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THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS.
■atcroat, ntitkianv m, non
o\V MANY of us »re tbero to-
who can, without oven the
H "rwt'of mental raaenraUan or
iueliflratlan. '» °» u- bttrU 0»t
exultant outburet of gratitude of tbe
WHEN THE CHURCH BELLS RING
H lnftr when he said, "I waa
:r.TV.h»n they eatd unto me. Let ue
- he houee of tbe lordt"
,l„„ many of ue are there who feel
,„„found eenae of pereonal Joy and
oinrai'ilon when upon our eare there
,11, the church betl'a eweet-toned In-
lution to worehlp and to prayer?
How many of ue Itaeten early to our
on the evening befort tbe Sabbath
in outer that our bodlea, ae well ae
, jr ipirlta. may be In fit condition for
entices of the Lord's houee? When
wake up on Sunday morning and
fed languidly and laally about the
preparation of your pereon for the ex
p-rlences of the day, do you receive
utth indignant.rebellion the prodding
„r your conscience when It aaya to you
\UU
a ought to go to church, or do
eu hall with J
i Joy and thankagtvlng the
phyiiral conditions which make your
. ...jdance upon divine cervices a mat
lor of eaae and convenience? Are you
,ia,t when the vole* within your heart
jv- "Lei ue go Into' the house of the
Lord
In many quartera an opinion prevalla
that religion as an Influence (a losing
l,, power In the hearts of men and
women. It I* declared that worehlp Is
no longer spontaneous and natural, but
ii,a: h la rapidly 'becoming compulsory,
formal, perfunctory. ; . .
So dnubt the deliberate
and unpreju
diced observer of men and of life In
■he real, rather than In tha Ideal, finds
much to Justify this pessimistic proph
ecy of Impending ■*
... J danger. When one
.ontemplates the frantic scramble on
the port of many of the modern proph-
eis of Hod to secure a hearing com
mensurate with their aenka of the Im
portance of tlielr message; when one
discovers that the (preparation of the
la hardly complete
modem proecher
REV. E. D. ELLENWOOD.
* 1 *!‘°* lt • full course In effective ad-
ofren ?SI,i* h * n °S* ‘••t* thRt •« tod
often Ooda prophet must become a
hyonottat or a mountebank, and Hla
temple a place of entertainment. In
l ? ducB m * n «o »>« glad to come
‘J“„botwe of the Lord, then It la
that one who Infers malnlv
from Observation ahould-be prone to
fSce Ud * th * 1 rell,,on ** * decadent
The Place of the Church In Modern
Society.
It. Is but natural that one unaccus
tomed to looking deeply Into life in all
He manifestations ahould arrive at the
belief that any Institution brought to
the point of employing subterfuge end
strategy to prolong Ha existence lias
fulfilled Its mission to society and must
soon be relegated to the limbo of deed
gods and useless things. So It la that
thare are many men today, by no means
I In Intelligence and In moral
Tty, who boldly declare that the
MW" " '
Church organisation as It exleti
today lies become a clog upon men. be.
[e does not require
cause the present age
such an Institution. They declare that
It survives because men aro still loath
to declare their Independence from an
»ge-long superstition. Its preachers
and prophets are denominated ae un
conscious but actual parasites upon
society, consumers but not producers,
add It Is claimed that true enlighten
ment and Intellectual advancement are
retarded because the money devoted to
the maintenance of the church Is kept
from Its more sensible employment in
* * ' ‘ i n
the work of the schools. So doubt
many valuable though over-eenslilve
young men are prevented from follow
ing a genuine Inclination and desire
to enter the work of tbe ministry be
cause of the compassionate and l!l-< un-
cealed contempt of certain worthy and
respected rltltens who declare tliem-
oalvea unable to understand- why n
strong, healthy young man should
elect lo make hla living in such a way
as that.
But the rasp against the church Is
not so easily made. It Is true that her
meaning and her mission have not al
ways been clearly Interpreted, any
more than baa the life which she Is
daelvned to serve, ft la also true that
those who have represented the
en lamei
church have been often usmemuuiy ,*«- ..... - ,, . ...
perfect but sorclv this la no season- I without a religious nature, then not alt
periecv. oui eoieiy iniw ia no season- |nharohes thst h-v. —ih.i- .„i—
nentably Im-
•very institution which ministers to
any conscious need. We need have no
fear, therefore, of sny actual deca
dence In the place or power of tlie
church. And If certain changes and
modlfleatlona In her forms and applica
tions shall ba demanded to meet the
changing requirements of tha growing
life or man. shall wa lament that desti
ny which le progress'.'
