The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-15

Thou shalt not take the name Of
the Lord thy God in vain" 1 pitcl
the key high. as BELTS the day, tht
place and the audience.
1 speak to the church and T speal
plainly. My words are not certain t.
be wise, but they are certain to bt
straight-the best / know.
For twenty years have not ceased
nor varied saying that the church
must fight this fight, to. win it or t.
lose it.
For double that number of years the
| church has been saying she would &C
out to meet the liquor traffic and over
| throw it, and cut off it's head-its IL
cense.
Thou shalt not take the name OF
the Lord thy God in vain.''
| This is the great inclusive, civic
| commandment 1t relates no more tc
| profane swearing than to profane
preaching, or profane praying. or pro-
| fame giving, or profane voting. It's
meaning is very wide and very deep
| and very high.
Roughly, it might be paraphrased,
Thou shalt not fool with religion" or
of Christian citizenship" Whatever
else it may mean, it means this: that
we Christian voters must be genuine.
Our preaching must correlate with our
politics.
What does it mean to be a Chris
tian? What does. it amount to to be
a Christian citizen? What is the use
of being a Christian voter? Let US
take some testimony.
Abraham, friend of God, father of
the faithful, ancestor of determinations,
what does it mean to be a Christian
citizen? 1t means to keep open mind,
and open heart, and open hand, and
open house to all Gods messengers,
and to do, simply and faithfully, what
He commands, as a person, family,
property and country. 1t means that
when the voice that speaks within us
all, says to a man, Get thee up and
get thee out" he is to get up and get
out.
And tell you Christian men of Ho-
nolulu that the same God is calling
you today, saying, Get thee up and
fAat thee out of whisky, out of mere
sugar and cattle and dollars, and into
the man business in a way that 1 will
show thee
Moses, man of destiny, constructive
statesman, constitutional lawyer, codi-
fer of social first principles, emanci-
pator of a chosen race, what does 1t
mean to be a Christian citizen?
1t means such craftsmanship as
holds that the clear word of God de-
lfvered on the mountain-top, above the
fog. above the noise, is none too high
for law, upon the plain.
Joshua, man for a crisis, leader of
the people, what does it mean to be
Christian citizen? 1t means to ''com-
pass Jericho, every Jericho; not to
fight it by correspondence. Not to sell
it peace and dignity, at so much
year. Not to make faces at it, and
call to it, "You are sin against God
and a crime against humanity. You
desolate homes. You rob little chill
dren You debauch men. You foul the
fountains of justice. Therefore you
ought to close on Sunday. You ought
to pay higher license. You ought to
be run by better men. No, no com
pass Jericho, seven days in a week,
with such force and such weapons as
one has, no matter how impregnable
the walls appear, nor how much rev.
enue it offers for protection and re-
spectability, and keep straight up
against it till it falls.
And the God of Joshua is calling
now to the Christian men of these is
lands to compass the liquor traffic,
stopping for nothing, waiting for MOTH
ing. Straight obedience to God is the
sword of power in democracy.
Daniel, prophet, statesman, man of
power, what does it mean to be a
Christian citizen? 1t means to build
character, everywhere. always, by all
means to build character, about a
backbone of definite and fundamental
purpose that one will not defile him.
self with the good things of political,
or ecclesiastical corruption, nor shut
the Jerusalem windows of his own
soul. for fear or favor or advance
ment. or personal safety; but will keep
true and keep clean whatever happens
and fit and ready for showdown
anywhere, any minute, in den OF
man-eaters, on the stone floor OF
Jail. or in d royal banquet hall.
Paul, scholar. philosopher, preacher,
pastor, what does it mean? ut means,
to live the whole life of citizen, as
unto Him'-preaching, praying. eating,
drinking, voting-everything
And now again, I know no better
for this splendid audience than
the same old warning 1 have uttered so
frequently, that if this country is TO /
fail of its high calling and election and
go upon the rocks of anarchy, or into
the whirlpool of plutocracy, the bur-
den of the folly and the fault, as Well
as of the loss, will be, not on saloon
keepers and loafers and criminals, but
upon the futile good citizen who
wears the name that is above every
name but shouts and marches in the
pageantry of the lawless, soulless.
49, I'LL, I'D