The Republican., 1900-12-27
"Peace and Good WILL


The acrid sneer rises, with the read
mess of desire, to the lips of pessimism
and heedlessness, that despite the
nineteen centuries old proclamation
of ''Peace on earth, good will toward
menV the world is yet filled with war
and hatred. 1t is true. The closing
century has been in warlike aspect
the peer of its predecessors, its later
years no less than it's earlier. This
latest anniversary of the advent of
the Prince of Peace sees more than
one actual war, with practically all
the great Christian nations arrayed
in semi-welfare and displaying much
ill will. AS for the elemental passions
of belligerency and hatred, they still
rage, in public and in private, and
the song of the sword sounds an omi-
nous antiphone to that of the angelic
choir. 1t is quite true, as true as pes
simism and heedlessnes could deem
it.
Untrue, however, in origin and pur
port is the malicious inference which
is drawn, that the proclamation of
Bethlehem is a failure. The error
lies in the Interpretation of it, that
peace and good will were to be injec-
ted perforce, nolens volens, into all
human life. No Interpretation could
be more mistaken or more mischiev
Gus. We have only to recall the
warning of the Forerunner, Repent"
for its denial Centuries before Re
pent!" was the burden of Messianic
prophecy. And in the fultilment of
prophecy the same note was predom-
inant. He who came with a procla-
nation of peace and good will also
declared that He brought sword to
earth, and surpassed the most ye-
hement of old time prophets III His
rebukes of generation of vipersn
and His menaces of the 'damnation
of hell" There is in all his life and
works no hint of findiscriminate'' peace
and good will falling, like the rain,
upon unjust and just alike. 1t is only
through fruits meet for repentance
that these are to be obtained, and the
only good will vouchsafed to all is the
Z opportunity of procuring peace
through repentance and the forsak-
ing of sins. To the unrepentant
Bethlehem is no more hopeful than
Sinai
Now, this is the lesson of the day,
that peace and good will are come in
to the world for such alone as will ac-
cept them on the only conditions in
which acceptance is congruous or
possible. AS the Revised Version has
it, peace among men in whom He is
well pleased, or, in the words of one
of the most sympathetic and true
hearted of Interpreters of the Word,
''Be peace on earth, be peace on
earth to men of gentle will!' That
was the proclamation which has been
no failure. And we believe that more
and more its potency triumphantly
prevails. Each year sees some acces-
sion of peace to men of good will.
But it does not and it should not see
the slightest relaxation of the unre-
lenting campaign against evil will and
all sin. A sensational agitator the
other day declared that primitive
Christianity gave no warrant for
'crusades against vice" He was
strangely forgetful of the casting out
of devils, as well as of the fate of
Ananias. Peace and good will were
never meant to be a compromise with
sin or a condonemeQt of unrighteous-
ness. On the contrary, there is no
truer way of promoting peace on
earth and of manifesting good will
toward men than in unfailingly re-
buking sin and exercising evil spirits.
That is the Christmas lesson and
the Christmas duty for individuals.
1t comes with equal force to the city,
the State and the Nation 1t is idle
and worse than idle to imagine that
the city is to show good will to its
dwellers by giving free rein to all
manner of vice and disorder, or that
that the Nation for the sake of peace
is to stand silent and inert in the
presence of national or international
wrong. We shall have peace on
earth when the earth becomes fit for
peace and worthy of it, and good will
will be manifest to all when all are
such as the GiYer of good will is
pleased with. Meanwhile let it not
be said that peace and good will are