Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-07-03
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvoR.
Uopie For che Week Beginning July
7-Comment by Rev. $. H. Doyle.

Topic For the Week Beginning July
5-Comment by Rev. $. H. Doyle.
Toplc-Religion and patriotism. xiii, IL.
Piety and patriotism should go hand
IN hand. Our religion should be patri-
otto. Our patriotism should be reli-
gious. Religion includes the perform
hnce of every duty that devolves upon
MS In every relation Of life. The rela-
ton to the state, TO the government, is
q very important relation of life. The
Christian has no more right to ignore
or to neglect his duty to the state than
ne has to treat in a similar way his
duty to the church or to the home.
Christ taught both by precept and
ample that civil duties should be per-
formed. He paid taxes to the Roman
government and declared that men
should ''render unto Caesar the things
that are Caesars" as well as unto God
the things that are Gods"
Paul in writing to the Romans ex-
horts that ''every soul be subject to the
powers that be-" Reference here is to
fhe civil powers. In a time of tyranny
and oppression the apostle still urges
the importance of obedience and re-
spect to the civil government. This
should be the attitude of Christians to-
ward governments everywhere. This
cannot mean, however, that there can
never be an occasion when ''the powers
that be" should be resisted. If they 60
beyond their rights and privileges, they
should be resisted. All powers dele
gated to man are limited. Children
should obey parents as parents, but
not as sovereigns; wives are to obey
their husbands as husbands, but not
as tyrants and oppressors; citizens are
to respect and to obey rulers as rulers.
but when they go beyond their legiti-
mate bounds as rulers and attempt to
exercise powers not delegated to rulers
there is no law of God that demands
that they should be obeyed.
PauPs reasons for this attitude to-
ward human governments are many
and comprehensive: 1. For there is no
power but of God. The powers that
be are ordained of God. Whosoever,
therefore, resisteth the power resisteth
the ordinance of God" 2. Human
governments are for good purpose
and hence must be sustained. For
rulers are not a terror to good works.
but to the evil" HE is the minister of
God for good to thee" 3. This atti-
tude toward human government is a
conscientious duty. eye must needs be
subject not only for wrath, but also for
conscience sake" For these causes
Christians are not to refuse to pay
tribute to whom tribute is due, GUS
tom to whom custom, fear to whom
fear, honor to whom honor"
In what better way can we commem-
crate our Independence day than by
dedicating ourselves more fully to the
love and service of our country. 1t
needs the love and service of every
Christian. Great problems are before
US. The ship of state is sailing through
troublous seas. Let us give our best
thought and effort to its welfare. Be
ing Christians, let us recognize the fact
that 1t necessarily follows that we
should be good citizens.
THE PRAYER MEETING.
Have good citizenship meeting,
with an appropriate address.
BIBLE READINGS.
r Neh. ii, Is; Ps. xxxiii, 1922; Ii, IS;
cxlvii, 20; Prov. xiv, "a; Math. xvii,
2+27; xxi, 1921; xiii, 81; 1 Tim. ii.
1-3; Heb. xi, SIG.