SUNDAY READING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 289, 15 May 1915, Page 8

SUNDAY READING.

THE PROCESS OF DEGENERATION. Sermon preached in St. .Andrew's Church by REV. T. H. ROSEVEARE. "Help, Lord, for the godly man oeiiae.lh.--rs. 12:1. This Psalm is attributed to David, and might readily have been uttered by him on several occasions. It would have been a suitable expression of hie feelings when he was residing in the court of Saul, who was plotting against his life, and who even cast a javelin at him. Or it mav have been uttered at any time during that period when David was an outlaw from society Thjnk of him as described in T. Samuel, 22, taking shelter with Ahimelcck and the 'priests of Nob; hut one of these, Doeg the Edomite, proves treacherous; the godly man eoasoth and the faithful fail. Or we think of him as described In I. Samuel, 23. He has been the means of delivering the people of KeTlah from the iPh'ilistines, but they, instead of gratefully sheltering him, report his whereabouts to Saul, and again "the faithful fail." He went through a somewhat similar expifrience with the Ziphites, of whom we read in the same twenty-third chapter. David, therefore, had much occasion to lament the unsatisfactory state of society, and so he cried, "Help, Lord!" Surely the kingdom at that time should have been eminently true and faithful to Clod and ITis servants. The peopla had just taken a step in advance in the appointment of a king according to their own wish. Temporally they were blessed, but they lost hold' of Cod. This cry has been uttered by the faithful many times since. It has seemed that the very foundations upon which we rest are in danger. Sometimes it is owing to a spirit of doubt that lays hold of the minds of men. Sometimes the spiritual earnestness that ought to characterise the utterances of those who have a conviction is lacking. Sometimes we are so impressed with the growth of social evils, or with the lack of reverence for God and Divine things that we feel disposed to cry, "Heli> ) Lord, for the godly man ceaseth." Now, this state of affairs does not ennio about in a day. It is the result of a process of degeneration, certain stages of which it may be possible for us to define. And while we are discussing the process in society, let us remember that it is the same with the individuals.

THE LAW OF DEGENERATION. That degeneration does take place is a fact that we all ought to be awaro of, even if we are not awake, to it in our own case. Professor Henry Drummond, in his "Natural Law in the Spiritual World," had an excellent chapter on it in which he draws illustrations from Nature. He points out that if a garden is left without care the apple trees will naturally degenerate, and in the course of time by the law of reversion to tvpe will revert to the wild crab-apple. If a number of 'highly-developed pigeons are turned loose upon an island, in the course of time they or their offspring will revert to the one common original type. So, too, 'he says: "If wo neglect the soul, how shall it escape the natural retrograde movement, the inevitable rclapso into barrenness and death?" The reasoning is sound, and we must admit it, but we do not so readily admit that we ourselves come under that law. Let US try to trace out some of the stages in this process as indicated in this Psalm.

THE GODLY MAJT CEASETH. Here Ave have the first step. It consists of losing hold of Cod, and ao losing the sense of reverence for Him and what belongs to Him. It is quite an easy matter to take this step. Indeed, the taking of it can only be obviated by resolutely setting ourselres to "prac-

tice the presence of God." Paul refers to tins in Acts 17:27, when ho speaks of "feeling after Him." Has the blind man not got bis keen and sensitive touch because it is practised? Ho we must constantly practice feeling after God. Now, that is where we fail. As a Christian people we believe in God, and acknowledge our need of Him, and even in times of need and stress, of sorrow and Joss and other great crises we do return to llim. Put the trouble is tiiat we, are so unaccustomed to do so that even at such time we are not able to derive the required amount of help.

FAITIIFDLXKSiS FAILETH. The second step in the process of degeneration is the loss of faithfulness or truth and honor. A striking example of this process is given in the first chapter of Romans. In verse 21 we read: "When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God." Then in verse 21 we read: ''Wherefore God also gave them up to iincleanness." It is there stated that that corrupt condition of society there described ynis the outcome of losing hold upon God. 'ln'Psalm 14, the psalmist expresses himself in like manner: ''The fool hath said in his heart there is no God. They are corrupt." And the proximity of these remarks is in keeping with the logic of facts. It may be interrupted that many fine specimens of good character can be pointed to who are quite irreligious, men who are honest, upright, kind and generous. That may be, but these men are such in spite of their lack of belief of God, and not because of it. Furthermore, it is hardly possible to tell how much we owe in our Christian land and our Christian surroundings to dill'used Christianity. If we want to see the process unhindered, then we must go to lands where God lias hot been known or where He has'been banished from the life of a s'.illicii nt number for a sullioicritly long time for the effect to be seen. Put the question that 'concerns us is, do we find ourselves in this stage of degeneration 1 A symptom of it is seen in verse 2: "They sneak vanity every one with bis neighbor." If God is not in the life, ami therefore in the conversation, (lie consequence will lie that the theme? of interest will be trivial and even frivolous. Let me ask how far God is acknowledged in our life. It is ! a violation of good form to mention Him in nticial company; and our worldly transactions have no place for Him. Even in »ur education system what do we find? We may teach our young people Greek and Roman myths, we mav cull precepts from Mohammed and Buddha for their edification, but God must be banned. Listen to the common kind of exhortation that is given. Our youths are told to go straight, to be an honor to their school or institution; they are told to tell the truth, lie honest because it is the best policy, and so on, hut how seldom outside our churches arc they reminded of Ciod and exhorted to live for His glory? I fear it is too true that the godly man ccaseth, and hence the faithful fail. The result is that we have lairgely lost a sense of the seriousness of life, and think more of vanity, trivialities and frivolities. Listen to the man in the street or the woman at afternoon tea. They talk, now certainly of the war, but'lwyond that of the weather, of course, then of the races, the. merits of the last game of football or cricket, or bridge, as the case may be; the fasliions are discussed, the latest society news is brought out. and so on. At least, I presume this must be so if the society notes in the newspapers are any guide to us.

MOKAL CONFUSION. a third stage is referred to in verse S: "The vilest men are exalted." VYhen such takes place, it is an indication that moral distinctions have vanished. The same final result is referred to in Romans 1 ; 32: "Who, knowing the judgment of Cod, that t'hev which commit such things are worthy' of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." To society in such a state, a man's moral condition is not a factor in the honor that he deserves or the esteem in which he is held. If 'he ia wealthy enough to have a certain standing, he is welcomed into the bosom of society and moral qualifications vanish. That seems to he in the mind both of the psalmist and of Paul the climax, the final stage in degeneracy

HOW TO ARREST THE PROCESS. In view of such a state of affairs the psalmist cries. "Help, Lord!" ]t i„ a short cry, but it is enough. Poter when sinking in the water, cried simply thus. "Save, lord!" As an old commentation said: "EjaculatorY prayer is like the small ships that get into harbor when larger ones must stav outside" ltis a prayer that directs our thoughts wight, leading them up to God. It is on Him that we must fix our minds till He is magnified in our estimation, till we take in something 0 f TTis greatness and power. Tlien shall we be saved from falling into the degenerate ways around us. And is it not possible that God may use this great war to shake society out ot its degeneracy, that the eyes of men may again be turned to Him and lives, brought back to Him Who is the natural environment of our souls, in whom our souls may live?