Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1920-04-15

Later deliverance came through God
raising UP strong leaders who had the
backbone and righteous ideals Of
Joshua.
The whole history shows Gods chief
method of work ng in human affairs.
through the personality of strong
leaders inspired by is spirit and obed-
lent to his will. 1t was his method
in the early beginnings of history. It
is his method to-day.
Gods Leadership Through Men To.
day
There are three very important and
practical considerations which follow
from this truth and which amply to
our life today.
The first is that God still speaks
through men. We make a mistake to
think that God led Israel by revealing
his will through great leaders, but
that such leadership was confined to
Bible times. Why should we think
that God spoke more truly through
Joshua to the people of Israel than he
did to the people of America through
Abraham Lincoln, or to the people of
Europe through Martin Luther God is
still alive and through the lives Of
men who have thought his thoughts
after him and seen the vision of his
purpose and will he speaks to men to-
day The test to apply in determining
whether the leadership is that Of
God is not the test of office or posi-
ton, whether in state or church, but
IS the harmony between the leaders,
acts and message and the truth and
spiNt Of Christ.
God Working THROUGH National Lead
erS
We must choose leaders through
whom God can work This is prac-
tical duty resting on all of us in
which we often fail through neglect
or Indifference 1t is something of a
farce to allow corrupt men to secure
Office and then complacently ask Gods
blessing On "our leaders" Our duty
runs back farther than asking a bless
ing upon whoever happens to be elect.
ed to office. It begins before the cleo
ton. We are bound to do in our pow
er to secure the choice OF men of hon.
or and high ideals os our leaders,
whether it be in the Presidents chair
or in the offices of our city or will
age. We are co-workers with God in
the choice of honest, God fearing
leaders in our political life just as
-. 1t ~
any other way. A corrupt judge in
Israel meant disaster and suffering
for the people, A corrupt Judge in an
American city means Just the same
thing. And each one OF us in respon
sible to the measure Of his influence.
for securing leaders through whom
God can work.
We must give righteous leaders our
loyal support. 1t is a tragedy that in
our national life. and our city life we
are more ready, as a rule, to con-
denim evil and corrupt leadership than
we are to commend and follow good
leaders. Honest men Of high ideals
and purposes are often put into office
in a spasm of reform, only to be de-
serted by the people who ought earn
estly to support and follow them. The
result is that corrupt forces soon re-
gain power. Narrow partisanship
has been responsible for much Of the
injustice, vice, and corrupting which
has flourished in our country We
may be thankful that it is clearer now
than ever that one of the first duties
of the Christian as citizen is to sup
port those men who stand for honesty
and righteousness, regardless of par
tisan affiliations. Loyalty to God in
wolves loyalty to those leaders who
are actuated by Christian ideals and
are striving to establish them. But
loyalty that does not mean stedfast-
ness in the daily tasks of citizenship
is not worthy of the name.