Ripley County democrat., 1910-12-30

Sh bVtAA OSNaoAchs
WslER .,,,a.s his audiences Is. sat {
much longer time than the majority
have been in the habit Of listening to
u 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 Isrsel's greatest Prophet,
Jesus, sent forth his message of recon-
Citation to God. At the time Of his
birth angel visitors, announcing him,
declared that bis birth siguifed good
tidings Of great Joy which shall be to
all people" and that this would mean
''peacs on earth and good will amongst
men" Uuke II, 10, 1D. Yet after
eighteen centuries these prophecies are
still unfulflled. We find the world In
more warllke condition at present than
ever before. Europe has a standing
army Of over a million Of the picked
men Of its several nations. And even
our own country has deemed It neces-
sary to considerably increase its stand
ing army. On every sea are great
battleships requiring thousands Of
men and millions Of dollars for their
up-keep, not to mention the millions
Of dollars which they originally cost.
And still 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. II 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 a 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 a great struggle
between the nations? Why do not the
nations disband their armies and dis
mantle their navies and turn these vast,
ed energies to human profit, to making
the earth to blossom as the rose? The
answer is-Sin. Sin marred the orig
lnal God-llkeness Of love In the human
heart and, instead, implanted the op-
posite disposition Of selfishness. BY
heredity sin and selHshness have per-
meated our race. As we read, "Be-
hold. I was shapen In iniqulty; in sin
did my mother conceive me" psalm
II, 81. This Is true of the entire human
family. We gloss the surface. We
make show Of giving little money
for the education of the heather. We
make little show Of religious activ,
ity in Christendom. but the great sur
plus Of wealth is spent In self-gratifica-
tion-alcoholic beverages alone consum-
ing 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 no
peace" but still greater preparation for
war. Whyf Because, despite our gloss
of civilization, ti> world well knows
Its OWE gal1snness, Its own greed, its
own thirst for power and II 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 a place where the disbanding
of the armies Of the world would be a
dangerous matter. Another million Of
men thrown on the labor market, al
ready glutted. would be dangerous.
And to leave our cities unprotected
would invite anarchy In every land.
We are not endeavoring to discourage
peace conferences and federations. We
are merely calling attention to facts
facts
The Scriptures graphically describe
our present condition. They give rs q
word-painting Of what is now going on,
saying, Beat your plow-shares into
swords and your pruning-ho into
spears. Let the weak boast that they
ere strong" and endeayor to keep pace
with the strong. "Come, get ye down
10 the Valley Of Jehoshophat"--the val
ley Of death-the place of the great
with which the reign Of the
Prince Of Darkness shall terminate and
which win prepare the way for Mes
siah's Kingdom Goel III. 8-ls).
Thank God for the assurances Of his
Word that the great ''time Of trouble,
such AZ never was since there was a
nation" which II about to burst upon
the world, whose masses are batter
educated than ever before and trained
to the use Of all military equipments,
win be but q short struggled The inti-
nation Of the Scriptures ID that II
those days should not be shortened,
no aesh would survive But for the
elects sake by virtue Of the Kingdom
Of Gods elect being established these
days shah b shertsaed- Then win
come ths ssls. sf.thp Prince sf Psaes