What Does the Church Mean to YouT
Undoubtedly tha cbutch suiters more
at the bands of Its friends than It *mi
at the hands of lu'enemies. Its Influ
ence Is perceptibly lessened because of
the persistence of an erroneous concep
tion of its office. It exists pot to cre
ate. but to mlnleler. Too many men
and women hold the Idea thpt they arc
to go to church to "get religion." and
In many a popular church periodical,
frantic attempts are made to have all
the members get possession of that
very aaeantUl quality of life, which
evidently has hitherto escaped them.
Probably this very relic of superstition
keeps many a Worthy man and woman
away front the certain and deflnlta
benqflte of church membership and as
sociation.
We do-not go to church' to "get” re
ligion any more than we go to school to
get an Intellect. If It were possible to
conceive that God hail allowed any one
.of His children to slip Into the world
dsflntte conscious place In your life,
then It would appear that one of two
conditions must exist. Blther your re-
dormant,
llgioua nature le regretably dorr
the consciousness of God la but dim
and flitting In jrour touL or ala* the
church which you have assayed to use
has entirely failed to mast pour min
the formative period at pour life.
btefly oi * ' “
when you wars chiefly ottg—ed In the
' development of your Intel-
feed log and i
lertual nature, ^you would bay# grown
dissatisfied
learnl
you coi
and ragde
ng which persisted - In
ontlnually In the primary
tsde no provision for the t
WHWmH
■■keeping
grades,
expand
Ing scope of your thought and modlta-
othio that your re
tlon. it le quite posslbl
llgioua nature has revolted against the
' te seep ‘
spiritual klndergart
isplratl
It may be that your soaring aspl
God, would talk with
able Indictment against the Institution.
There Is still abundant evidence of the
divine appointment of the church, and
of Its present efficiency In spiritual help
and blessing. The church came Into
existence by the flat of Ood whan He
endowed His sons and daughters with
religious natures. When man was
mode a religious being, worship became
with him Instinctive. As gregarious
habits developed, the commingling ot
worship with fellowship was Inevitable.
And until a radical change la tha very
nature of man shall occur we may be
the churches that have sent their spires
heavenward since the beginning of llfa
'“ ‘ conlfl give him one.'
upon this planet _
The church exists to feed and develop
and perfect the -religious aide of. man's
the school ministers se
nators,. Just as
ceptably to his Intellectual nature. The
church properly conceived and properly
administered la nothing more nor less
than the school of righteousness. As
sucp *he has a claim upon the soul of
every man and woman horn Into the
world. '
If, therefore, the church holds no
would know Ood. would talk with Him,
faco to faca; that your maturing spirit
would brush sway the thick curiam of
superstition which the religions of all
ihe ages have hung haters His face;
that you would find Him along tha
pathway of your own mind rather thag
In the beaten - track of tlme-hom
tradition, and to all of these earnest-
pleas for a new spiritual curriculum,
r choice has opposed
the church of your
the" argument of custom and of au
thority. Mut It then follow that you
shall abandon the attempt tor the de
velopment of your ooul? • Shall you for
sake all of tbs schools of righteous
righteousness
because tna one you-have tried has "re
fused to answer to the call of progress?
“Seek and ye shall And," said the Mas
ter of Ufa. Certainly. In this -day of
elear thinking and of fearless (peaking
the religious organisation, exists in
which your aspiring spirit may find Its
congenial atmosphere and Its boat de
velopment. and your soul may find Its
way to Ood. If the church of your
fathers, or even of your own first
choice, la riot the church of your ma
turing religious thought, than you owe
tt to your progress In righteousness to
change ryour home without dangerous
delay. Or. perhaps It may be that jrour
preacher, la fanatical seal, conceives
hla pulpit to be a theological battle
ground, while yon bad fondly hoped to
find tt a fountain of life and strength
and power for weary, fainting, tried
and tempted souls. Then leave him te
hts fascinating play with hie little tin
soldiers of other men's opinions about
this and that and tha other, and search
out some church, no matter under what
label It may present Itself to men.
where God may speak to you through
the words end the Ufa of some man or
woman who knows less about degmatlo
theology and more about men
women- and the difficulties In Ihe
of righteous living.
What Are You Doing for the Church?
