"CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP."

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12368, 6 December 1905, Page 9

" CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP."

THE SELECTION OF CANDIDATES. SERMON BY REV. R. S. GRAY. A topical eormon was preached by the Rev. l<. ri. Gray, at the UaptLst Cnurch, oil Sunday morning, tho eubject being '' Christian Citizenship.' , Mr Gray, whopreaeued from tho text, " Tho Powem that be are or<.ai;ied of Goci," Mid Jie made no ior j speaking upon Christian citizciinuip irom I inu liapcwt puipit, tor ono ot the great, g.ories ot UK) iiaptj,t Unurch wan ma*. it Wins lined iv tn<j good pismcieiite ot Uou more tiigtuiiy uiau any otud" iv lilt gieut baiuo. lur civil tits-vioiu, Wuicti i;au iiau to be- Itiugnt b«luio mc [.eop.o coiiiu jCjuu wlu-ro uioy to-~«u.> .us uiuiuuuito ol a. Ciiusi.au u«.m<xiiwy. Hu bJioiiiu Jiavo tvunt..u iiiiflßv.li JiauMi to his trUbt, an a m.nioier 1' he liua liel<l jxacc, m v.ew \.i tne taut that Curistian mon and wuiueii would bo caaeU upon wulnu the iicxt lew uayes to utter mur voioo v i>l.ll Liiat v.'iiicn coneern..-fl, not omy the ot ii.an, out tne luuguom ut Uoa. i'ev>i jjlo mv become, so accu»ioin«jd to tne i evil rtbtiito oi what wua caucd mc imer- | iereneo or the Cnurcn with tne ! that tin-re Una been a thtcinig t,lt to I tho other extreme, ana uuiiiy tamest , and thoughtful men had saiu liiat tho (Jnurcli muet sUind wiiony tx-pauue lioni tho Sstate, and the btate niu.t» I wliolly b<-pdia>ed trom Hie Cuu.cli. lie was pcisuaued thai Uouc> Ultimate purpoho was rt union, a junction, <J tno Church to tho .-state, ana v tne hta.e could, bo governed oiiiy by meji, it would then be pon»iblu to begin to .set up the Kingdom ot Uod un mo eariii. Since that wa.s true, it was right that every Christian man and woman should accept tne i\.6pon-iunty tliat they womu omy vote for, aim i.avo to <lo with, men who weie lit to lepieetnt the principles whiciLWv.ro rep.cheated in tho ivingtioni or Goo, mm by tho Kingdom of God. It was not his on ice to name candidates, but it was his olhco to lay down bratul principles which he thought obtained in tin; mind of God and m tho Kingdom ot God, and whicli ehouid govern those who were citiz.:no ot tho j\ing<iom. "What would happen if every Cuimuan man in tho colony eaid next Wednesday: 4- l J wive nothing to do with the things ol tarih; 1 CviiI uo'i tako any part in them?" At tho first election the result would not be 6o apparent, but if that attitude wore maintained, bad iiwii , would (ill our Parliament, and bad laws , would bo passed. If the Christian in— I fliienco were to bo withdrawn from poll- < tics, the thing would become absolutely corrupt, and tho government of tho country would bo left to pcoplo who did not love Gcd or their fellow.s. That was an unthinkable and impcesiblo position. GocVb purpose all through tho ages had ' been to have godly men seizo the powers of tho World. The people got all tho advantage they got from their citizenship; how then could they stand asido and say it was a matter of no concurn Ito them whether good mon or bad mon were elected to Parliament. If the Christian men and women of the calony would rise to the true heigfit of their dignity ne Christian doniocrnU, they could have an absolutely clean Parliament; a Parliament that placed character and righteousuoi« firet, and that never truckled to any monopoly. He was not a party politician, but as a minister ho ! had got hie views on pariy politice. In tho choice of a candidate ho always put character first. If there etood before him a man who ea-id ho believed in. tho leasehold, and another who eaid he believed in the freehold, ho would voto for the man of character first. If tho man who agreed with his personal politice was of doubtful character, and tho nmn who disagreed with his personal politics wan of good character, he should vote for the man with-the good character. Ho woe content to leavo tho ksiio in tho hands of God, and had no manner of doubt as to tho result. He said to them, therefore, choc.jc niet men of fttaiuleas character, ; men about whom there was no suspicion, no breath of unclccinncee; choose clean, decent, righteoiifi, upr.ight, moral men ha their representatives. Perhaps tho only other thing he could lay down as a general principle was that tho pe<a>le ehould hiiro men in Parliament, who, after being, of cood character, were prepared togivo righteous laws. He would not voto for .any who voted in favour of "the totahsator; he would eooncr disfranchise himself; ami he would vote for no man who stood against the Np-licenso movement. Ho had nothing whatever to do with tho two parties; he had, ac a minister of Gcd, a great deal to do with tho character and the moral measures of the men who were eeeking tho suffrages of tho city.