The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-12-30


spellhound for Il
much longer time than the majority
have been in the habit of listening to
a discourse. Deep eagerness was also
manifested to receive from the ushers
AT the close free copies of Pastor Rus
sells Booklet on What Say the Scrip
lures About He'll" The speaker said
Eighteen centuries and more have
passed since Israel's greatest Prophet,
Jesus, sent forth his message of recon-
Citation 10 God. At the time of his
birth angel visitors. announcing him.
declared that his birth signllied good
,idings OF great joy which shall be to
all people, and that this would mean
peace on earth and good will amongst
men" duke ii, 10. III. Yet after
eighteen centuries these prophecies are
still unfuldlIed. We find the world in
more warIiEe condition at present than
ever before. Europe has a standing
army OF over million OF the picked
men OF its several nations. And even
onr own country has deemed il neces-
saly 10 considerably increase its stand
ing army. On every sea are great
battleships requiring thousands Of
men and millions of dollars for their
upkeep. not to mention the millions
Of dollars which they originally cost.
And sill more war vessels are plan
ned with greater guns, some OF which
expend thousands of dollars for pow
der and shells for even one days tar
get practice 1t is safe TO say. too.
that the chief interest in and chief
backing OF recent experiments in
aerial navigation come from the War
Departments of Christendom.- which
see in such devices new method Of
warfare And the latest information
is that new torpedo has recently
been invented more powerful, more
destructive, more terrible than any
previous device.
What means this great battle array,
this preparation for 4 great struggle
between lie nations? Why do not the
nations ,iisband their. armies and dis
mantle their navies and turn these vast
ed energies 20 human profit, to making
the earth 10 blossom as the rose? The
answer is-Sin Sin married the orig
inal God-likeness OF love in the human
heart and, instead, implanted the OPP
posite disposition of selfishness. BY
heredity sin and selfishness have per-
meated our race. AS we read, Be
hold. 1 was shapen in iniquity; in sin
did my mother conceive ME" psalm
Ii, y. This is true of the entire human
family. We gloss the surface. We
make Il show of giving little money
for lie education of the heather. We
make a little show of religious actiy-
ity in Christendom, but the great snr-
plus of wealth is spent In self-sratifica-
alcoholic beverages alone cOnsum-
inc MANIFOLD the amount dOled out TO
benevolent enterprises of all kinds.
Peace, Peace; but No Peace.
For centuries the world has been cry
ing out. Peace, Peace; yet there is DO
peace" but still greater preparation for
war. Why? Because. despite our gloss
Of civilization, the world we'll knows
its own sellshness, its own greed, its
own thirst for power and it wisely
reasons that in others selflshness and
greed similarly rule. Hence. with all
their protestations of friendship all the
governments of the world distrust, dis
believe one another. And now we have
reached Il place where the disbanding
Of the armies of the world would be {,
1a. Of
men thrown on the labor market. al
ready glulted, would be dangerous.
And 10 leave our cities unprotected
would invite anarchy in every land.
We are not endeavorIng to discourage
peace conferences and declarations. We
are merely calling attention to facts
indisputable facts.
The Scriptures graphically describe
our present condition. They give us Il
word-palnting of what is now going on,
saying, Beat your piow-shares into
swords and your pruning-hooks into
spears. Let the weak boast that they
are strong and endeayor to keep pace
With the strong Come, get We down
TO the Valley OF Jehoshophat"-the val
ley OF death--the place of the great
struggle with which the reign OF the
Prince of Darkuess shall terminate and
which will prepare the way for Mes.
siah's Kingdom Joel Iii. 9.l3,.
Thank God for the assurances Of his
Word that the great slime Of trouble
such as never was since there was a
nation" which is about to burst upon
the world. whose masses are better
educated than ever before and trained
10 the use Of all military equipments
will be but 4 short struggle! The init
nation of the Scriptures is that il
those days should not be shortened
no flesh would survive. But for the
elects sake--by virtue of the Kingdom
Of Gods elect being establlshed-thost
days shall be shortened. Then vii
como the reign of the f'rincc of Peace