Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-08-15
sraNn ZOE TyE RIsHr.

Fight the good fight of faith. lay hold on
eternal life, whereuDto thou art also cslitd,
and hast professed a good profession before
many witnesses-I TIMOTHY vI:l2.
Boldness in a cause, no matter how mis-
taken, always exoites admiration. Many
forlorn hope has been saved by bold dash
of few brave men, and the history of the
world thereby changed for all time. Bravery
is quality much to be admired in the brute
creation, but far more among the human
family. Moral bravery, however, ls far more
praiseworthy than mere physi> al bravery.
and he who stands up for prinsiple which
he believes to be just, is entitled to more
honor than he who faces the cannon in the
excitement of the battle-i field, and risks his
life in defense of the flag of his country.
Yet moral courage is rarer quality than
purely physical courage. Men instinctively
shrink from sneer. They would prefer q
blow.
1t is humiliatipg to confess that profess
ing Christians as class are frequently
ashamed to defend the religion they have
espoused. Many has been the time when,
in mixed company, sneers at religion and
those who profess it, or ribald jest, have
gone uurebuked from men who pretend to
be ornaments of the church. They lack
the moral courage to offend an acquaintance
by censuring him TO. making light of seri
GUS subjects, though in nine cases out of ten
the person SO rebnked would have higher
opinion of the man who defended his relig
ion, and greater regard for religion itself.
than he had before. But there seems to be
an mate cowardice in some people that
shrinks from encountering the j sers of
their associates, even in defense of theory
that they deem to be Of the most vital inn
portance to mankind.
The present age does not differ materi-
ally in this respect from those that proceeded
it. The apostle Paul had frequent occasion
to rebuke the brethren for their failure to
maintain their faith in spite of opposition.
But in those times the profession of Ooristi-
anity not infrequently involved the hazard
ing of ones life. To-day no such risk
is run. Here and now honor is attached to
the profession of Christianity. 1t ls pity
that SO little is thought of that honor among
the mass of church members.
The religious element of the community
should be aggressive, and should be ever
ready to defend the principles of Christian
ity against all assaults, whether they come
from skeptics or from scoffers. Those who
pretend to follow the master should be will
ing, like him, to endure persecution of
every sort. They should, at least, be willing
to encounter the SCOTS of the ungodly,
knowing that no further indignity co1ld be
offered them. If religion is not worth de-
fen1ing at SO slight a cost, it surely is not
worth possessing.
It is, perhaps, not out of place to suggest
to the ministers of the gospel-the few who
are at their posts of duty in this hot weather
that they educate their congregations 60
the necessity, and, indeed, the duty, of every
church member to fight the good fight Of
faith. It is not necessary that they should
be obtrusive, but when they hear the cause
maligued they should be ready to testify to
the faith that is in them. They should not
allow skeptios to traduce religion, or scoffers
to make jest of it, but promptly put to the
blush all such unworthy efforts. By 80
doing they will increase the respect of all
people, of whatever shade of belief, for their
religion. and at the same time convince men
of their sincerity and devotion to the cause.