The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-10-26

| for you are aware that they have taken
the high spiritual imagery OF their great
! prophets. like Ezekiel and Isaiah. as lit
eral. and are looking for temporal king
! dom. They are hoping and PRAYING that
| one shall come who shall be a worthy
successor TO the great King David. who
will raise aloft gain the flag of the
! lion OF the tribe OF Judah, and rally
| all The cid mountain fighters at bis back.
! drive out the accursed Roman. put the
tax gatherer " death ana establish once
mora the reign of Jehovah amongst
| men.
| Your countrymen have every incentive
/ to success. There has not been a great
! warrior in Israel in six hundred years,
and the old fighting blood that came by
| heredity from the herOic Gays of the past
! is calling out for an opportunity TO show
| itself In valiant deeds and daring ex-
| plots. On the one hand. YOU have a
provocation sufficient 10 driv" men to Ies-
! peration Proud Israel is little better
| than a slave The Roman yoke has gall
ed until Israers heart has waxed hot.
i On the other hand, You have all the
/ inspiration that is needed in the ambition
| of your people and their hope for gov
| ernmental power. Is it not worthy OF
j man endowed as you are that he should
| consider the opp ssion of his people? Is
! It not right that he should open his ears
/ to the cries of outraged innocence? Is
| it not a duty 10 give ones nation the
! highest place possible amongst the
! ions of the world?
Suppose, for example that you ~nould
seize the rcins OF government leap into
! the chariot OF power and drive TO Rome.
! You know the corruption of the Roman
! government. TiberiUs. stated with pleas
IRE and emasculated with voluptuous lux
! ury. would be no match for YOU with
! organized and disciplined Israel at your
I back Is it not fascinating to a Jewish
/ patriot to think Of Israel having pushed
/ his conquests beyond Palestine, and step
/ by step, across the countries OF the Med
| ierranean sea. taking his seat upon the
| throne Of the Caesars. from which emil
/ hence to rule the world?
! More than that, this plan will work adj
! mirably to the furtherance Of your Mes
/ sianic idea. When once You have seated
! yourself on the throne of power, you
! can Issue wise. Just and humane edicts
| which win relieve burdened humanity
! Of most OF its load. No one can resist
king. The will Of a monarch Is sn-
| preme, for the army is at his back. Your
heart IS half breaking over the prisoners
| which crowd the jails of Palestine. You
Il
taxation Of your people Your heart
swels with righteous Indignation be-
| cause Of the oppression OF the debtor
by the hard and cruel creditor. Your an
stinted compassion goes out to the unem
ployed and hungry that crowd the mar
ket places When once seated on the
throne. you can, by Il single stroke Of
your pen, open all the prisons to chem
that are bound. make every year Jlbi-
lee year when debts are RENTED and
| connscaoe enough farm lands TO give
every man an opportunity Of making
comfortable living for himself ana his
family BY a royal decree, You can force
men to conform to the laws of your
theocracy By thus wisely making use
of the machinery at hand you can, by
bold stroke accomplish quickly result
which otherwise it viii require centuries
TO work out
by this scheme. too. you win
vault Yourself at once into pop
ular favor All strong natures
are ambitious, you konw, and
thus, by doing perfectly legitimate
J thing that has either been done or at
tempted by hundreds OF others. you may
crafty your natural and pardOnable ann
bition for power
Now why not prudently fan N with
4
ana Worldwide usefuIness2 AS a man.
YOU can make fame and fortune as
jew. you can become the greatest pat
riot statesman ana king: as MESSIAH,
You can be a greater David.
Jesus replied to these suggestions with
al their cunning and subuety, Get thee
hence. Satan: for it Is written. Thou
shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him
only shalt thou serve" Let - pause
for moment upon the threshold OF our
Masters answer before considering The
full import Of His reply. in order that
We may discover. II possible the evil Of
the suggestion contained in the third
temptation Unnstructed IN the doctrines
Of Christianity. there IS scarcely one Of
as that would consider the proposition
Of setting up temporal government Ivy
n wise and powerful leader an evil
thing and IN itself il is not evil The
evil IS found IN the fact that It was less
than the best. The worst enemy to the
best is not the worst il is the good.
There are few If any, who are ever
tempted at FIRST TO the sraVest crimes
and the blackest vices. The beginning OF
our downfall is marked by the time when
there came up for choice two courses
Of conduct the one the best the other
The lesser good. and We selected the les
ser good God and our own consciences
demand Of us that We select always the
best To select the good In the presence
Of the best is 90 yield to the tempter
This. Jesus refused to Dc.
his answer was as comprehensive as
the suggestion Of the tempter. lie said,
AS a patriot. love my people too well
TO commit them to & course OF conduct
which, while yielding temporary results
of good. will ultimate in failure like that
which has overtalCen tho dynastjes Of the
past BY yielding to he world elnpre
suggestion. I should have 70 carry the
Jewish people to the place Of power
nv the road OF war. Israel could not take
her seat upon the throne within one gem
Grafton without wading through streams
! Of human blood, and, while ] am Jew
jsh patriot. my sympathes are broader
than the confines OF my own race. with
God as my Father, every man IS my
brother. Ny conception Of duty demands
that I should consider the needs and the
claims of the oppressor as We'll as the
opppressed. That may he a good sch"me
that DESTROYS evil ana scatters its dust
Ia the four winds of heaven, but that IS
the hest scheme That converts evil into
good He is not The greatest man who
can slay his enemy but rather ne is the
greatest who converts his enemy into L
| friend and brings him over to his own
side. 50 that where there was one cham
rion 70 rthe right. now there are two.
=, ~.... ~ +o,,r1oral mower idea con-