The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-04-20

OF GOu. III bmS De so, love living III Uils
world must be confronted with hours in
which wrath and Indignation rule su-
preme. 1t cannot be otherwise The
love which filed the soul of Christ was q
consuming fire, and before it evil must
be burned up.
We are told that his baptism was the
baptism of the Holy Ghost and of FIRE
Upon moro than one occasion in his life
we are told that he was angry. He said
himself that he came to bring not peace
but q sword. Such scenes in the life Of
Jesus, such utterances from his lips, can
not be reconciled with the sentimental
slush of certain school of Christianity
which continues TO cry peace, peace"
when there is no peace, when there can
be no peace with the forces Of hell.
There is large amount of unadulterat
ed hypocrisy in the cry for the gentle
ness Of the gospel in this hour. 1t will
be found IN scores of cases to emanate
from men who hate the gospel of Christ
with all their soul, and who cry for its
gentleness and its sweetness because they
feel the touch Of the sword Of Christ, Of
his truth and his indignation and his
anger in their inmost souls.
Jesus sacrificed himself Christianity
means the sacrifice of self. If we would
be the disciples of Christ, we must be
willing to sacrifice self. The man who
sacrifices himself must displease the self
ish. 1t is an arraignment Of them and
Of their life. One of the most difficult
sacrifices for the follower of Christ to
make today is to count his reputation rs
nothing for Christ's sake; is to be willing
to be hissed and cursed and spit on by
the people. The most difficult sacrifice
which Christianity demands of its fol
lowers today is that they be willing to
be unpopular. 1t is an easy thing to pan
der to vitiated public sentiment. 1t is
an easy thing to sell ones soul for this
cheap applause. The follower of Christ
who does it has betrayed his Master, has
belied his profession and Is untrue to the
first principles Of his life-the sacrifice
of self.
The world hated Jesus Christ. He was
not popular preacher in the sense that
he pleased the powers that ruled society.
They hated him with the bitterest in
tensity of their dark souls. 1t is impos-
sible for any man to live a true Christian
life in this world, following Jesus in
spirit and in truth, and not be hated.
Jesus says it himself in so many words.
Hear him: "If ye were of the world, the
world would love its own. But because
ye are not of the world, but chose you
out of the world, therefore the world
hateth you. They prosecuted me. They
will also persecute you. Yea, the hour
cometh that whosoever killeth you shall
think he offereth service unto God"
THE SWORD OF CHRISTIANITY.
There is and there must be of neces-
sity point Of contact with evil at
which Christianity bursts into con.
suming fame. The Christianity inca
pable Of such consummation, of such
violence, if you please, is dead, not liv-
ing. Nor is this in any wise incon-
sistent with the highest conception of
Jesus. IN his personality was blended
the tenderest the divinest love- with all
the elements of sternest, moral warfare
We sec these elements combined fire.
quently in the character of the stern
warrior. Prince Henry, the brother of
Frederick the Great, king Of Prussia,
leads his army through Saxony, upon
mission of death, and yet he is careful
of every field Of grain. If soldier
stepped out Of the direct road, the cap.
tain was punished.
One day in the harvest season the
prince saw the peasants hurrying to save
their crops from an approaching storm.
Immediately he had every horse taken
from the baggage wagons and sent to the
assistance of the farmers, who were
amazed at this sympathy from great
general and an enemy. On one occasion
300 French officers were taken prisoners
and brought before him. He was indig-
nant that they had been deprived of their
swords and restored them at once. The
wounded among the prisoners he cared
for as carefully as if they belonged to
his own army. When he learned that
80 of them were without money, he pro-
vided for them from his own purse and
at considerable inconvenience to himself.
1t is possible to fight and yet to love your
enemy. 1t is possible to fight for princi-
pie and truth and right and in the very
battle seek the salvation Of those against
whom we fight.
And after these wars for righteous
principle it happens again and again in
the history Of the world that those
against whom we fight are brought to
see that they were wrong and that the
battle was for their own good, even
though they were blind and could not
see it. We have a most striking ex-
ample of this result in a remarkable con-
fession recently made by Arab Pasha,
the Egypt patriot. Twelve years ago
he was the most powerful man in Egypt.
He headed a rebellion, nominally,
against the khedive, but which Arab
insisted was really ON the khedive's be-
half. He desired, he said, to deliver
Egypt from foreign domination and pre-
serve her for the Egyptians. He madea
brave and desperate fight, but was beat
en- and has since been living in retire
ment in Ceylon. He declares that his
interest in Egypt and love for his coun-
try are as intense as ever. He declared
recently that his whole life had been q
mistake. He regretted opposing the
English occupation of Egypt. He de
clared that he had found the English
had done for his country what he had
hoped to do, but could never have sue
ceeded in doing.
"Not one of her own SOUS" said Arab,
"could have given Egypt the release
from oppression and injustice and the
good government which she now enjoys.
All that have fought and struggled TO
attain is accomplished. In my blindness
! was resisting the surest means of
achieving nv own aims. was fighting