The Portland daily press., 1895-12-30
R uMoRs OF WAR.
Earnest Sermon by Rev. Dwight M. Pratt
at Williston Church Yesterday.

DWlgnt III. Hratt preached very able
sermon to an audience practically limited
only by the seating capacity of the house
The text was ''They shall beat their
swords into plowshares, and their spears
into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift
up sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war any more"
Mr.. Pratt said that the closing years of
the nineteenth century are in strong con-
trast with the spirit of Christianity, and
the expectation of the church. Not until
our day has the prattling tongue of
mankind begun to lisp the words.
brotherhood, unity and peace" and the
nations of the world have not yet mt
away childish things, and now just when
the nations of the earth have begun to
come closer together, an almost universal
conflict is threatened, sure to end in dis
trust and distress, and this at time
when the church looked for brotherly
kindness and peace.
This certainly is not the vision which
greeted Isaiah on the outermost limits of
his far off horizon. That which fixed his
attention and excited his rapture was
not the temple crowned Zion, but the
CUIuluS hlISQOlu vi uliC ul6SSldu. he SH W
the Prince of Peace by precept and ex-
ample winning all nations to his stan
dard, and war giving place to peaceful
industry. That hope has never passed
from the minds of men, and no darkness
has been thick enough to obscure the
splendor OF the time of universal peace.
War, cruelty, murder, lust and bloodshed
are not the highest heritage of the race.
The true humanity which sin has choked
will oaFtainIv the nd
peace will then be the result.
Nations will learn war no more, and no
cannon crowned fortresses will be the
marks of the worlds advancing oiviliza,
ton. But this is to come only as the re-
suit of personal Righteousness. None but
the people of God are expected to beat
their spears into pruning hooks, the
judgements, are only to rejoice in
weapons of war. War is the trade of
barbarism. 1t is the mark of an inferior
civilization. Great principles make
physical conflicts unnecessary. Tt took
the world eighteen centuries to discover
that duelling is the mark of a bully, and
not of hero, and war is the duelling Of
to the sacrifice on Calvary, Jesus enforced
the principles of peace. Victory is won
not by muscle, but by character. Does
not the whole civilized world feel
ashamed today at frances treatment of
Madagascar? That war has been
criminally unnecessary. The manhood of
France has been cheapened and debased
by that selfish, greedy, aggressive con-
flct. Christ in no way modified or
questioned the principle of self defence,
but he advocated a moral grandeur that
would make it unnecessary. He was
conscious of the sovereignty of truth, the
universally of righteousness and of the
all conuuering power of love. He said,
''My kingdom is not of this world else
would my servants fight" but he did not
say that his kingdom was not in this
world. 1t was here and it is here. 1t had
its origin in the heart of God and it
truly came down from heaven. Its
principle was love, it's character right
eousness, it's condition peace.
We have only to look about in order to
see how far the world has departed from
the gospel Of Christ. He intimated that
the process Of redemption would be
slow one He declared that war indi cited
the enraged activity of the devil, and If
that is true then the personal devil Is
very active in human affairs today. All
Europe Is in a state of uncertainty. Italy
Is at war with Abyssinia, France with
Madagascar, Spain with Cuba, Turkey is
a slaughter house, England's affairs are
complicated, Germany and Russia hold
the balance of power in a spirit of
aggressiveness. China and Japan have
hardly laid aside the sword. and their
war did Eot bring peace to Corea. Arabia
threatens to revolt against Turkey, and
nowhereHis there spirit of peace.
But once in the history of this repub lie
has there been an aggressive war. The
war Of the Revolution and the Civil war
were fought out in the interest of
humanity. War is justifable only in de-
| for,a of tin, nj md
and aggressive warfare is criminal. The
standing armies of Europe number
4, 900, 600, and are maintained at an
annual cost of $500, 900, 900, and this
policy has rolled up the appalling debt of
twenty three billions of dollars. even our
own army and navy costs annually $780,,
000, 900. I'D ~
Mr.. Pratt spoke of the results of war.
The Sultan of Turkey is sealing in blood
the doom of his empire England never
made more fatal mistake than when
she attempted to coerce the American
colonies. If England's encroachments in
Venezuela, SPANS in Cuba, Turkeys in
Armenia are selfish, then nation like
ours has the right to say "hands off until
this matter is settled in the spirit of
human brotherhood" Such an action
is not declaration of war, but demand
for peace Sympathy for oppressed peopls
should not be the Hnwritten law of our
land. Even England cares more for the
extension of territory than for the rights
of humanity. Against the babarism of a
needless war he entered a solsmn protest
What is the duty of this nation at this
time if it be not to insist on peace, right
eousness, and the settlement on disputes
between nations by arbitration? But will
that involve war? No. England will
never fight on such pretext. The sur
render of conviction. the Suppression of
feeling in the presence of human wrong
is not the way to help the cause Of
humanity.
These two great nations should stand
rs the opponents of Christian civilization.
1t would almost seem that God has COM
mitted the destiny of the world to the
Anglo Saxon race, and q war between
England and America would set civiliza-
tion back for q century. Ii humun
brotherhood and the principles OF the
gospel are ever to become living reality,
it will be through the cooperation of
these two great nations.
The highway of peace lies along the
line of personal righteousness, If we
would help humanity we must live close
to God Sonator Hoar we'll said that the
settlement of these difficulties on
righteous principles will be compelled by
business men, and the religious senti-
mept of the Two nations Mr. Pratt Ga i'll