Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-08-23

The sef-denial of which the Mas
ter speaks in the text is not to be
thought of as an impulsive act, or as
a spasm of self-forgetfulness, but rath-
er as a habit of life The self-denial
to which he refers is more than I'M
selfishness in meeting emergent de-
mands. 1t is more than Eberality in
times of special public need; it is in
reality matter of daily practice. The
Master no doubt places special empha-
sis upon daily" when he says, "f any
man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow me-" A self-denial which
is less than a fixed principle of life
and less than a daily practice cannot
usher a man into the comradeship of
Christ in service. If ever we follow
him truly it is in the way which he
here describes
In the day of our nations glory and
power. with the doors of Christian op-
portunity wide open in every land, we
have failed to enter fully into the
Masters plan for his world. Christ
has been too largely shut out of the
|, life of the American people through
gradual yielding to the subtle temp
tations of great prosperity. We have
accepted with indifference his great
commission and have put forth but
meager effort to evangelize the ma
| tions. The love of luxury and ease
has produced such softness and self
! indulgence in the churches Of Amer
| lea as renders difficult the response
to a challenge which demands heroic
self-denial and self-abnegating service.
The American people have, however,
been brought by the exigencies of war
to the practice of self-denial, self-sac-
rifice and liberalfty in giving to an ex-
| tent unprecedented in our history.
Splendid has been the response to the
nations call for men and money. Both
! are being offered without stint. The
moving of the American heart in pity
for human suffering, and the new eval-
uation of physical strength and moral
| power, have led the American people
to pour out their wealth in order to
feed the hungry, heal the suffering,
comfort the sorrowing, and to equip
and protect our soldiers in both moral
and physical efficiency. In the awful
| school of war we are learning lessons
of great moral value.
The peril is that after the war we
may lapse again into the softness and
needless self-indulgence of other days.
Weary of self-restraint and self-denial,
it will be easy to rush again to the
frfvolities and pleasures of the world
and to the luxurious living to which
the American people have become so
accustomed.
In such a return to self1shness, self
indulgence and self-love, there are i'm
mfnent perifs to our nation and to the
cause of Christ. Against such a peril
our people must be protected. This
can best be done by keeping before
them the Masters great world-pro-
gram: The enterprise of foreign mis-
sions. 1t alone of all human enter
prises carries the full moral equiva-
lent of war; 1t alone makes like ap-
peal to that of war-to love, to 10y
atty, to courage and self-sacrifice. The
missionary enterprise alone presents
the utmost appeal of love to God and
of love to our fellow men. It devel
ops as no other obligation or activity
the sense of the Fatherhood of God
and the consciousness of the brother
hood of man. If we would preserve in
the heart of this nation the finest, the
noblest, the best products in human
character of this great war, we must
make of America q great missionary
nation, fred with passion for world
wide service. To this end the churches
of America must be held to a vision
| of the Masters missionary program
for the world. They must be led tC
see that victory for the allies is but
a partial victory and the worldwide
peace which the allies demand bu
: a temporary peace, unless we hold the
J salient" already driven into heather
, darkness, and resolutely drive on t.
, fullest success in the foreign mission
} enterprise. There is no possible basi'
; of permanent world-peace which doe
) not take account of Christ and hi
) kingdom on earth.
It is of supreme Importance, there
: fore, that we hear with new interes
: and resolution the Masters challeng
; to self-denial. Having learned in wa
[ through love of country the meaning
5 of willing self-sacrifice, let us nov
} for love of Christ learn the full mean
ing of following him in sacriflcial Serv
Ice.