The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-01-03


forenoon from the
text below quoted.
On both occasions
EpASI0R RJSSELEn his audiences sat
spellbound for
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 IsraePs greatest Prophet,
Jesus, sent forth his message of recon-
Citation to God. At the time of his
birth angel visitors, announcing him,
declared that his birth signi6ed good
tidings 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 unfulfiled. We find the world In
more warlike condition at present than
ever before Europe has a standing
army of over q 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. 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 a new method Of
warfare. And the latest information
is that a 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 great struggle
DctW sci Llt AdllOHoi ny 0O 41Ot thC
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
inal God-likeness of love in the human
heart and, instead, implanted the OPP
posite disposition of selfishness. BY
heredity sin and selfshness have per-
meated our race As we read, "Be-
hold. I was shapen In iniquity; In sin
did my mother conceive me" psalm
Ii, D.. This is true of the entire human
family. We gloss the surface. We
make a show of giving a little money
for the education of the heather. We
make a little show of religious activ-
fly In Christendom, but the great sur
plus of wealth is spent in self-gratiica-
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. Why? Because, despite our gloss
Of civilization, the world well knows
its own selfishness, its own greed, its
own thirst for power and it wisely
reasons that in others selfishness 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 declarations. We
are merely calling attention to facts
indisputable facts.
The Scriptures graphically describe
our present condition. They give us a
word-painting of what is now going on,
saying, BEAT your plow-shares into
swords and your pruning hooks into
spears. Let the weak boast that they
are strong" and endeavor to keep pace
with the strong. "Come, get ye 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 Darkness shall terminate and
which will prepare the way for Mes
siah's Kingdom (Joel iii. 9-13).
Thank God for the assurances Of his
Word that the great ''time of trouble,
such as never was since there was
nation" which is about to burst upon
the world, whose masses are better
educated than ever before and trained
to the use Of all military equipments,
will be but a short struggled The init
nation of the Scriptures is that If
those days should not be shortened,
no flesh would survive But for the
elects sake by virtue of the Kingdom
Of Gods elect being established-those
days shall be shortened. Then will
come the reign of the Prince of Peace
and, as the prophets declare, he shall
~ anu UNIV OOAOIOn WIZ udu 10
wars, but to whom every knee bowed
and every tongue confessed. His King
dom of righteousness will be a King
dom Of peace, Notwithstanding the
fact that it will be ushered In by such
time of trouble.
u Came Not to Send Peace"
But do the Scriptures contradict
themselves? What did the Great
Teacher mean when he declared, 81
came not to send peace on the earth,
but sword?' (Matthew K, 34.) Ali
he referred prophetically to the eff
feet which his gracious message of
love and favor would produce in the
world during the reign of sin. He
well knew that the Prince of Darkness
would oppose all of his followers, as
well as himself. He foretold that who
soever would live cody would suffer
persecution-and so 1t has been. Eight
cen centuries have proven it! He sent
forth his followers, like himself, un-
armed, to be peacemakers, to be help
ers, to follow peace with all men and
holiness, without which no man shall
see the Lord" He counselled his fol-
lowers, ''He that taketh the sword
shall perish by the sword" But their
message of peace and love and the
coming Kingdom which shall bless the
whole world and fulfill the angelic
prophecy of our text-these things
seem to anger the world-not merely
the vicious, the ungodly, but the world
ly professors of godliness who have
schemes and plans and theories of
their own to work out which are con-
trary to the Gospel Message. The