DUTY VS. RIGHT by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 23, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 37.

DUTY VS. RIGHT.

By Editor

REV. ROBERT COYLE, D.D., of the First Presbyterian Church of this city, preached a most impressive sermon, last Sunday, on "The Signs of the Times," especially as manifested in the great strife between labor and capital. Among the good things uttered was that the question of the hour for us is not, What are our rights? but, What is our duty? The Bible enjoins duty oftentimes at a great sacrifice of rights. He spoke of the almost universal and selfish cry of "rights," which was raised in opposition to every faithful warning of evil. If the great liquor curse were denounced, the cry of "personal rights" was raised. If the corrupting influence of wealth were mentioned, it is said that we are trenching on the "rights of capital." If law and order were demanded, and the crimes of strikers were deplored and deprecated, we were told that we were against the workingman. But God demands of us duty, stern duty to all, rich or poor, high or low, duty to God, duty to man, without reference to our rights.