Citizen Sunday.

Thames Star, Volume xxx, Issue 9449, 27 September 1899, Page 2

Citizen Sunday.

REV. J. MACKENZIE'S SERMON

The Rev.! J. Mackenzie preached on Sunday evening in connection with Citizen Sunday in the Primitive Methodist Church, taking as hi& text Mark xiii., 17: * "Kender unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." From the action of our Lord on this occasion the preacher deduced the principle that every man has at once political as well as religious duties. The service of his country and of his fellows is/as much a sacred duty as the cultivation of personal piety within his own.' soul. It does not follow on this account, however, as is often supposed, that, were Christ to return to me world today, he would be hrst of all not a religious teacher, but a social and political reformer. "It. is idle,'' says Henry Drummond, "to talk of Christ as a social reformer, if by that is meant that His first concern was to improve the organisation of society, and to,provide the world with better laws. These were among his objects, but his first concern was to provide the world with better men." There are therefore many, modern fallacies that have ho basis in the teaching ol Jesus. In many quarters there is a pathetic faith in forms of government and in legislation, but iJarliamenta are never wiser or more righteous than the communities that elect them, and legislation is effective only in soi far as it represents public opinion. In some of the American States there are laws for the protection of life and property as wise and just as the mind of man could deviße, and yet in these same States, even in our day, they burn negroes at the stake, and corrupt the Legislature with bribes, and shoot one another in the public streets. Hence the absolute necessity for a leavening spirit working within society. A genuine revival of religion would do more for this country than the adoption of any brand new scheme of social or political reform. Were the uplifting power of the Gospel to be felt intensely in the community, it would soon be felt also in our Houses of Parliament, for public opinion would be^purified and uplifted, selfishness would give place to concern for the general good, men of honorable character and worthy motives would be elected to honorable positions, and the whole tone of public affairs would be sweetened and ennobled.

According to Christ the Christian is the true leaven of society; he must therefore use every opportunity that is given him for influencing his fellows. Hence it is his plain duty, according to his circumstances and abilities to take part inthe public life of his country and to carry with him the spirit of Jesus Christ. In a Christian land men of Christian principle should be at the head of affairs.' That this is often not the case is due to the apathy of Christians in relation to their civil and political responsibilities. Such apathy is not only unpatriotic; it is un-Christian. Again it is necessary that disciples of Christ should seek more> and more to embody in legislation the moral sense of the community. It is absurd to expect that religion and morality can be taught by Act of Parliament, but on the other hand it is supremely reasonable to expect that legislation shall not fall behind public opinion; that it shall not sanction publicly what privately we believe to be wrong; that it shall not tolerate in the community abuses against which the conscience of the nation has revolted. It is impossible for the gospel of Christ to bring forth Its perfect fruit in society, while legalised iniquity meets it at every step. It is therefore the duty of Christians to keep to the front at all times grave moral issues. It is expected of them that they should be concerned not simply about roads and bridges and votes to local bodies, but that they should desire to see our Parliaments giving expression to Christian opinion in relation to those great moral questions which are the perplexity of every age and country.