Romans 12: "Abhor That Which is Evil"

Atlanta, 1901

Merritts Avenue

At Merritts Avenue church the pastor, Rev. R. F. Eakes, preached at the morning hour from the text, Romans xii, 9: "Abhor that which is evil." He said in substance:

"People who have for so many thousand years had the benefit of the teachings of all the prophets, of the Christ, and of all history, ought to be able to hate evil, to abhor the wickedness that seems to entice mankind. We abhor sickness and have met with large success in removing the tendencies to it in the better understanding of sanitary and hygienic conditions. Evil in the text is translated from a word meaning unhealthfulness. It is a moral sickness, a plague, contagious in the extreme and leading to death. Just as we are interested in removing disease from our midst we are interested in removing moral sickness. We must abstain from the very appearance of evil. We must have nothing to do with it; we must leave it so far alone that it will have no further flesh to feed upon; we must allow no further cause for the spread of contagion.

"Should I venture too near a case of smallpox or scarlet fever with my child and allow him thus to contract disease, all public sentiment would condemn me as a criminal. Shall I not show at least equal care to keep my child from moral contagion? Shall I risk evil influences and allow association with questionable thoughts and people, and not be likewise condemned? God seems to have exhausted the very storehouse of heaven's wisdom and power to warn men from the evil that is present in the world. He has placarded places where sin dwells, He has declared its symptoms and He has furnished a remedy therefor, and yet man despises all these things. We have had evil pointed out to us — 'Abhor that which is evil.' The general rules of the church point out many things that indicate the tendency toward evil, and which, if properly observed, will lead mankind to a higher, better life."

Mr. Eakes read a portion of the rules of the church with appropriate and at times severe criticism upon the laxity of their observance. He scored theater-going, card playing, dancing as amusements not to be indulged in, and gave sound advice in reference to these evils that some people try to wink at.

--The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, May 27, 1901, page 10.