The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1900-06-07

Warfare from the Christians
Standpoint.

0NcAA EVAANa
The Rev. a. Cato Kaye IN his SER
mon on Memorial Sunday in union
service at the Christian church, so
logically presented the teachings Of
Christ regarding war, that the COM
rades Of the g. A. r. and ladies of
the r. @. unanimously requested its
publication. He very graciously ac-
reded to their wishes, although at the
great task OF producing it almost en-
tirely from memory. In writing it
out the reverend gentleman deemed
it we'll to cIf tail III emit many iiiii,as
trations, which those who heard will
miss in the reading, but they do not
detract anything from the forceful
argument, and were given on the
occasion more as oratorieal flourishes
and word-pictures. The text is from
Christ's own lips;
~ came mt to send peace TIT a
sworli n Mott. 1874.
More than 7cO years B G. the
greatest Of the ancient prophets
named the Messiah who was to come
the Prince of Peace = And when
the angel announced His birth to the
Shepherds we read that suddenly
there was with the angel multitude
Of the heavenly host who sang,
"Glory to God in the highest and on
earth peace, good will towards men. !"
In this very chapter, from which our
text is taken, the Christ, in sending
out his disciples for the first time
alone on missions to their country.
men, bids them, among other things,
"When We come into house, salute
| it, and if it be worthy, let your peace
come upon it," And with what
sounds like enigmatical inconsist
ency, closes a, general charge, the
spirit of which is SO gentle and nom
combative, with the almost perplex
ing words, considering their connec-
ton, "Think not that / am come to
send peace on the earth: came not
to send peace, but swords Surely,
here is paradox of the most start
ling kindl The two revelations of
Jesus and His mission seen, to be OPP
posite in spirit and purpose. Follow
one line of suggestion to the entire
I exclusion OF the other and it would
seem as though, according to the
teaching of Jesus, no Christian could
ever be soldier; consider the other
and it is by no means clear that
Christ intended us to draw this con-
c.usion. One thing is certain. If the
first of these conclusions is the only
possible one for a disciple of Jesus
Christ our solemn memorial services
are worse than heathenish; they are
radically wrong, and it is an outrage
on the spirit of Christianity to give
them place in church dedicated
to the worship of God.
Late events, both at home and
abroad, have compelled us to ask
again whether war can, upon any
righteous ground, or under any pos
sible conditions, be defended. To
one who reverently holds that the
teaching of Jesus is authoritative and
final on tie matter, it is of the ut
most Importance to learn, if.one may,
what He really did teach. If His
allusion to the sword is merely a
rhetorical expression for the hatred
which would be felt towards His prin-
ciples by the evil-minded, and the
opposition which those might expect
who chose to live in accord with
them, it may mean no more than that
the Christian is not permitted by the
rule of Christ to resist imposition by
force; but this does not touch the
abstract question of the righteous
ness of war. We all believe, to GER
ain extent at least, that the individ-
ual citizen has no right to take the
law into his own hands and attempt
to redress a real or fancied injury.
Civil tribunals exist for the purpose
of guarding the rights of the citizen,
and whatever natural rights he may
have, regarded as an individual, are
conditioned by his relation to every
other citizen in the state.
Without question truth and right
eousness are the two cutting edges
Of the sword. 1t is one aspect of the
advent of Christ in the world. 1t
stirs up every evil passion, for it
attacks every vice and wrong and
provokes war, and in the strife either
tJe good or the evil must perish from
the bosom of man, and finally from
the universe. confess, too, that
there is much in the Scriptures and
much in the example of the early
Christians which, at first sight, seems
to lend force to the EXTREMIST doc
trine of non-resistance; that appears
to teach us that Christian ought to
bear all the results of steadfast vir-
tue without striking a blow in her
defense. But are not the very words
strifen and "war, meaningless If
one party is allowed to be the unre-
sisted aggressor and the other mere
naGaiva yiatirn9 Rut VIC win not ofaY,