But tt must be home In mind that
the measure of tbe Influence of the
church upon your life will be deter
mined by your attitude toward It. It
Is useless for a child In be sent to
school unleea he take there an eager
and receptive mind. "You may lead a
e lo watei
i water but-you can’t make him
I rink," and “you may send a boy to
oSsps *
barge
but you can't make him think.'
So unless you are in the habit of tak
ing a blearing Into the church, you
need never expect to take one sway.
Tha church owes to you In spiritual
power only In proportion to your con
tribution ot earnest, prayerful atten
bine* amV veeahllullu I# ■>/*■■ hsus 'enn.
tloh nnd'rsceptlvlty. If you hava 'gono
to tha church, mainly to hear the new
soprano or the new organ,- or to Inspect
tbe-new.decorations,.then.be not sur
prised and-disappointed If you leave
the sendee with no conscious addition
of spiritual power. Do not. -for the
sake of poor own honesty.' declare tlie
preacher 'to He lacking In ability to
give you ' any help- over' the trying
places tn your spiritual experience*. If.
while you believe yourself to be listen
ing to life aenbon. you’are Chiefly con
scious of - hi* occasional. breaches ot
syntax oi 1 rhetoric and the unpleasant
Intonatluna of hie voice. .
The church . Is - a spiritual saving*
bank.. I&wUl.-pey you splendid Interest,
hut you must not expect to make any
withdrawals until.you have c '- -1
depositor. * *
i become a
in nun* a
ngular depositor you will dtoanwr
that your Interest payments
with surprising frequency, and with
out demand.
The prevailing Idea concerning the
financing of tbe church. Is tin true and
degrading. The church will not reach
bar greatest powgy In the lives of men
■Iwon overcome the Idea that we
until we can overcome the idea that we
| give to th# church. If the church' le
a necessary Institution n th* commu
nity. then we do not “give* to Insure
Its maintenance; wr simply pey for It
Ilk* we pay for anything else Wo pay
our grocery bills, w* pey our tailor,
w* pay our rent, we pay our taxes, w*
Ipay for cur Intellectual education,
cheerfully and wUMogiy.aad It la high
itime that our admoDgg la -Hghteows-
ness waa taken Off tbs charity list. And
whenever I hear one of these so-called
'hard-headed, practical minded buel-
■ess men” declare that the church la
aa outgrown and useless inatlttAlon.
iwlth no place In our present society. I
always feel like asking him tha very
i which r ~
pertinent question which Horace Bush-
nelt once asked of soma business moo.
“How much do you suppose real estate
waa worth In Bodomr* How
■mgr
of you fathers who may read these
lines would like to bring up your fam
ilies In Gomorrah?
Cancel the religious Influences which
proceed from tbe churches of this etty.
eliminate the moral life which they
anaemia* aaA Skm awaAwa ‘ A tlawSa
sustain, and the exodus from Atlanta
would be aa oertafn aa though she wwra
■mitten with yellow fever.
What are you doing for your church?
Every man and woman ought to hava
a church home. Find one then, mm
soon ae possible, and then pay for Its
support. And If you cant pay In mon
ey. as you wbttld' dearly lose to do,
then remember that there Is still very
much that you can do. 1 beseech
you, therefore, brethren, by the- mer
cies of God. that you present your bod
ies, holy, acceptable; unto the Lord,
which Is your reasonable service."
CHRISTIAN AND THE WORLD
“Using this world as net abusing it,
for the fashion of this world passeth
away.?—I. Cer. viit 31.
By REV. JOHN E. WHITE,
PASTOR SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH
T he city of Corinth waa not un
like our modern American cities
In Its ability to provide religious
IFIIMUlOIIS.
It was a community of many opln
Ions and conflicting prejudices.
At the time of Pout's letter there
sere two troubles on hand. Tbe first
larolved the question of th* Christian
relative to this present world, hi* view
«f this life In the larger aspect and
the second from the same root waa
shout the question of eating meat that
had been used In tbe Temple In con
nection with the heathen ceremonies
'practiced there. Bo In Paul's day. aa
In ours, th* question of the Christian
relative to th* world and society, of
which he Is a part, waa under discus
sion. There waa danger In this ques
tion end evil grossing out of th* salts
tlon is there le now, because It had
been reduced to a point In detail,
•riclflc instance was up and men were
treading on each other's consciences end
nnumtng to usurp the liberty of Indt
iiduals and to dictate ex-cathedra raor.
i
alltv
l say this was dangerous. It was
•nd it Is. It Is a danger Protestants
should flee. The retort of Romanism
upon Protestantism lias been that
"Presbytery Is but Priest writ large."
