Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-08-02

- 81 through faith in
the atonement of
Christ, and as members of his spirit
ual body, are separated In an essen
hal sense from the world. They are
waftfng for his re-appearing, and ex-
pect to be glorified and reign with
hfm over the uifllennia1 earth.
There is a point of view therefore,
IN which such a people have nothing
TO do with civil government because
such government. is a part of the sys-
tenn of ungodliness represented by
Satan whom the Scriptures call the
god of this world. His dominion is to
be destroyed when Christ comes to
set up his Kingdom in its place. True
Christians, therefore, are not expect
ing the millennium to be brought
about by moral or political reforms,
but are waiting for his coming to in
troduce and make it a possibility
What Caesar Represents.
But while this is true, such Chris
tians believe that they have obliga-
tions to the government under which
they live, privileges to be enjoyed and
a stewardship for which they must
give account of God. Paul claimed
protection because of his Roman citi-
zenship, but no man has a moral
right to ask protection from a govern
ment to which he is Indifferent, and
for which he will not use his infiu-
ence to make it the best possible
Caesar" represented the civil gov
ernment of Christ's day, and the
things to be rendered unto him were
the taxes imposed by the Roman en-
pire. But the Caesar" of the United
States to whom we are to pay tribute
is not an individual or an empire, but
in an important sense it is ourselves.
If this is government of the peo-
pie, for the people and by the peo-
pie" we are our own Caesar, and to
ourselves we render tribute. Accord
ing to Christ's command therefore,
we are to support this government in
accordance with the laws 1t has made.
And yet more is implied, for we are
not only Caesar to whom tribute
must be paid, but Caesar" who pays
the tribute. For what do we demand
this tribute therefore? How much of
the taxes levied by us on our fellow
men goes into the pockets of those
to whom it does not belong, because
we are fndulging our own con-
venience and letting things alone?
How much of it supports our con-
sta'bufary and law courts, our aims
houses and ja1ls whose existence is
because of Ubiquitous legislation af-
fortfing license to sin? Are we salts
fed that in these Things we can give
account of our stewardship with joy !?
How much attention, as Christians,
have we given to these things? How
much do we know and how much
have we prayed about them?
Party or Purity, Which?
This brings US to our second obli-
cation in relation to civil government.
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy
self" OF course, this means that we
shall try to save our neighbor and
bring him with us ON the way to
heaven. But 1t means also that we
can not be indifferent to the earthly
difficulties OF the way. In other
words, we must not permit Satan to
fiaunt his temptations in the way
without an effort to destroy them.
There are dram shops, brotffels and
gambling dens open for the allure
ment of our young men and women.
If our newspapers are to be believed.
law is defied by municipal and state
officers to the Generalization of both
public and private standards of right
and wrong. Who are responsible for
these things9 VIII not God hold
those protesting Christians to ac-
count who, for the sake of party
fealty on the one hand, or lack of
public duty on the other, to have fail
ed to overthrow them.
The New Testament says scarcely
anything about the relation of the
Christian church. to civil government
because in the time of Christ and his
apostles there was no civil govern
ment in the sense in which we con-
ceiye of it. But the duty of the in
dividual Christian is included never
theless in the second commandment
of the law. Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as myself" for love work
eth no evil to his neighbor,'' either by
omission or commission.
It is a common plea of the faint