The Monroe journal., 1922-07-18
THE INWARD BULwARk


|ronduet which He enuneiated. We
may not say, even, that He taught
Them. He announced them as simple
fact. The significance of His life is
that He exemplified these principles
30 beautifully that they must eventu-
billy appeal to all mankind. Two and
Two make four. There is no argu-
ment about it. 1t is a simple state
nent of fact accepted as self evident,
But the moment some one comes along
hnd announces that two and two
make five the argument starts.
"If | be lifted up" said Christ, 81
Till draw all men unto me-" Christ
knew what he himself stood for and
be knew the human heart. He knew
tkat his acceptance depended upon
khe degree to which he should be
keld up. 1t did not depend upon ar
kument or disputation OF any kind.
/ depended upon being lifted up; lift
ID as beacon light is lifted, so far
teaching, so illuminating, that all
must see. This is so simple propo-
ition that men, given to mystitica-
ion, constantly run away from it.
rhe contemporaries of Christ ran
way from it because it pleased them
% lift up something else-the:r sys-
Ems, their standards, their precon-
|eptions, their prejud;ces and their
Iuny ignorances which they mistook
|pr knowledge. We are still engag-
u in the task of lifting up something
sher than Christ. and we are then
|lrprised and often grieved that>men
10 not see him. Too often we are
lifting up so many other things that
'te keep men from seeing as much Of
Ihrist as they would naturally see if
LIT alone.
What did Christ mean when he
hid that if he were lifted up he
Iould draw all men to him? He
lust have meant that his followers
kou.d so exampl;fy his truths in their
billy lives that their beauty and sim
Ie trushfulness would attract other
Len. So convince them that this was
Ie better way, that their own selfish
Id ignorant courses would be event
4lly abandoned as altogether unwor
IL. Christ never told anybody to go
Bt and drive men to him. He knew
/ IN well that men could not be so
Iiyen. There is a dignity of man.
bod which never wholly dies in the
man heart. 1t was planted there
i God. and was not meant to be
Iandoned. If men could be driven to
krist they would no longer be men,
Il puppets. So Christ says | am as
magnet. The Goodness in me will
lraet the Pickering bits of Goodness
J men and impel them to come, as
: kindred forces, or substances,
He together.
Eud this is what accepting Christ
lans-I in them ard they in ME.
l. only way in'the world that a man
accept" Christ is to adopt as a
litter OF principle Of daily living the
bulse to be like Christ as near as
Isble-to be governed by his gen
precepts, his willingness to put
i feelings Of others before his own,
desire to do as he would be done
No man can conceive Of wishing
,1receiye an injustice from another.
In, if he follow Christ, he will be
Hble to conceive the desire to do an
,Ist'ce TO another, either by thought
'1deed or lack of sympathy and un-
standing
Il the world colld be driven >to
Hist it would have been so driven
ago. Not since the time when
l1ssantine became an ostentious
Iistian has the world lacked men
y were ready and willing to drive
r to Christ. Their whole efforts
Ie gene for naught and will always
ofor naught. No man has ever been
rlen to Christ and none will be. Of
kse ore may be so shocked in one
" or another that he viii open his
III and begin to cast about to see
. Ii is the matter with him. But he
be driven to Christ, any more
b two and two can be made to
II FIVE. Christ said men would
e to him when he was lifted up.
, ,Ie of any kind is an utter failure
he salvation of the world. Not
does it operate effectively when
1eived in the form of personal
~ besetting the pathway of men
4 driving them with fear to accept
Hst. If the way of salvation were
the devil could drive men into 1t
4e would have been no use for
Tist to be lifted up.
sus Christ appeals to the best
there is in men, not the worst.