in Christ Jesus, our Lord" Be
hind this trench of Christian as
surance the believer is safe from
every foe Of the soul.
The ground of this assurance is
not our love for God but Gods
love in Christ for u.s." The preach
er took issue with much modern
teaching and declared, What the
world needs today is good dose
Of CaIvanism, the characteristic
mark Of it's teaching being the SOW
ereignty of God, the Lord God
reigneth.' Armenianisn talks a
!. lot about mans freedom and seeks
evolve a God by working from
man. This is not thorough sys-
TEN. Paul corrects this in the
text. He works from, Gods love,
not from mans love up to God.
Christ hath chosen US; we did not
choose Him first. When Oliver
Cromwell lay dying he was over
heard to say, Faith in the Gov
enant is my only support, and il
believe not He abides faithful.
Then a little later he murmured,
I think that I am the poorest
wretch that lives, but l love God,
or rather am beloved of God
This is the souls true anchor. Peo
pie are too interpretive in this
age. Many allow their consciences
to torture them without reason.
Sensitive souls shuddering at the
slightest transgression caused
mainly by forgetting this great
love Of God in Christ.
I'm Paul's enumeration of the
souls enemies you Will notice that
he puts death first and then life.
This looks like pathos. 1t is not.
it is climax. He works from the
less to the greater. 1t is not death
that separates US from God. We
do not know what passes through
the soul of one facing death
Mothers teaching, the prayer at
her knee, some text. the memory
Of church and Sunday school comes
back and the approach of death
does not separate but draws closer
TO God. The chspiains tell me that
re communion services held on
the eve Of a battle were always
crowded. Do we need more evil
dence than that? Death does not
separate. It is life that is the great
separator. In childhood we are
innocent, Heaven lies about US in
cur infancy not in utter
nakedness do We come trailing
clouds OF glory from God who is
our home But we grow up and
20 out into the world and its dirt
mars the spotIess garments and
We wander far. It is life that sep
arates. Let us mark some Of the
things in life which separate US
from God. The subtleness of these |
things lies in the unconscious pro
cess. u The very earnestness of |
life keeping men preoccupied re-
Rarding the call of duty in the |
need to make good as supreme and |
forgetting the place of religion,
forgetting that there is no laugh
ter where God is dead. (2) Thus
men lose their interest in religion
and stupid people discuss the emp
ty pew, attributing superficial rea-
sons for the neglect of church at
tendance. Mix with the crowd,
live with them for days and listen
to what they are talking about, a
splendid range of subjects with one
FAULT, but that one objectionable.
They never mention God in rever-
ence. Men are interested in their
unions. IN girls, in having good
time, in the Saturday night cab
aret. and then 90 from shear laz-
mess they will not rise early
on Sunday morning for
church. A boarding house keeper
in New York City told me that
they never serve breakfast on Sun
day morning at all. jast dinner at
1890. You know the rest,
Sometimes the preacher is
blamed, frequently not without
reason. Some oil them are not
uuite human and it may be cold
thinking that they have to preach
10 a different kind of manner to
hat which they would talk to men
about any other subject. Their
7oice is different thinking they
nave to speak ex-cathedra. This
nay be all true, but the most of
he blame is just with this thing
We call life which is separating
men from God, tearing the souls
Tut of them because they are not
putting a soul into it. One who
new called it Cares os the world
md the deceitfulness of riches
~ Not only success, but failure
md disappointment separates.
Tob's wife said, Curse God and
ie,' when Job sat on the Arabian
.sh pit. Men are saying that at
he outcome of this war; their
Lopes are broken. This separates.
3ut Paul Offsets all this by saying
hat life is good and that its work
must be done, and that If we hon
silly commit ourselves to God that
othing can separate US. not even
lfe. I am persuaded that neither
cath nor life shall be
BILE to separate US from the love
+ God which is in Christ Jesus,
ur Lord
when we come to die, let this
Q on our lips and our passing
hall be smooth