Southern Standard

To keep the dividing line sharply drawn between God's people and the world's people in all life's relations, God's people should be out-spoken for the right against wrong, and thus let the world's people know what they profess to be, and what they are. On all questions of courtesy and of principle they should hold positive views, and take an uncompromising stand. The man is not worth much to any party who has not the moral courage to assert his convictions. Decision and firmness are the two supports that every Christian needs for his own comfort and usefulness, and which leaves in no man's mind a doubt as to on which side of the line he belongs.

If to denounce social evils means to him who dares to do it social ostracism, let him do it. If for a man to bravely stand up for the right against the wrong; if for him to nobly assert his convictions, when those convictions are against the interests of his party, means political decapitation, let him suffer the penalty rather than forfeit his Christian manhood.

While bigotry and intolerance are to be guarded against, the duty is upon the Christian of carefulness, lest he be betrayed into sinful compliances which involve the sacrifice of principle. Never should he persist in pursuing a way, or fostering associations which he knows to be contrary to the mind and will of God, and in opposition to his own conscientious convictions. It is hard for men, even Christian men, to decline affiliations that insure them affluence and eminence, but if such affiliations are detrimental to virtue, and injurious to their spiritual interests, the severance must take place, though it be like plucking out a right eye or cutting off a right hand.

"Come out from among them, and be ye separate," is the command of God to His people, which He does not modify to suit individual cases. It discriminates in favor of no one, be he prince or peasant, rich or poor, high or low.

Rigid asceticism is not what the Scriptures teach, or this article advocates. Christians are not required to fence themselves in from the rest of mankind, and to have no intercourse with them. Christ did not do this. He mingled with men, and blessed them; but His fellowship was only with His disciples. Society, business, religion, the welfare of mankind-all require that His followers should mingle with their fellow men, but there is not a single divine precept that enjoins that they shall fellowship them, choose them for their bosom companions, while there is line upon line and precept upon precept in the Word of God cautioning Christians against it. Though in the world, the children of God are not to be of the world.