The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-25


these multitudcs Of poor. degraded
and deluded people will be caught in
the traps that are everywhere set by
the agents Of pcrdition. unless they
are brought under the soul. saving
influences OF the glorious gospel Of
the Blessed God.
Temptations of cities.
This brings us to say. in the third
puc JNeu sMUJp sns5r su lUul 'soBld
ucholds the great cities OF our land
today. he sees the worst institutions
ana the most glarlng temptations
that were ever set 20 Iuflame the
passions Of men Tho liquor traffic
is a thousand fanEed octopus. with
It's Shiny tentacles still reaching out
IN every direction TO lay hold on and
corrupt. every good thing club life
I'm our great cities is destroying the
sacred blesscdness Of thousands uf
homes. Tho gambling dcus. the
brothels. the houses Of shame are
all OF them open gateways To he'll
and thousands of victims. both men
and women, are tempted into them
20 their eternal ruin Lot any
thoughtful man or woman go down
throush The aiuma uf any ui our
great cities today. or II he please, let
him take a look up on the avenues.
and II he does not see enough Of sin
and crime and corruption to vex his
righteous soul and cause him to cry
out 10 the Lord against the mighty,
he rs not more than half human and
will soon become like unto them.
To express the condition is TO state
the need the opportunity and the
responsibility Of the church Of Jesus
Christ. Let every Christian reach out
the one hand, with the power Of the
Almighty Good I'm Il, TO destroy and
abolish these agents of perdition, and
the other hand. with his heart in g..
TO lift up the fallen and bring them
the precious gospel OF redeeming
love. When we look upon the hun
drcds Of thousands who are dying
In sin, when We see the tens Of
thousands Of little children sur
rounded by the vicious atmosphere
Of the slums and growing up 10 I'll
the places OF the lost; when we be-
hold the multltudos of foreigners Of
every tyne of supcrstitious belief and
unbcliof. the need becomes over
whelning and like the Savior him
self, If our hearts are not hard as
stone. we too will he moved by COM
passion tor the multitudes going
down TO eternal death.
And Jesus Wcpt.
This brings us. in the fourth place
TO notice that when Jesus drew near
and saw the city, he was moved to
tears. and he cried, 20. Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou that killcst the pro-
phCts and stoncst them that are sent
unto thee: how often would | have
gathered thy children together. even
as a hen gathcreth her chickens un-
der her wings, and yo would mott"
And today. as Jesus beholds the cities
Of our land. with words OF sympthy
and love he cries, "Ye will not come
to me that ye might have life"
The word "wcpt" does not simply
mean that he shed tears silently as
at the grave Of Lazarus, when IL
was recorded that Jesus wept," but
here the word means to wall aloud.
10 cry out. As tho Citv, with all Its
sin and misery, came before him. IL
broke his heart and in his great
agony OF sympathy and love he went
aloud Oh, my friends, II we could
see today what he saw then, and
what he sees now In our great cities.
our hearts, though harder than his,
might likewise cry out in sorrow and
grief.
Many men see in the great crowds
that thtong our cities only that which
interests them most in n personal or
financial way. The politician sees
only in the crowds so many voters
and wants 10 know how best he can
secure their votes the merchant
sees just 50 many customers and is
Interested 10 know how best he can
secuTe their trade. But Jesus sees
so many immortal souls with eternal
4 fftfs
chiefly concerned about their eternal
salvation and, when they will not
listen TO His kind invitations OF
mercy and love. when they will not
heed His gentle warnings Of danger
and 20 on in their wicked ways, He
III moved 10 tears.
Ignoring Our Opportunities.
When Jesus drew near and looked
upop the sinful cities, In faithfulness
lie spake an awful truth, as it IL
written, Matt. 11:2O: Then began
he to upbraid the cities wherein most
OF his mighty works were done, be-
cause they ropcnted not; Woe unto
thee, Chorazin, woe unto thee, Beth
saida, for " the mighty works which
were done In you had been done in
Tycr and Sidon, they would have re-
pcntcd long ago in sackcluth and
ashes But I say unto you that II
will be more tolcrnble FOR Tyre and
Sldon at the day Of judgment than
for thee. And thou Capcrnaum' '--
etc.
For all that We know, Christian
friends. Jesus may be speaking these
same words concerning some OF our
twentieth century cities. Surely He
hath given them opportunities and
privileges and blessings which far
surpass those Of Chorazin and Beth
salda, or even Capernaum, and yet
they despise His authority and obey
not His laws. when we see the great
corporations deseCrating Gods holy
day, compelling men 10 work that
they might gain the more, we may
well hear these words Of the son OF
Man. When We read accounts or
large appropriations made to public
works from the license Of any evil
thing we hear the words of the IN
spired writer, WOE TO him that cs-
tahlishcth city with iniquity'-
" that justify the wicked for reward
and takcth away the Righteousness
Of the righteous from him.
The City Eternal.
But while the cities are not all as
bad a. they might be, nor as we
have seen, there is much IN them
which Is clevating and pure And az
co-laborers together with God let us
strive to develop and Increase the