423),
In the parable of the Prodigal Son we see the depth of degradation into Avhich a man is brought when he breaks away from his God. In the case of the prodigal, the initial step was taken when the undisciplined thought was harboured in the heart. His mind fretted and rebelled against the restraints of his father's house, he wished to go out into the world and to see life, he wanted to be free from all control. The next step was the undisciplined word, 'Give me the portion of thy sub- stance that falleth to me.' And the final step was the undisciplined act, ' He took his journey into a far country, and tiiere he wasted his substance with riotous living.' Here the thought first ran riot, and the rest followed.
Christianity, therefore, is a religion not merely for a part of our being, but for the whole man ; it touches him in every relationship of life and in every aspect of that relationship. It teaches him to ' live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world' (Tit 2'^). While righteousness represents his attitude towards his fellow-men and godliness his attitude towards God, soberness represents his attitude towards himself. Sober- ness {ffwcppoffvv-q) is a right balance in all things ; it is the bringing of tlie lower part of the nature into siibjection to the higher, the flesli into subjection to tlie spirit ; it means the spirit of man, guided l)y the Holy Spirit of God, governing the soul or intellect ; then the soul or intellect, tinis sanctified, governing the flesh ; and the whole man, body, soul, and spirit, kept under control, held in hand, just as a spirited horse is held in hand by an experienced rider ; moving on, not torn asunder by conflicting interests, but advancing steadily in one direction upwards and heavenwards.
A temperate man is one wlio rules himself,
who lets every act that he performs have its own proper place, who gives everytliing its own due proportion, who does not eat too much, drink too much, sleep too much, talk too much, or do any- thing in excess. We live in days when there is an inordinate craving for amusement : amusements have their place, and, within limits, are not only necessary but good for us ; but when they absorb so large a portion of our life that its more serious duties have to give place to them, then they be- come extremely hurtful. They should be regarded as sidings ott" the main line of our life, opportunities for recruiting our tired and weary energies, so that we may return to our work with renewed vigour ; and when thus used they are very helpful. A temperate man will exercise self-control with regard to these as well as in all other matters.
But while temperance is an all-round virtue, the term has come to be used very largely with refer- ence to self-control in a particular direction, viz. in the matter of strong drink. When we speak of 'the Temperance cause' or 'Temperance work,' we generally mean the efforts that are being made to suppress intemperance in the use of alcohol. Our Temperance Societies are directed towards this object, and so the word ' temperance ' has come to be used almost exclusively in this con- nexion ; and it cannot be denied that there is some justification for it, because the ett'ects of the abuse of strong drink are so patent and so terrible that they attract attention in a way that few other sins do. Temperance is not necessarily total abstinence ; it is the use, as distinct from tiie abuse, of strong drink. Total abstinence may be necessary ; for the inveterate drunkard it is necessary ; for him the only remedy, under God, is to abstain alto- gether from that wiiich he cannot use in strict moderation (cf. Jesus' words in Mt S^**- ^). Again it may be necessary for others besides drunkards, viz., for those who are to rescue the victims of strong drink, for we all know that example is far more powerful than precept ; we are far more likely to be able to help those who have fallen into this abyss by saying to them, 'Do as we do,' than by saying, ' Do as we tell you.'
But while total abstinence may be necessary for some, especially for those of us who are working in the slums of our large towns, it is not enjoined upon all ; the strictly moderate use of alcohol cannot be said to be a sin ; and to sjieak of it as though it were a sin, as has sometimes been done, is only to weaken the cause that we have at iieart ; it is the abuse of it that is a sin, and therefore, while abstinence is not enjoined upon all, temper- ance is enjoined upon every Christian man and woman.
Our Lord tells us what is the end and aim of our fallen but redeemed and regenerate humanity, ' Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect' (Mt S'^). This is the goal set before us ; and to reach tliis goal our attitude must be that of the spiritual atldete, straining every nerve and exerting every muscle, keeping under the body and bringing it into subjection, running the race set before us, ' looking unto Jesus ' (He 12'-), looking unto Him as our example, looking unto Him for strength, pressing onward from stage to stage, from strength to strengtli, from one degree of perfection unto another, ' unto a full-grown man, unto tlie measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ '(Eph 4").