The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-19
CONDUCT In Social struggle.

of old experienced, has come in Jesus
new view of life.
Conduct In Social Struggle.
The second section of this discourse
treats of ones feeling and conduct in
the social struggle. How to regard and
treat those who oppose us in building the
kingdom of God is the most important
question in practical life. Shall we fight
them and reserve our love for our friends.
as the old saying among the Jews had
It, viz: Thou shalt love thy neighbor
and hate thine enemy This was and
is the teaching of the world. but Jesus re-
pealed it and set up In Its place love
towards our enemies, reuuiting hatred
with good deeds, curses with blessings,
prayer for despiteful use, treachery with
trust, and robbery with a further gift.
Paul we'll sums up this new method
1f social struggle in the words, over
come evil with good" Our Lord gives
two reasons for this new programme in
the social struggle. First the law or
equal compensation; viz, men Will treat
you as you treat them. If you declare
war on them they will declare war on
you II you do good to them they will
do good to you with what measure
you mete, 1t shall be measured to you
again" zone good turn deserves an
other Is our way of putting this law
Hence, "as we would that men should
do to you, do We also to them likewise.
SO your own self interest requires you TO
requlte evil with good, so that you may
turn an enemy into a friend, hinderer
into a helper.
Won stop the action and reaction of
evil by setting up a course of good In its
place. for thus you transform your enemy
into friend. So long as you retaliate
in kind YOU only continue and Intensity
the evil Of the struggle. His second rea-
son for reversing the worlds treatment
OF enemies In the social struggle Is that
thus we get a character which excells
those of ordinary sinful men.
ANY selfish sinner will love those who
love them. do good to those who do good
TO them, lend where they can borrow as
much again. With them 1t is mere
question of bartering for goods, COM
mercial morality, serving in order to be
served. But with God It is not so, for
He Is kind to the unthankful and evil,
sends His rain on the just and unjust;
does good simply for its own sake. III
now we meet our enemy with good we are
truly sons of the Most High and our re-
ward is much the greater. Then we rise
above the sinful human to the gracious
divine.
If in the struggle of the world we
tolerate and treat well these exploiters OF
the poor and enemies to our progress In
social development we are not such fools
as you think God does the same thing.
We can afford to be mercifu1 as our Fa-
Their In Heaven is merciful. So the at
titude Of Christianity is to love every
one. treat all classes graciously and merci-
fully, and promote the relief of dis
tress and wrong by the practice of good
ness and virtue even towards oppressive
exploiters.
Do Not Condemn.
But one may answer that although we
cannot exploit these exploiters of the
poor and oppressed, yet we ought TO
condemn them and point the finger OF
scorn and condemnation into their faces.
Let us frown on them and shame them
out of court. Chris unity says, MOI Judge
not, for II you do III will be judged Con-
denim not or you VIII be condemned"
You put frown on your face: they
will put one on theirs, and both will
look ugly to the injury of the whole. Put
your condemnation on them and they
will put their son on you; and the struggle
Will be all the more intense and acute
The right policy Is to release. and they
will release Give, and they will give to
you. good measure pressed down, shaken
together, running over into your bosom.
II is not the debtors interest TO de-
stroy his exacting creditors. but rather
to teach him how to serve as a .creditor
to the enriehing OF his debtor. The good
of all is the good of each; the good OF the
poor is the good Of the rich. the relief
of the distressed is the relief OF the, sur