Evening star., 1926-09-18
Sunday School Lesson

valueless. Obedience to Gods VIII
results in prosperity, peace and power.
Americas greatest need at this mo-
ment is revival that will sweep
the Nation until all the people learn
the nath of obedience to His word
assures us individually and collective
ly personal freedom from the mower
of sin and gives us power to master lts
lawless spirit in our lives. Whlle Cnrls-
tianitv is not a part of the law, II IS
the duty of all Christians to roster
a reverence for law and promote oo-
servance of all good laws. as well as
agitate for the repeal Of any un-
wise legislation.
Wickedness and Woe.
It Is impossible to make men
righteous by legislation. Obedience is
an individual. voluntary and habitual
matter. that will be promoted by
STUDYING the effects of disobedience
and the drift away from Gods love
protection and care. The great ad'
vance that America has made in what
has been called the greatest moral ad-
venture in all history is seen in the
fact that no one seeks today for the
return of the saloon. Our country.
men have seen it's wickedness and
woe and abolished it forever
We have no right to believe that
any law placed upon the statue books
is Interchangeable. Gods laws alone
are not subject to amendment. Bishop
Fisher has pointed out that I'VE can
not deny to man, or to groups OF men
the inherent right to change law
or even to revolt individually, or to
organize and conduct a revolution
,~d niJISf
inadequate laws II TO de1y
or to change the law makes a worse
social order. then society must defend
and enforce the law" Any changes
made or proposed ought to give rea'
sonable promise of an improved social
order. Every person, who partlcl
pates in the enjoyment of the lnv1s
ible protection of the Government has
surrendered his individual rights and
privileges whenever they interfere
with the welfare of the community
commonwealth or country.
America has come to the cross
roads in it's influence upon the nations
of the world. If we insist upon peo
pie meeting their obligations to us
and seek to build up a new era, based
upon international law and brother
hood, then we must act as brothers
and be law abiding ourselves. The
nation that will not serve God is
doomed to perish. We are apt in oul
day not to see this fact, yet Harper
has cited for our consideration the
evidence that proves it even to the
modern mind" that "scorns the idea
that the fertility of the soil can be
affected by immortality" He tells us
that there is the whole of Mesopo
tamia to show that misgovernmen1
can make a garden into a dessert
Where teeming populations once GOV
cred the country with fruitful gar
dens and luxurious cities, there are
now in the land of the Tigris anC
Euphrates a few handfuls of people
and all the fertility of the country
has disappeared. Irrigation channel:
which made all this live have beer
gradually filled with drifting sand anc
one of the most populous countries OF
the world has become a desert. Ir
Palestine the same thing can be seen
Under Turkish domination the char
acter of the soil has changed. Ir
many places, where in ancient days
the hills We're terraced to the top, the
sweeping rains have had their way
and the very soil has been carried off
leaving only rocks to glitter in the
pitiless sun.
''The supreme test of good citizen
ship is," says Senator Borah, "the
capacity to obey the Constitution and
laws when written" We all need aid
from above to exhibit the moral cour
age needed in every crisis and reveal
the elements of the Christian spirit
that has given to us our Government
and will enable us to practice self.
denial sacrifice and service so that
our Government shall be preserved
We must heed Gods word. Fear Him
and keep His commandments. If we
harken, then our souls shall live in
harmony with Him, a life Of sobriety
self-control and success.