Evening journal., 1923-01-30
Denies Hatly That God Sends
Sickness and Death TO Man
Edgar jones, Rector of ST. Thomas p E. Church, Newark
Insists That 1t Is Man HIMSELF and Not God Who Causes
Peslence and Mortality On Earth-Repudates Old Testa
Teachings to the Contrary.

In the course of a sermon preach
eG in st. Thomas p. f. Church in
Newark, on last Sunday the Rev
D-. Edgar Jones. the rector,
scrapped the Old Testament as a
guide for human thought and ac-
ton and asserted fatty that there
h'not a special prayer in the Epis-
copal Book of Common Prayer that
is III to be used by a rector in visit
IN. and attempting to comfort those
who are ill., He said. in part:
7 have in my possession a letter
which breaks as you read it, into a
heart breaking cry. This is one OF
the sentences Of the letter, My
darling daughter has just been taken
from me. Why does God act so
cruelly?'
1T is rather a startling thing
tfat God should receive from men
and women even the slightest de-
gree Of respect when lie is so bias
nhemously conceived OF by the aver
ale human being. and this. address
will come 10 you as a simple pro-
test against this tragic travesty.
s"Some of us have been led TO
think of God as willing our troubles
from an ignorant understanding Of
the Old Testment and from an ac-
ceptance of the untrue teaching
about sickness that is found in our
Prayer Book.
The Old Testament is not offered
10 us SO much as an ethical guide, as
It is a portrayal OF the growing
ethical consciousness OF the Jewish
people. Il shows us the way we
have come rather than the way we
are to go. To the early Jews what
ever happened was the direct ac-
ton OF God. II the enemy were
slaughtered in battle. God did IT: II
famine and pestilence destroyed
thousands, God did IL; IL cities were
destroyed by earthquake and fire..
Cod did Il: II a man were stricken
with leprosy. God did II; and so on.
The writers OF those events inter
prsted God as best they could, but
their Interpretation was often mis-
representation. Jesus repudiated
much OF this teaching but yet there |
are goth Century Christians who !
still believe It. And the tragedy of F.
# all Is that this teaching 10 ac- !
c.pted and God doubted. instead OF I
accepting the teaching OF Jesus |
about God and then doubling the /
Old Testament.
And as for the Prayer Book, I |
cannot find a single prayer for heal /
ing between its covers. And so mis- /
r. representative in the office OF the |
visitation Of the sick as to Gods /
TO sick people that It is
clergy. II was not always so IN the
church. for IN the First Prayer Book
there was a special ONCE for heal
Ing. II is not strange that many
clergy and la!ty are clamoring for
revision here as we'll as elsewhere
.' the Book
What encouragements are there
Ter thinking that God does not Wal
our sickness and bereavement?
First of all there is the HUI
on Heart, especially where that
heart yields It's highest revelation
n our Saviour. The heart OF man
s the image Of God. It mirrors
~ thoughts and feelings OF its
,reator. II is the manifestation. Of
'ur kinship with God. And my
i5d-mirroring heart tells me as a
ather that my Heavenly Father has
'een grievously blasphemed In the
toughts Of His children.
See the blasphemy in this way:
We are told that pain Is remedial
tsis for that reason God wills US (
o have pain. Now we know. that
his not true. The facts are against
t,- 1t is trus that some people
chieve some Improvement in char {
cter while sick. But Il IS not BE- {