The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1938-10-27

Personal hberty"-what endless
misuse was made of that expression
in the days when men seeking the
right to again food this country with
intoxicating liquors were attacking
prohibition. One would think that
some Of our political leaders and
our newspaper editors would blush
| for shame when they see what has
now been accomplished in the name
Of personal liberty.
My liberty ends, as someone has
well said, where yours begins.
have the personal liberty to swing
my arms as far as the tip of your
nose, but there my liberty ends. ALI
of life is, and necessarily must be
built on that principle. For the
Christian there is an even higher
measure of responsibility-hiS rela-
tionship to God and his consequent
heart interest in the welfare Of his
fellow men.
Our Scripture portions for today
present sharp contrast. Man
without God, but with every earthly
advantage Is pictured in Ecclesias-
ties in his fruitless search for real
Joy. Then man as the glad bond
slave Of Jesus Christ is spoken OF
in Romans as truly free and joyful.
1. The Way Of Emptiness and Dis
appointment (Eccles. 2:1-3, 10, I'D.
l, Physical pleasures do not sat-
isfy (Eccles. 2:1-3). Men who have
tasted the distress and disappoint-
ment of life are prone to think that
if they only had all the money they
wanted, and an opportunity to par
take of life's thrills" they would
be happy. Solomon had everything.
He deliberately set himself to prove
the pleasures of this world. He
planned to "enjoy" intoxicants-do-
ing it with wisdom" is, not
in a drunken debauch that would
bring remorse. Note it, you who
advocate the moderate use of alco-
hol Whatever that may be) Solo
mon found it to be only vain empti-
ness. (See Prov. 1881, 32.)
What is true OF wine is also true
of the attempt to satisfy oneself by
the qualification of any physical APP
petite. Those who live for the pleas
ures of the flesh can reap only cor
ruption (Gal. $50. The hectic
search for such satisfaction by
countless men and women today re-
veals that they, like Solomon, cam
not find it. If they did, they would
cease their wild searching. 1t just
is not there.
2. Pleasures Of the mind do not
satisfy (Eccles. 2:10, 1D. Solomon
sought real joy in labor, in accom-
plishing worthy ends. There is
satisfaction in work well done, but
that JOY is only lasting when the
doing of the work is for the glory of
God Work for it's own sake-yes,
even wisdom for its own sake Gee
cles. 1:12-18-is not enough to sat-
isfy the soul of man. The great
poet Goethe, who set himself to en-
joy the higher pleasures of life-art,
science, and hterature-came to his
seventy-fifth year to testify that he
had never had four weeks Of gen.
uine pleasure" Satisfaction is not
in the pleasures of the aesthetic ma
ture.
ii. The Way of Victory, Peace,
and True Joy from. 6:17-23; 14:2D.
We say with Paul God be
thanked" that there is a way for
men to find freedom from the sin
and disappointment of life. 1t comes
by
l. Personal allegiance to God
(Rom. 6:17-23). Clear thinking on
spiritual matters recognizes that
the man who boasts of his personal
liberty, his freedom from Gods con-
troll over his life is in reality the
slave of sin wv. 17-19; Titus 3;3).
On the other hand, the one who is a
willing bondslave of Jesus Christ is
free The way of victory and peace
is to yield to God, even as the way
of defeat and disappointment is to
yield to sin. The first way leads to
Joy in this life and eternal fellow
ship with God. The other way re-
suits in ultimate CHASTITY disilluslon-
ment in this life and eternal splritu-
al death and separation from God.
Q. Recognized responsibility for
others from. 14:2D. 1t should not
take two minutes of intelligent con-
sideration for any man to understand
that none of us liveth to himself
ard no man dieth to himself (Rom.
14:7) Yet that is the obvious as
; sumption under which men live,
leaving behind them not only their
own wrecked lives, but carrying
; along in the stream of their person
al influence their acquaintance,
friends and members of their fami-
hes.
The principle stated in Romans
14:21 should govern all of our &C
tons. Paul was speaking of meat
offered to idols, which he could have
eaten with clear conscience. But
if he ate it someone else would be
caused TO stumble, and he was rath-
er willing to do without it as long as
he lived. One wonders what would
happen In the Christian world if
every protested follower of Christ
would thus evalaate Dct only The
use Of intoxicants but also his every
r personal habit.