That means that where Romish priests
Mounted to hold tha anathema over the
IndiMdual conscience In tbe name of
the church, Protestant preacher* were
lullty of a greater assumacy. that of
bolding dogmatic and dictatorial Judg
ments over tha individual conscience
•bout the details of morality and de
bited custom In the name of God Him,
MI. I should nay while Instance* have
■ot been lacking to tend color to this
charge against Protestants, that In the
main we have avoided and will always
nient the whip In the hands of priest
or preueher. For our Protestant prin
ciple on this subject we have the
splendidly sufficient authority ot Christ
Hlmeeir about human Judgments and
tbe distinct Instruction of that glo
rious Apostle of whom It haebennbrill-
'•ntly remarked that “If Peter was tho
•fit ;ope. Paul wa* th* first Protat-
aat. M
Let us see first how Paul dealt with
thla question at Corinth. Then w* will
>urther go and seek to know what le
>b» iTitistlan's right attitude toward
tbs world In general. •
No Apoetelie "Boetism."
"’* will make note of the fact to be
gin with that the apostle was In a- po
sition of greet authority. He was the
fouhder and builder of the church In
Corinth, moreover his fame and power
were such aa to give hie Judgments
the greatest weight with Christians
everywhere. He could have pronounc
ed tha words that would have swept
all before him. It Is significant that a
man ao situated resisted tbe tempta
tion to play the boss.
The question upon which his deliv
erance wa* needed was over the eat
ing of meat previously offered to Idols.
Now this meat was ot the most select
quality. It was avaliahia to the poorer
classes In Corfuth at a greatly reduced
price. The carcase of choice animals
wa* carried to the temples where only
bits of It were actually used end then
the balance was purchased by the
butcher Shop* and placed on the mar
ket. This was the chief meet supply
for the poor In that city and it was not
until Jews brought their Ideas and
religious habits Into tha community
that any question wee raised over the
morality of this custom among the na
tives. To the Jew*' tn Corinth this
meat waa abominable, therefore all so
cial Intercourse was about to be cut oft
between the Greek Christiana who were
members of the church and the Jewish
Christian*. The Greeks had no preju
dice on the subject, the Jews were vi
olently opposed to any Christian par
taking of such meat.
Now Paul woe a Jew and could sym
pathlse with the Jewish conscientious
ness, but he hod risen out of Judaism
Into ths cosmopolitan atmosphere of
Chrletlanlly and could appreciate the
Greek lack ot conscience on the sub
ject. So mark him. He cautiously
avoids giving either side offence. He
■poke to nil parties, saying;
■pect one another's prejudices end don't
be too curious about where th* meat
came from.” "Whatever Is sold In the
market, that eat. asking no question for
conscience sake."
lie goes further and says that If
they are Invited to an unbeliever's
house to dinner "whatsoever Is sst be
fore you eat. asking no questions, but
If your Jewish friend whispers to yon
•This meat w-ss offered to Idols.' why,
do not eat It, for peace and conscience
take."
In n word Paul took hts eland on the
rights of the Individual . coneclence
■bout this matter and this was hts po
sition on ell such matters Involving the
“ n tf.EMr.-.hi.f With the Bible.
anything else con be assured te that
the question of a Christian's dealing
with the world and with society can
not be determined by appeal to de
cached portions of Scripture which
contain either permission or probtbl
tlon.
That method will turn a man's con
eclence Into a shuttle-cock or proba
bly Into an elastic which will be con
stantly flipping Itself Into somebody
else'* territory, k will put the Scrip
ture at cross purposes, an unholy thing
to do. It will result In confusion. You
can not hang the inoral universe on a
sentence. There are texts which epit
omise volumes, texts which, like th*
one I have taken today, which culmi
nate a philosophy at Christianity In a
small apace, but the value of It will be
In Ita .roots. Let me Illustrate the fa
tality of deciding the Chrtatlan'a rela
tion to the world by this dislocated
Scripture method:
Here In Matthew Is a very plain
statement about the Christian's rela
tion to the world. "Ye are not ot the
world: 1 have chosen yon not of the
world.” But Immediately you may turn
and read. "As thou best sent ule Into
the world, even ao have 1 sent them
Into the world.'
