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Show CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP. Is there such a thing as Christian citizenship? No, but it could bo created. cre-ated. Tho process would bo quite simple, and not productivo of hardship hard-ship to any one. It will bo conceded that every man's first duty Is to God; it will also be conceded, and with strong emphasis, that a Christian's first duty is to God. It then follows, as a matter of course, that it Is his duty to carry his Christian code of morals to tho polls and vote them. Whenever ho shall do that, ho will not find himself voting for an unclean un-clean man, a dishonest man. Whenever When-ever a Christian votes, ho votes against God or for Him, and ho knows this quite well. God Is an Issue in every election; Ho is a candidate in tho person of every clean nominee on every ticket; His purity and His approval are there, to bo voted for or voted against, nnd no fealty to party can absolve His servant from his higher and more exacting fealty to Him; Ho takes precedence of party, duty to Him is above every claim ot party. Christians and the Ballot. If Christians should voto their duty to God at the polls, they would carry every election, and do it with ease. They would elect every clean candldnto in tho United States, nnd defeat every soiled one. Their prodigious pro-digious power would be quickly realized re-alized and recognized, and afterward there would bo no unclean candidates upon any ticket, and graft would cease. No church organization can bo found In tho country that would elect men of foul character to bo its shepherd, its treasurer, and superintendent superin-tendent of its Sunday school. It I would bo revolted at tho idea; it would consider such an election an Insult to God. Yet every Christian congregation in tho country elects foul men to public ofllce, whilo quite aware that this also is an open nnd deliberate Insult to God, who can not approve and dcc3 not approve tho placing of tho liberties and the well-being well-being of His children in tho hands ot Infamous men. It is tho Christian congregations that are responsible for the filling of our public offices with criminals, for tho reason that they could prevent it if they choso to do it. Thoy could prevent It without organizing or-ganizing a league, without framing a platform, without making any speeches or passing any resolutions in a word, without concert of any kind. They could accomplish it by each Individual resolving to voto for God at tho polls that is to say, voto for the candidate whom God would approve. Can a man Imagine such a thing as God being a Republican or a Democrat, and voting for a criminal or a blackguard merely because party loyalty required It? Then can wo imagine that a man can Improve upon God's attitude in this matter, and by help of professional politicians invent in-vent n bettor policy? God has no politics pol-itics but cleanliness and honesty, and It Is good enough for men. A man's second duty is to his family. fam-ily. There was a time when a clergy-mans clergy-mans duty to his family required him to bo his congregation's political slave, and voto his congregation's ticket In order to safeguard the food and shelter of his wife and children. But that tlmo has gone by. Wo havo tho secret ballot now, and a clergyman clergy-man can voto for God. Ho can also plead with his congregation to do tho like. Perhaps. Wo can not bo sure. Tho congregation would probably inquire whom he was going to voto for; nnd if ho stood upon his manhood and answered an-swered that they had no Christian right (which is tho samo n3 saying no moral right, and, of course, no legal right) to ask tho question, it is conceivable con-ceivable not to say certain that thoy would dismiss him, and bo much offended at his proposing to be a m fl as well as a clergyman. H Still, there are clergymen who a so situated as to be nblo to make i B experiment. It would bo worth wh B to try It. If tho Christians of Amen , could bo persuaded to vote God ai. fl a clean ticket it would bring about , moral revolution that would be inoo H culably beneficent. It would save t I country a country whoso Christian havo betrayed it and are destroying it- H Tho Christians of Connecticut se fl Bulkeley to the sonnte. They sent t.. H the legislature tho men who elected fl him. These two crimes thoy cotil.i have prevented; they did not do it H and upon them rest the shame and tli. responsibility. Only ono clergyman remembered his Christian morals nivi fl his duty to God, and stood bravely b fl both. Mr. Smytho Is probably an out cast now, but such n man as that ca fl enduro ostracism; and such a man a, fl that Is likely to possess tho troasur. fl of a family that can endure It' win, B him, and bo proud to do it. I ki; 9 the hem of his garment. H Four years ago Greater Now Yoru I had two tickets in tho field; ono clean tho other dirty, with a single oxcon flj tion; an unspeakable ticket with that lonely exception. One-half of the Christians voted for that foul ticket and against God nnd the Christian code of morals, putting loyalty to S party above loyalty to God and honor H able citizenship, and thoy came with B in a fraction of electing it; whereas H if thoy had stood by their professed morals they would have burled it out H of sight. Christianity was on trial fll then, it is on trial now. And nothing H important is on trial except Chris- I tianity. Another Test to Come. I It was on trial in Philadelphia, and failed; in Pennsylvania, and failed; I in Rhode Island, nnd failed; In Con- necticut, and failed; In New York, nnd failed; in Delaware, and failed; in every town and county and state, I nnd was recreant to its trust; it has efffisively busied itself with tho small matters of charity and benevolence, 9 and has looked on, Indifferent whilo its country was sinking lower and lower in repute and drifting further and further toward moral destruction. It Is the ono force that can save, and it sits with folded hands. In Greater Now York it will presently havo an opportunity to elect or defeat some straight, clean, honest men, of tho sterling Jerome stamp; and some of the Tammnny kind. Tho Christian vote and tho Christian voto alono will decide tho contest. It, and It alone, Is master of the situation, and 9 lord of tho result. Collier's Weekly. |