The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-04-29
PULPIT PATRIOTISM.
Notes of Sundays Sermons Touch
ing the War Issue.

INK tuC w al lSSuCs
Pastors Erdman and Coultas Preach Strong
Sermons ON the War Question-Not
War of selfishness. But to End Cruelty
and Observation-Disclosures Must Not Stand
Aloof-The outcome of War May Stop
War Forever.
Rev. DIR. Erdman preached patri-
otic war sermon last Sunday morn
ing from the text:
Joshua 5l3-"Art thou for us. or for our
adversariesf''
Exod. l7:l5-"J Jehovah Nissi. the Lord my
Banner"
There are lessons here not ina ppropri-
ate to the present times. First Of all,
we have the fact of Jehovah-the Lord
Christ appearing to Joshua as a 'sman
of war; 1t is worthy of profound at
tention how strikingly the manifesto
tions of Jehovah accommodate them
selves to the various circumstances of
His people. To Abraham, a wanderer
and sojourner in Canaan, He manifests
Himself as wayfaring man; to Moses,
about to be called to lead out his people
from Egyptian bondage, Hereveals Him
self as the Eternal 81 AM" the God of
the Covenant; SO here to Joshua, a
soldier and an officer, the Lord appears
as a Soldier too, Captain of the Lords
host.
Nor was this the only occasion on
which the warrior manifestation of the
Lord was seen. in the grandest song of
triumph in the annals of inspiration.
that time when Moses and the children
of Israel stood %y the Red Sea waves,
they sang, 'sThe Lord is a man of war;
Pharoah's chariots and his host hath He
cast into the sea-" Again and again do
we read that the ssLord fought for
Israeli against their enemies. David, in
his psalms of thanksgiving, exclaims,
"The Lord is my shield; He teacheth
my hands to war; by Thee have run
through troop. for Thou hast girded
me with strength to battles" and in the
tremendous scenes of the close of this
dispensation we are told by the prophet,
"Then shall the Lord go forth against
the nations, as when He fought in the
day of battle the time of which John
theApocaiyptic seer speaks, wheni in sym
bolic vision he beheld the Lord Christ,
''the Faithful and True coming out of
heaven, riding on white horse and fol-
lowed by ssthe armies of heaven" and
sin righteousness He doth Judge and
make war;" Surely it is proper to ask,
would the Almighty so frequently as
sumo the form and present Himself in
the attitude of warrior if all war were
wrong and sinfulf It seems to me the
question answers itself. None the less,
in all circumstances, at all times, war
is to be deprecated as one of the severest
judgments of God. The evil passions it
excites, its ravages, its bloody conflicts,
the distress and terror it carries into do
mestic life, the tears it draws from the
widow and the. .fatherless, its fearful cost
of life and treasure all render war tre-
mendous scourge. Nevertheless, there
are conditions in which war is justi-
fable, is necessary. 1t may the last and
only method of repelling lawless am
bition and defending invaded liberty and
essential rights. It may be the only
method of preventing or repairing injury
which Gods providence points out by
furnishing the means of successful war
fare. In these cases we must not shrink
from war, though even in these cases we
should lament the necessity of shedding
human blood. In such wars our country
claims and deserves our prayers, cur
cheerful services, the sacrifice of wealth,
and even of life. In such wars we are
comforted when our friends fall on the
field of battle, for we know that they
have fallen in just and honorable
cause. Such conflicts, which our hearts
and consciences approve, are suited to
exalt the character, to call forth gener-
Gus sentiments, splendid virtues, to give
ardor to the patriot. resolution to the
hero, and calm, unyielding fortitude to
all classes of the community. It is a
solemn question then which the lips Of
Joshua uttered TART Thou for us, or
for our adversaries?"
To render war justifable it is not
enough that we have received injuries;
we must ask ourselves have sUe done our
duty to the nation of which we COM
plain? have we taken and kept a strictly
impartial position towards her and her
enemies5 have we sought reparation of
injuries in a truly pacific spirit? have
we insisted only on undoubted rights?
have we demanded no unreasonable
concessions? Questions like these must