Or consider John’* words: "Lave
not the world, neither the things of the
world." That digs a gulf, doesn't It?
But listen. "Uod so loved the world
that He gave Ills only begotten Son."
That bridges a gulf, doesn't It?
Again, the Apostle Paul went very
far In his yielding to Judaism on the
subject of circumcision. But you must
observe that Christ paid scant respect
to the religious prejudice* of His day.
The Old Testament had said, "Blessed
IS the man that standeth not In the
way of sinners not- setieth In the seat
of the scornful.
It was David's boss! to God. "1 have
not sat with vain persons, neither will
~ go In with dissemblers. I have hated
the congregation of evil-doers end will
not sit with the wicked."
That closes the matter, doesn't It?
But Christ reopens It once end widely,
too; “I am come to seek end to save
that which was lost." The kind of «o-
cltty the Israelite despised and avoid
ed Jesus Christ sought out and com
panioned with, "Behold, He eatsth
with publicans and sinners." And
moreover, Christ took Ills disciples
Into these questionable haunts and
low-flung aasoclailons. Nor did He go
to the feasts of unbelievers as s' kill
Joy. He performed the social act with
out a suggestion of prudery. "Wine
was a mocker and strong drink was
The first point to observe before j raging" In Christ's lime, as In ours, yet
TOtamnltUug t-umublaane-by Scripture even '.useful • fojhem. “All. things.”
quotations.
Th# Christian Visw of the World.
There Is a- Christian view of the
world and there It a Christian rslatlon
to evsrythlng In the world. The prin
ciple of It, I think. Is admirably de
fined In the word* of the text. "Using
the world as not abusing It” Th* rea
son of It also statsd, "For the fashion
of this world passeth away.” It will
make the path of duty much dearer If
Christians will let that principle and
that reasoning become fundamental In
corns* up .
Now. there Is a sense In which the
word world Is used In the New Teeta-
ent, some passages ot which were
toted" a Whits ago. - The world-here,
rred to many times In John's Kplatl**
os something which tbe Christian must
guard himself again. Ha means there
by the world, whet Is left after ,We
t;Out fellowship with. sa the s^rv-
clf C ' “
DR. JOHN E. WHITE.
He did not abeatn from wine. He sent
Hie disciples out without prohibition*
Into the world end drew no line short
of "all the world" and "every crea
ture."
The meaning and purpose ot thla la
to show that the Christian's relation to
the world can not be etaked off by Iso
lated Scriptures.
It Is different to repress pity when
someone comes at yon with a red-pen
cilled verse to show you what a Chris
tian's attitude In matters of conscience
ahould he. Thla method Is capable of
much mischief. -•
On the one hand It may be used to
annul Christian liberty and confine the
conscience In a peanut hull and thu*
defeat the very objects of Christian
duty and opportunity, a „d on the other
hand It may be employed to give great
oc-nslon to llrenae and excess by au
thority of Scripture.
ca found the Bible loving Boer farmers
Ice 6f God. From that word we must
keep ourselves unspotted. He says.
"If any man lovaa Ihe.. world the love
of the Father Is not In hint. But we
understand what John means. It Is
rite world ot Satan and resistance tn
God, nbout which Christinas must be
■greed el once, that though we may
be In tlie midst of It. we must maintain
In our lieartn an unswerving attitude
of hostility to Ue gettlns Into ue. But
even here there I* needed a warning
lest w* give up too much to the Devil.
raul's principle le a sound one here,
as everywhere else. 1'ee the world,
but do not abuse It. I expect the time
to come, though probably none of tie
will live to dee It, when many things
we now give up to the monopoly of
evil will be wrested to the advantage
of good. You wlH go back but a few
hundred years to And some of the very
things we now make glorious ue* of In
God's service classified among the Dev
U'e possessions. This church Itsalf In
lte genesis woe battling for a musical
■add Ail, "are lawful to me. but xtt-
thlngs are not expedient."
But the truwattttude of Christians I*
to deny' and resent the Devil's owner
ship bf anything that could be mode for
while at- the some time for coneclence
sake they make a sacrifice of It. But
It ought always to be a sacrifice to Ood,
not to the Devil.
