South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-08-29
SEVEN MINUTE SERMON
ON THE GOLDEN TEXT
BY OUR OWN PREACHER


22:15-22.
Golden Text: Render therefore
unto Caesar the things that are
Caesars: and unto God the things
that are Gods. Matt. 22:21.
PATRIOTISM AND PIETY.
4. \ pious man j. a patriot The
Phsrisees we're making an effort 10
entrap Jesus into words which would
make him untrue to Caesar, and their
messenger asked him the question
whether il was lawful TO pay tribute
to Caesar or not. After they had
shown him a piece of tribute money.
with Caesars image upon il, he told
them in the words Of the text to rem
der To Caesar the things that are
Caesars and TO God the things that
are Gods. This showed true patriot
ism and in this every follower of Jesus
cOncurs. A man who does not pay his
just and lawful taxes, or who is in any
way disloyal to his country is not a
Christian man. Every follower of
Jesus yields ready obedience to the
laws of the land in which he lives,
even while he may not believe in some
particular law and exercises his right
10 protest against il. But when the
laws OF the land are in harmony with
the laws Of God the soul of every
christian man and woman is enkindled
into a flame of devout patriotism to
keep all such laws and to incline his
fellow men to do the same thing. If
a rebel against his country claims also
10 be a christian, he is hypocrite.
A man who will defraud the city out
OF it's lawful taxes. OF cheat the coun-
try out of legitimate customs duties is
not follower of Jesus. To render
to God that which is due him implies
that we render to our country that
which is due II.
2.-We should love and serve our
country. Those who do not take any
part in the government or welfare of
the land in which they live and claim
that they so act from religious scruples
are certainly making a great mistake.
and seem TO me to be going contrary
TO the words of Jesus which form our
text. A lover Of God is also a lover OF
his fellows and his fellows are his
fellow citizens the people of the land
in which he lives. If he does not in
terest himself therefore, in putting
good laws upon the statute books and
doing all he can to see that these laws
are enforced. he is not acting like
man who loves his neighbor. If he
leaves the government of the city in
which he lives or of the land TO which
he belongs to sinners, and persuades
others TO do the same thing, he is
clearly responsible to the extent of his
influence for all the bad laws which
are made and for all the evil that is
done which could have been prevent
ed by putting right laws upon the
statute books. 1t is clearly our duty
by word, and deed, and particularly
by our vote, to serve the land in which
we live, and to express to the extent of
our ability the mind of God upon
the national questions which are con-
Stantly before the people.
3. We should love and serve God
Alas that there are so many per-
sons who take a lively interest in
what we call politics and make no
pretention whatever TO rendering to
God what belongs to him. All right
thinking men place first things first
and surely God, the heavenly Father
should occupy the first place in every
mans thought. Men interested in
municipal and national questions, are
| both illogical and inconsistent. IL at
the same time they neglect God. Such
men should realize that upon them as
upon no other class of the community
the sacred obligation rests TO live and
serve God and TO 'be actively engaged
in carrying on the work OF the king
dom of heaven upon the earth. If
professed christians are inconsistent
because they take no part in politics.
then surely he is doubly inconsistent
who, while actively engaged in poll
tics, takes no interest in the prOpa-
cation Of Gods kingdom upon the
earth. Politics and religion should
not be divorced and it is the bane of
mankind that to a great extent they
are so divorced. 1 beg of you there
fore. to render to Caesar that which
belongs to him and to render TO God,
that which belongs to Him.
4. All we have belongs to God. II
is said that comparisons are odious" .
and to compare two duties as to their
relative importance is generally un-
wise. Between two moral evils we
should choose neither, and between
two moral duties we should neglect
neither Duties do not clash for the
one is always supplementary to the
other. At the same time il Is true
that our first obligation is to love and
serve God 1T is he that hath made
us and not we ourselves, and we are
his people, and the sheep of his pas
ture" IL is therefore, our bOunden
| duty TO render to him the loyalty of
our hearts and lives. All our inter-
/ ests for time and eternity are wrapped
up in our duty towards God. and as
honest men we ought TO render TO
/ him the things which he demands.
\ Every man is under obligation to be
! engaged in some form Of christian
work No matter how much personal.
! business. or national matters may
! press upon us. we should not forget
! the things pertaining to the kingdom
| of God. We should feed the poor,
comfort the sad educate the ignorant.
and save the souls OF those that are
| lost. This should be our personal
work. and to do this more effectually
we should join with the church in her
organized efforts In persuading the
masses TO serve God. and should CO.
operate with every organization whose
object is the propagation OF the king
dom OF God on the earth.