Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-10-14
NUDGE NOT

How the Conscientious Christian Exer-
cises Self-Restraint for the General
Good and Thus Feels the Weight OF the
World Upon Him.
Many restraints are imposed on HIM
self by the carefully conscientious
Christian. Our Lord poiated to one
of these when He said: Judge not
that We be not Judged" 1t is warn
ing that we will get back as good as
we send if we flourish the lash of crit
icism too vigorously; bat it is much
more. A profound philosophy under
in this case a practically simple rule
rests on the deepest foundations. A
world IN which men never restrain
their judgments-made up of men who
render quick verdicts on all the items
in the observed conduct of each other
lis a morally impossible world The
victims will retaliate, and a scene of
disorder will issue from the war of
judgments. We are compelled to ne
strain our judging by that law of re-
taliatien which we read into doctrine
of selEdefense. If one hurls the stone
of condemnation, the man who is hit
will hurl it back; and presently the air
will be full of stones, and peace will
become impossible. How far a man
surrenders to society what belongs to
him, in order that society may protect
the rest of his nights and possessions,
may be discussed forever without a
settlement.
The philosophers of the social com
pact have undertaken an impossible
task, for no man can find any basis for
giving a part (hat one may keep the
resD which is different from the COM
promise he might make with a high
way .robber. 10 this robber he might
say: Take my watch and let ae keep
my Clothes" 10 society he might say:
Take my money and leave me my
liberty;" or Take as much of my
property as you like and leave me the
rest" but there is no ethical basis for
such a compromise. Our Lord reveals
a solid moral foundation for selfim-
posed sacrifice of so-called rights and
privileges; and this basis is the simple
necessity,0f seif4restraint as aoOadition
of well-being.
If we Judge harshly we shall be
harshly Judged. A society conducted
on the principle of unlimited Judgment
and speech would be intoIcrahle. Free
dom in such a world would have no
value. Liberty begins TO be precious
only when we restrain ourselves of it.
Parting with it in self-restraint we
keep all of it which is valuable in pro-
lection of our reasonable and praetica-
BILE claims to freedom; hut the simple
rule reflects a higher truth out
tof its eloquent face. for the re-
strained Judgment waald not be
righteously restrained by the Masters
rule if it Were not necessarily an I'M
righteous Judgment; and it is upright
.eous for 1T least three reasons: i. 1t
is not, and can not be, certainly true
and sound. As the Judgment of an
imperfect intellect it must be liable to
defects. =. 1t can not be certainly and
entirely free from the bias of wrong
feeling. Few men of fine conscientious
ness viii trust themse Ives an all judg-
ments upon all men. In some eases
the feelings of the best man will warp
his yerdictS to injustice. 4 In "a great
multitude of cases we have no right to
a judgment. The man is another
mans servant. and it is not our bust
ness. God will judge that matter, and
we blaspheme when we decide it in adj
vance of the day of judgmeRS- These
defects of judgment and Misappliea-
tons and impudenees of Judgment re-
veal highest reason for self-restraint.
We do not know; We may possibly be
prejudiced; it is the Lords business.
10 pass any and every hasty judgment
and to do it as an exercise of liberty
would be 80 convert liberty into a
cloak for righteousness, and there
can not be any right to such liberty.
In substance, then. the surrendered
rights never existed. No man yields
mp to society any thing which belongs
to him. 1t was never his right TO con-
denim without evidence. and to crafty
his passion by yindietiNe judgment
All the judgments from which he is
restrained may fall under one or the
other head. if, indeed, some of them
are not attempts to exercise the office
of the judge of all men; but is the
motive. that We be not judged. a high
one? Yes; but high and low are terms
relative to ones moral nature The
man who sees no dignity. elevation.
moral sublimity. in a rule which, SO to
say, pivots the world on self-interest,
is probably incapable of high and holy
self-judgment and self-restraint For
our part, we confess that there is an
inspiring power in the thought that
Jesus appeals to the sensitive moral
nature on this side of its self-interest,
and teaches the individul man that the
order and peace of the world depend
on his self.restraint. It burdens each
man with the weight of the world.