NO COMPROMISE WITH EVIL.
By S.
The Christian can not compromise with evil and retain his right to the Christian profession in any particular. The extent to which he compromises is the extent to which he becomes the servant of Satan; and he who is doing Satan’s work in one thing can not in anything do Christ’s work efficiently. He who does for expediency that which he knows to be wrong is giving service knowingly to the work of the adversary. Such are not serving Christ. “Ye can not serve two masters.” That is why a true Christian will not be found advocating any kind of “regulation” of any kind of evil practise or business. Regulation of the liquor traffic and the social evil has given to them a vantage, an impetus, and a claim of respectability which have increased their power for harm a hundred-fold. The only thing a Christian can do toward such evils is to shun them himself and use his utmost endeavor to influence all others to do the same. He will use every means which a Christian can use for their total suppression, but compromise with them, never; regulate them, never; suspend them a portion of the time with the understanding that they are to operate freely the rest of the time, never. Compromise is surrender. That idea is in the word, and that fact is in the deed. Compromise is the enemy’s weapon for beating down every opposition; and he has put it into the hands of thousands of the professed followers of Christ. It is advocated all along the line, and its effects are seen all along the line in surrender of principle to expediency; in cold formalism in the churches; in worldliness and theorizing on the part of the individual. The great drift is in that direction; but true Christianity is not found in the swirling current of the great drift. The Christian can not compromise with sin in any matter whatsoever.