The Yale expositor., 1898-05-20

the army, and say: Hear o Israel, we
approach this day unto battle against
your enemies, let not your hearts faint,
fear not, and do not tremble, neither
be we terrified because of them!" and
then the officers would give command
TO the troops, saying: What man is
there that hath built a new house and
hath not dedicated it? Let him go and
return to his house, lest he die in the
battle and another man dedicate it.
And what man is he that hath planted
a vineyard and hath not eaten of 1t?
Let him also go and return unto his
house, lest he die in the battle and
another man eat of it. And what man
Is there that hath betrothed a wife and
hath not taken her? Let him go
and return unto his house, lest he die
in the battle and another man take
her." Great armies marched and
fought. In time of Moses and Joshua
all the men were soldiers. When Is
rael came out of Egypt they were Co.,
600 fighting men. Abijah commanded
100000. Jeroboam commanded $780,
600 men. of whom 100000 were slain in
one battle. Some of these wars God
approved, for they were for the rescue
of oppressed nations, and some Of them
he denounced, but in all cases it was
judgment upon both victors and van
quished. David knew just what war
was when he wrote in the text:
Though war should rise against me,
in this will | be confident"
David is encouraging himself in
stormy times, and before approaching
battles administers to himself the con-
solatory. So today my theme is the
Alterations Of War" War is organ
ICED atrocity. It is the science of as
sassination. 1t is the convocation Of
all horrors. 1t is butchery wholesale.
1t is murder glorified 1t is death on
a throne of human skeletons. 1t is the
coffin in ascendancy. 1t is diabolism
at a game of skulls. But war is here.
and it is time now to preach on its al
leviations.
First, find an alienation in the
fact that it has consolidated the north
and the south after long-continued
strained relations. 1t is thirty-three
years since our civil war closed and
the violences are all gone and the Sc
verities have been hushed. But ever
and anon, in Grafton, in sermon. in
newspaper editorial, in magazine ar
ticle. on political stump, and in con-
gresslonal hall, the old sectional diff
ference has lifted its head and for the
first time within my memory, or the
memory of any one who hears or reads
these words. the north and the south
are one. BY a marvellous providence.
the family that led in opposition to our
government thirty years ago, Is rep
resented at the front in this present
war; Nothing else could have done
the work of unification so suddenly or
so completely as this conflict. At
Tampa, at Chattanooga, at Richmond,
and in many other places the regi-
ments are forming. and it will be side
by side. Massachusetts, and Alabama.
New York and Georgia, Illinois and
Louisiana. Maine and South Carolina.
Northern and southern men will to-
gether unlimber the guns and rush
upon the fertilization and charge upon
the enemy and shout the triumph. The
voices of military officers who were
under Sidney Johnson and Joseph
Hooker will give the command on the
same side. The old sectional grudge is
forever dead. The name of Grant on
the northern side and of Lee on the
southern side will be exchanged for
the names of Grant and Lee on the
same side. The veterans In northern
and southern homes and asylums are
stretching their rheumatic limbs to see
whether they can again keep step in a
march, and are testing their eyesight
to find whether they can again look
along the gun-barrel to successfully
take aim and fire. The old war cry
of ION to Richmond" and ION to
Washington" has become the war cry
of ION to Havanai" ION to Porto
Ricoi" ION to the Philippine Islands!"
The two old rusty swords that in other
days clashed at Murfreesboro and
South Mountain and Atlanta, are now
lifted to strike down Hispanic abom-
nations.
Another alienation is the fact that
in this war the might is on the side of
the right. Again and again have liber-
ty and justice and suffering humanity
had the odds against them. 1t was
so when Benhadad's Syrian hosts. who
were in the wrong. at Aphek, came
upon the small regiments Of Israel.
who were in the right, the Bible put
ting 1t In one of those graphic SEN
fences for which the book is remark
able-"The children of Israel pitched
before them like two little fiocks of
kids, but the Syrians filled the whole
country" 1t was so In the awful de-
feat of the Lords people at GiIboa
and Megiddo. 1t was so recently when
gallant and glorious Greece was In
conflict with gigantic Mohammedan-
ism, and the navies OF Europe hover
ing about the Bosphorus were in prac-
tical protection of the Turkish Gov