We need a. Warning In our day
against a yielding over ot God's world
■ Ms! neefa n# f3<x,l'a ear**m1*t tn anil *i-4tl*_
and parte of Gad's world to evil with
out a protest as well as a warning
vantage »f evil. The courageous
Christian attitude la resentment against
enei
the fee • simple titles that. are being
freely to tha Devil for realms nr
IWe--that do- ’
not belong to him. Christ
came not narrow life's range and es
tate, but to broaden .and enlarge IL .
am.come that they might bays life, end
the Devil's "box __
Whatever le good for a men le for th*
glory ot God. There wee en eg* when
art and music and science were dented
to Christians. I say It was a grand day
for Christ when Michael Angelo and
Tleset mads color and canvas hie min
isters, and when Handel made musle
Ihe vehicle of his truth end when Klp-
ler end Aggosts laid claim on science
In Qod'e name. Not yet hoe the hour
dawned when th* earth and It* full
ness Is fully the Lord's; not yet may
Christian* enjoy many things that are
not harmful to them or that might bt
more abundantly."
The Abue* ef.the'World,
Now we ere dealing with an evenly
balanced principle "TTIe the world.'
Ah' 1 We like that. That is liberty.
“But do nob abuse It." You must have
IMM algo It you hgv* the other. I am
going to tell you now why It is the
devil's label has gotten on eaae things
It ought not to bo on. It Is hseaaso
men abused them end made a curse
out of them. They took God's good
thing* end turned them Into sin.
Wsalth was good, but men loved
money, mode a God out of It. and so
riches became a snare. Theatrical rep
resentation was once a religious Instru
mentality. hut men took It and abused
U and J believe most positively that the
theater as an Institution Is a degraded
thtng.
There le nothing In the rang* of hu
men activity that may not be made
bl* of transformation Into auperstltl
About everything you touch In life Ha-
ten stands, urging you to abuoe It. So
whenever Its abuse becomes general
and habitual, that nnre good thing has
been ruined for noble uies. Society,
hospitality, friendship end nelghborll-
nexs are primer)' social virtues, but see
flow th* social function, the party
gathering, the round of gayety has ab
sorbed this life and that life to such
an extent as to become tbe one paaalon
and therefore th* one curse. Bo with
business, so with literature, ao with
many things, so with anything.
Th* prlnolpla I Impress Is that title
whole world end lie Ilf* are a curse
when so absurd aa to enxlav* a, eon! to
tte-potato*.—-‘What shall It pmflt a
man If h* gain the whole'world and
lose hla own soul?"
It is a beautiful world we live lo.
Life te glorious. On some grand day
oonslder It. It will thrill you throtgfh
and through Just for a moment to re
alise tbe goodness and greatness . of
God that Is written into tha face of
Nature and" Providence."Men have
scarred tL hut over It stll may be read
the sign manual of our Heavenly Fa
ther. I will tell you what to do with
religion. -Take It out of doors. Toko
off your hat to tho beauty of tho world
and the glory of the world as you may
*■* It frra starfish to esgts. from * tiny
MfLj
flower to a myriad minded man. And
life le good. Its privilege Is spltndld
Its happiness desplts Its tears le sweet,
lte opportunities. Its achievements. Its
honorable destlnctlon. Its crown* of
Success, Its vast usefulness, how won
derful. But withal this worid and this
Ilf* wither and shrink and shrivel Into
a curs* If w* risk them for ouf weal’s
sufficiency.
I* Passeth!.’ It"PaossMif "“"TT-'
JTbe fashion of thla world. Its whole
plane and schstn* Is going. Tho stage
upon which wa -"t—tlMIrg la moving
alowrly, aurely forward. In NgWjjfhkk
I saw peapls embarking for • voyage.
The great ship stood against the wharf
with steam up and flags flying. Ths
people took their places on m roller:
gangway and as It turned, they stand- j
Ing still, were thrust up on tli* dock,.’
till all were aboard. That la the truth
and fact of human Ilf*. We or* on'the j
moving gangway of Time and It I* oar-'
rytng ue on board the great Eternity.
Therefor* use this worid, but use it
always to set yon forward Immortally.'
Ueo this world, t
BHU.-EI | use life, use all things
to an eternal advantage. I bring every I
perplexing question In morale and place
t her*. I submit every problem ot doty
to this Issue. I challenge ovary con
science to this standard. Dare
■ . BUM
thing that girds your own soul or an
other's for Its outlook and movement
upon the endless life. Dare nothlag
that leave* you or another weakened
for duty or hindered for Immortality.
For remember that the supreme Chris
tian Ideal Is to be ilk* Christ, Inwardly
■o pur* In purpose, eo divinely strong
that even though you lay your life In
the midst of hell, and touch evil orery-
where, and go through all flames of sin
you nuiy com* out perfected and puri
fied without the smell of lira upon yous
garments.
