"These self-appointed, self-styled apostles of liberty," says Goethe in substance, "these professional emancipators, have always been a disgust to me." Why not? These men that thirst for leadership; these agitators that embitter the heavy lot of the burdened by increasing their discontent and holding up fictitious and, in the nature of things, unrealizable visions of a golden age to be brought about by this or that move--have they no object except the welfare of the people? Are they such self-sacrificing paragons, angels who live only for the blessing of their fellows? Is the rule of Danton, Marat, Robespierre and Company so much better than that of the despicable Louis XVI.? Fooled a million times, the human race is yet again ready to follow into a swamp after the next will-o'-the-wisp that holds out a specious promise. But over against all of these bogus liberators, I would set the example of the true Liberator, the real Benefactor of mankind--Jesus, our Lord. Living under a government as iniquitous as any other, he spoke not a word against it, but rather taught his followers to obey, to respect and honor those in power, to give Cæsar the things that are his, not discussing whether they be his justly or not. His reform came not in the way of organizing movements, haranguing mobs, stirring up discontent in the hearts of slaves and bondmen. It was not the civil government that he was concerned about. The trouble as he saw it lay in the heart of the individual, in his relation to God, and there he began. [103] His instruments for the bringing about better conditions both for this world and the next was the word of God. He converted one, two, three, a dozen, a small assembly, and made good trees of them that their fruit might be good. He instructed them to deny themselves and follow him; and set them to be thus the salt of the earth, the light of the world. He said not a word about throwing off the Roman yoke, or the yoke of slave owner, landowners, capitalists, officers, taxgatherers, but only the yoke of sin. The rest will adjust itself, or be adjusted by him, in due time. And to his people now he would say: "Let the dead attend to their dead. Let the world work out, according to their will and wisdom, their schemes and plans for the redemption of mankind. But follow thou me." So let us do. It is to our limited minds not the most plausible course, but it is the only one that will not finally come to miserable failure. We follow it by faith. Every time you turn a soul to the Lord, you have done more toward the blessing of mankind than all the Utopia mongers and stump orators in the universe put together.

      The power of the gospel through a Christian is twofold: direct, in converting men to Christ; indirect, by the influence of the godly example upon public standards of life and conduct. When boys compete at jumping, and another boy comes along and lays off a new mark to jump to, beating them all, the "racing instinct" will take hold of the rest and they will beat themselves trying to equal the stranger. Sir Philip Sidney lay wounded upon the battlefield, his tongue parched with tormenting thirst. A friend found him and, in response to the desperate cry, brought him a cup of water. Just as Sir Philip was raising it to his lips, a soldier, one of the enemy, a Frenchman, lying near by, terribly mangled, [104] unable to speak, groaned and stretched forth his hands for the water. Instantly the English nobleman put the cup to the dying man's lips, who drained it to the last drop. This one act of self-sacrifice did more good than all that war; it probably did more toward lifting up men, toward raising the standards of humanity in subsequent warfare, toward promoting good will among men, than all the politics of that generation. So a Christian's Christlike acts have an unseen, but immeasurable, influence for the betterment of the lot and circumstances of those multitudes who never obey, and hardly hear of, the gospel of Christ. But they must be Christlike acts--conventional benevolence will not do it; words alone will not do it; but acts of pure, self-forgetful love; sacrifices that cost, that draw blood, like that of the Master upon the cross. My brother so interested in the welfare of the masses, how faithful have you been in these things? Have you so served your generation by the will of God? Talk and politics are cheap; have you given that better thing?

[TAG 103-105]