The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1904-07-02

Righteousness and truth. Union with
God Is obtained through the sacrificial
work OF Christ. He has died for sin.
that we might become the righteousness
of God In Him. Freedom. then, first OF
all, implies cleansing from sin and
peculiar and close Identification with
God. And In the second place II means
a close walk with God. The Psalmist
declares that Il will walk at liberty,
for / seek Thy precepts." Freedom,
then, is not only D~assiye-that Is submis-
sion to Christ; but It is active-that Is
service for Christ. Ruskin says on this
point: ITO be free Is to have learned
how to rule our own passions; and then,
certain that our own conduct Is right,
to persist in that conduct against all re-
sistance, whether OF counter-opinion,
Counterpart or counter-pleasure. To
be defiant alike to mob's thought, of the
adversary's threat, ard of the harlots
temptation-this Is the meaning OF every
great nation to be free; and the one con-
dition upon which thatfreedom can be OBJ
tanned is pronounced to you in a single
verse of the One Hundred and Nine
teenth Psalm: 1 will walk at liberty,
for l seek Thy precepts.'" Liberty 10
never license. This fallacious and fatal
conception of the term liberty is COM
mon to-day. But liberty is not license.
AS Daniel Webster puts it.: Liberty ex-
lists in proportion to wholesome re-
straint." Liberty is bounded by the
n@1lA- I~-l- 1@Ls- f1hknnffCnn Ca
and truth. To remain within the lin
its of that circle, to restrict and restrain,
is liberty. Wordsworth sings OF the
freedom of the flowers in the lines:
How does the meadow flower its bloom
unfold?
Because the lovely little flower is free
Down to its root, and in that freedom.
bold"
But the freedom of the flower was re-
stricted. 1t would no longer be freedom
if that blooming flower were to uproot
itself and wander with unfed and starv-
ing roots through meadow and wood. It
must remain within its prescribed limits
in order to enjoy its liberty. Oh, that
man might learn this lesson and realize
that true liberty is that which is found
within the sphere of Gods will and
righteousness.
THERE are perils of freedom. There Ii
i always danger that blessing may be
perverted to a curse. Every nation and
every individual face this peril. Pau
- M, &hof %ho.o Ho1otion riSfiQnC UpTQ
in danger in this very respect. He re-
peats in the thirteenth verse the glorious
fact that they were free, but he goes on
to urge: only use not your freedom
for an occasion to the flesh" b fact
that Christ delivered them from the law
and it's obligations did not warrant them
in indulgences that were a violation OF
the righteousness and truth or o
They were not to make a selfish appli-
cation of the principle of their freedom.
And herein lies the peril Of freedom.
Man In the Garden Of Eden was free to
choose good or evil. Forgetful of GOO
and His warnings, he used his freedom
to the qualification of his W desires.
He looked and saw hat the fruit OF the
tree was good to eat. In the exercise
of his freedom, he reached out and took
and ate, and his freedom became bis
peril. Freedom became bondage. ODe-
to God was forsaken for obe-
dience to self. From sinlessness man
passed INTO a state of sin. And sin
brought bondage and death. Freedom
has its perils for this nation. The very
elements of liberty upon which this ma
tional life is founded, government OF
the people. for the people and by the
our free institutions, u equal
rights for all, have within themselves
the germs Of great danger. Selhshness'
and ambition, and love of pleasure
threaten to pervert and destroy.
which is the freest nation in the
world, is for that very reason the weak
est. Unless the spirit of the Christians
freedom rules in the national life, up
roofing selhshness, molding ambition.
curbing the passion for pleasure and CIV
God first place in the thought and
conduct, there is real and dreadrul peru
in this nations freedom.
WITH freedom also comes obliSa-
w ton. Because We are free. Paul
through love be servants one
to another" The peril of freedom Is
serving self, but the highest obli-
cation of freedom is that that freedom
may equip for the serving OF others
It is with no small degree of prids
that the American can point to the
many instances in which this free ma
ton has thus splendidly served other
and peoples. Great obliga-
tons have been thrust upon us OF
ate years because Of the freedom and
enlightenment which has been vouch-
safed to us by God. In the foremost
rank of the nations, the needy and OPP
pressed of tne world are looking to
America for succor. And, thank God.
splendid spirit and noble self-sacri-
ice, we are fulfilling this obligation
There has been great pride taken in
the fact that this people could so serve
others. But the very fulhllment cf
his obligation has had its wholesome