KMMlHt*—IH—«MHMMMWI
MIND BEFORE MATTER
ittMmftttnmtMMMMMmttHMmuiMHMtu
By REV. JAMES W. LEE,
PASTOR TRINITY METHODIST CHURCH
Tl-.' materialism of Haeckel
wt'lmr to sir Oliver Lodge, antlquat-
ri and science hoe come round to th*
•'i'iix'it ..f the position that th* primal
m the universe I* spirit and not
Pr,,f
Hlr Oliver Lodge declares that
['* voice le
*‘<*r Haeckel'* voice le th* voloc
on.. , eying in the wtldemeee, not as
! -"iimner of an advancing army,
a* the despairing ahout of a stand-
™T"r<f still bold and unflinching.
, ■ ■m-indor.ed by tho retreating rank*
’ ‘ "' tredee as they march to uew
2.’ 1 hi a new direction."
, “toms, men thought they knew
'"'"••t about in the seventies, we
; “•»'- taught by men of science can
onderetood at all without ref-
""‘ to th* creative directive power
, 1 -"‘flighty God. The atom ha* turo-
‘ "Ut t.) be eo email that It te nec-
Wl * ry f ,r » billion of them to get to-
meke a speck large enough
■>'en by the most powerful ml-
ick has to lie
Incr. "a Anl1 *•*•■ spool
11 ""d a million times before It
i, 1," ’ a b»rtlcle of dust large enough
... , ! ‘* n by the naked eye. And yet
, ", ®* .•■»• elngle atom te, ws are
1, . by modem science that It
universe, and that within It
‘ " iron, or point of electricity,
-, ■ “bum like a mouse In a catlte-
lii,
>• traveled a long dlatanre
" Point of view ocrupied by
npenrer '. hen he wrote tho fa-
‘"1 1 ,ft-quoted words: "Amid
•t-ttes which grow the more pro*' 1
’ the more they are thought voMtcnii-i* 1
about-there will remain.the one abso
lute certainty, that man stands In tbs
presence of nn Infinite anil eternal
energy from which all thing* proceed.’
It Is not st *11 surprising that Mr.
Spencer loqhetl upon thl* msnrelou*
procession of matter, force, plant, ant-
jJiai and human bedim ns a mystery
the! tnrealened to bteome the more
mysterious tbe more It w-a* contem-
nlated. because he regarded It as
marching out of nn Infinite store house
of Inscrutable senseless energy and t
keeping step without any reason to the
pulsations of unending dynamics. A
procession of soldiers on the ■tDJfl
would become ■ gicet mystery to the
"“pli wbo Observed It. If they moved
bTfike a lot of Imbeciles under the
command , of , * genera, lue, eecaped
from e lunatic esyium win™* *•*”
-Ii.ht.st Idea of where he came from
.lightest mea^ ^ wlU| h l, army
tt bra fnle ss*battal iona’iTyttery enough
or oraiowp- --.htem, of existence
mrnt passing out front the source of
all reason Hi accordance with the pur-'
pose of rational and directive will. The
aource of a thing I* entitled to th*
rank and atandlng of the highest that
proceeds from It. and a* mind In man
has pro
h.mrs Shorn the problems of existence but by de*
•vc?*when mind I* celled In to help Take but
ih'-m but whin all meaning le
Kid out of thin** and the poMlbllUy
IS “Lowing anything Is denied, he
—# knowing •nyllitng -
become* the «xpr«*»lon
universe Itseir oeco nothing
Hr ll n 5 u."’V. ,o‘rr hClnS
0 Hm*when'"min I* represented ae
, Li:,,- |„ I t(> piesence of an Infinite
standing -*- „.i from which all thing*
mi I
eealon can be
ordei ly move-
proceeded out from the source of
■11. we are driven to the conclusion
that the eternal mind If bock of all
that appears. To represent all thing*
as proceeding from an Infinite and eter
nal energy le to think ot mind as a
mod* of motion, and this reduces all
things to the level ot heat. Difference*
In quality and degree between thing*
are removed. In the Trolltw end Cre-
■Ida of 8hakeep*are Ulyaaea la repre
sented ns saying: "O, when degree le
shakod. which Is lh* ladder to ell high
designs, then enterprise le sick! How
could communities, degrees In schools,
and brotherhoods In cities, peaceful
commerce from dlvtdabls shores, the
prlmogenltlve end due of birth, prerog
ative of age, crowns, scepters, laurels
degree (tend In authentic place?
