THE INDUSTRIAL CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
SIR,--In your issue of May 1st Miss Cam well expressed the attitude of many who desire to associate Christianity with political objects. May I be permitted to point out the view which I think has escaped her ? R is one thing for Christians in their capacity as individual citizens to use their -votes to " build the New Jerusalem," it is quite another when as Churches or politico-religious societies they undertake to decide which way of using the vote is in accordance with Christian ethics. They are then confounding the pure and holy teaching of Christ with their own political and very fallible judgments. Our Lord's appeal was always and only to the hearts of men and throughthem to their conduct. He always refused to take the " short cut to the Kingdom of Heaven " by becoming " a judge or a divider," and when His followers as such, with however good intentions, undertake that office they are failing to follow in His footsteps, and becoming to that extent " unchristlike."
This is the principle. In practice it is obvious that as Christian opinion is always divided on political matters, when religious or quasi-religious assemblies express opinions upon them, they do so either by over-riding the equally devout views of the minority, or else by losing representative character and becoming simply collections of Christian men and women actuated by the same political bias. The result, some of us feel, is in either case helpful neither to polities nor to religion.— I am, Sir, &c., ONE QUAHER.
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