Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1912-01-29
THE GOSPEL AND WORLD
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finer instincts ana more subtle per
ccptiun of right. recognize this. But
in the growth of the drinking hah-
it among women. which is acknowl-
edged To be the case in the two cX-
trcmes Of society. il might he well
for some OF our hosteSSeS to inquire
il the punch bowl. which has become
the substitute for the tea-cup at the
Afternoon reception. may not be Il
cause Of offcnse in the two-fold iii
Iection TO those who are earnestly
fighting intemperancc. even though
ii bc in a somewhat narrow and in
tolerant spirit. and to those. especial
~ the Young. who find source Of
temptation here carelessly and
thoughtIcssly offered them.
The third. and concluding applica-
ton of the spirit of asceticism To-
modern conditions is found i'm a GER
tain mysterious saying of our Lords
in one Of the Gospels which, when
taken in its literal Interpretation,
instead of the symbolic ana fiCura-
tive sense. which was the intention
of the Master. led Origen. the great
Greek Father and interpreter of the
Scriptures. in a stern spirit of as
Ccticism. to an erroneous act. which
Re later acknowledged To be wrong,
when he had been freed from the
bondage of the letter and entered
into the spirit of Christ's teachings
!: is supplemented 10y this text, If
any man come to me, and hate not
his father and mother. and wife and
children. and brethren and sisters.
yea, and his own life also. he cannot
be my disciple" It IS true that the
normal and the natural relation OF
the family is not for all. There are
great issues and great calls which
now and then demand that man
shall he free from every human oh
lgation. At this stern call Of duty.
he must go where the Master points
the way. where right and honor
claim him. Remuneration here is de
manded. not Of the many. but Of
the few. 1t may be the special work
which demands the life of loneliness
and Of asceticism. it may be a ques-
ton OF physical health, or the fatal
faint Of hcredity il may be the
claims of other relationship. hardly
less sacred which cannot be foreSOn"
and the new one taken up. attractive
and right as it would be under other
conditions. But let not men and
women. under normal conditions
deny the primary law of God and of
their own nature There is a false
asccticism as well as Il true one.
which refuses TO take up life's re
sponsibilities and to make Efe's sac
rificeS. 1t may be <clfishness. pure
and simple. and not the call Of God,
To a separated life. The growing de
mand for the comfort. for the lux
uries of living. the refusal Of women
To- be the helpmects Of their hu.-
bands in every sense OF the word
the earnest striving after self-cul-
turc, the inordinatc love Of pleasure.
and independence free from all re-
straint. mean here self indulgence
which is a blow aimed at the high
est Christian civilization Of our day
l have tried. my friends. TO show
that asceticism is rot, any more than
sclfishness is. the spirit of the Cos
pei Of Jesus Christ. ! have pointed
out that tho teaching and example
Of Jesus. enforced by His early dis
ciplcs. were not antagonistic To these
natural cravings Of mans constitu-
ton. which have not decreased with
the growing years.
Pure and exalted, as are the lives
and the words Of great teachers in
the Christian church, who have
claimed universal allegiance to the
ascetic and understanding features
of the Gospel and to whose noble
spirit and consistent courage we rem
der our deepest reverence. yet we
who hold To- the simplicity and the
sane teaching of the Apostolic church
to which the Reformed church draws
in closer union today. we Will not
and cannot go To the Roman church
and find in St Francis of Assist,
TO the Greek church ana find in
Tolstoi, the great upholder of tho
ascetic creed of our day, the infalIblc
guides to right living and right
thinking. Human love. the family
affections. temperance in the use Of
Gods gifts of food and drink, the
acquiring Of wealth. the private own
crship of property. are nowhere con-
demned in the Gospel. | maintain
Asceticism which demands celibacy,
confoundinS it with chastity, ascot
iciam which demands fasting and to-
ia abstinence. asccticisln which de-
mics the rights of property and teach
IS Communism is not the gospel as
we read il in the New Testament.
To sum it all up Christ never pro-
tested against just gov ernment and
the established order of things. He
said. Render unto Caesar the things
that are Caesars. and unto God the
things that are Gods. He was a
loyal citizen and wanted a right
division made between loyalty to
an earthly and a heavenly ruler. He
preached simplicity, tic gospel of
work the spirit Of Leighborlincss.
He believed in friendship. he Illus
trated it by his relations to the
family at Bethany, and to 81; John.
the beloJ<dSl sciIee. He entered into
the common joy$Rf the world. He
was neither puritan nor an ascot
ic. Happiness and love are not in
consistent with self-denial and SER
vice and this is the keynote TO the
Gospel OF Jesus Christ