but degree away, return that
string, end hark I What discord fol
lows! Each thing meets tn mere op-
pugnancy; the bounded waters should
lift their shoulder* higher then th*
shore* and make a top of all this solid
globe: strength should be lord of Im
becility. mid the ruile eon should
strike his father dead; force should be
right, or rather, right and wrong be
tween whose endless Jar Justice reside*,
should lose their names and so should
Justice, too. Then everything In
cludes Itself, In power, power Into Will,
wl:i Into ap'jetrre, apd appetite an uni
versal wolf. Bo doubly seconded with
will and power, mint make perforce
and universal ptty-and Inst eat, up
himself."
It would be a watte of time tn refer
to Bpencer's outgrown philosophy or
to lluickel t belated materialism were
It not that there are a few who still
have not learned that the.real science
of tooay. represented
by such men as
Lord Kelvin end Htr Oliver Lodge, hts
created u complete revolution In th*
eptrilu.il thought of the present time.
Instead of ruling God out of ths uni
verse. It makes belief In Creative, di
rective. divine |K)wci a necessity of
thought.
Life Is not the product of matter: It
comes from pre-existing life, mind Is
not Hie <re-,tion < f atoms; atoms are
the creation of mind. Praysr Is not
the superstitious cry of Ignorant help-
lessnsqs. but tccordlng to 8tr Oliver
Lodsc the rations! appeal of a ra
tional child of God to a rational end
loving Father. Modern science he*
come bark to the homely and beautiful
spiritual thought expressed by William
Cowpcr:
And marshals ell the order of the year;
Hr marks th* bounds which winter
may not pees,
And blurts ttwpointed fury; Jn ll* case,
Russet and rude, fold* up the tcuder
"Thrre lives end work*
germ,
1'r.Injured, with Inimitable art:
And ere one flowery season fades and
dies.
Designs th* bloqmlng wonder* of th*
next.
The Lord of ell himself through ell
diffused.
Huitalns, end le the life of all that
live*.
Nature le but ■ name for en effect
Whose reuse Is God. One Spirit—Hla
Who wore th* plotted thorn with blood
ing brows—
Rules universal nature! Not a flower
But shows some touch. In freckle,
streak, or stain,
Of hie unrivaled pencil. He Inspires
Their balmy odors, and Imparts their
hues.
And bathes their e>*s In nectar, and
includes,
In gralne ■■ countless as the seaside
■ends.
The form* with which He sprinkles all
the earth.
A soul hi all tilings, and that soul Is Happy who walks with Him. whom
God.
The beauties of the wilderneia are Ilfs.
That make so glad the solitary place
Where no eye sees them; and the fairer
forms.
That cultivation gRries In. are HI*.
He set* the bright procession on it*
way.
what he finds
Of flavor or of ac.-nt in fruit or flower.
Or what he views of beautiful or gram]
In nature, from tlie breed majestic oak
To tho gieeti blade that twinkles In
the sun.
Pi-ompt* with remembrance of a pres
ent Uud!"
In tho language of Emerson, wa have
through science aa well a* spiritual In
sight come to understand that: .
"We lla In ths lap of lmmenao Intel
ligence. which make* us receiver* of
Its truth and organs ot Its activity.
When wo descry Justice, when w*
descry truth, w* do nothing of. our
selves. but allow a passage of its
Thus when we are completely In
harmony with God s truth through our
Intellect, end with God's law through
our wills, and with God’s lova through
our hearts, God works In us to -will sag
to do ot Hi* B00d.pl—01% dBd It be
comes possible for ua to know whet
Ood Is through th* express— He
•neks* ef Himself through our higher
nature.
“So nigh I* grandeur to our dust.
Bo near in God tn man.
When duty whit pars low Thou must.'
Tbe youth replies, 1 con.’"
DR. J. W. LEE.
DONT USE POOR OIL.
For ueo on sewing machine*. Mer
cies and all purposes requiring n flne
lubricant, th* best Is cheapest in the
end. Genuine Singer oil enn only ha
obtained at Singer store*.
Look for th* letter- 8. ■ ,
• 4 Whitehall street, telephone fflsEV ‘
ISt-t: 414 Decatur street, tele*'
(Belli SITS; 74? Marietta street,
phone (Bell) lib.