The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1914-11-13

man warfare, makes us assert with
the same breath that He is holy
God, and that He cannot look with
the least allowance on sin, that
He is in a great conflict against 1t,
and that He will one day overthrow
It.
But, when we come to look at the
other side, we reach difficulty.
And we might as we'll admit it at
the outset. Although God is the
author OF what we might call the
moral warfare between the world
and Himself. can He be said to be
the author OF that thing which We
call physical war? Now in order
that we might fully appreciate the
difficulty, let us remember that the
moral acts OF man find expression
in his physical state. This is what
I mean. If we were perfect spirit
ual beings, then all of our acts.
whether moral or immoral, would
be reflected in the spiritual state.
Murder would be a spiritual state
and thousand and one things
which find their expression in our
physical natures. Therefore. does
it not seem perfectly rational that
the conflict between right and
wrong should find some expression
in the physical man Men who are
lighting each other mentally find il
hard TO keep from fighting each
other physically: men who are ar
raycd against each other in a great
moral battle, resist with difficulty
the temptation to array each other
in physical combat. The one springs
out OF the other.
Now, TO use concrete example
of what l mean. we will turn to
page in our own history and one
which is familiar to every child. ]
mean the story OF American Revo-
luton. 1t is not TO be den ed that
the thoughts and the impulses OF
liberty and democracy are to be
traced to the teaching of Jesus. ANY
student will tell you that the Bible.
and that the words of Christ. are
the very words from which sprang
he longing for liberty and right in
he human breast. and that this
longing has marked it's pathway
along human history. One OF its
'rises came in our American Revo- !
ution. Now, am not justifying all |
hat was done in that war. / do not
mitigate bit of its cruelty, and its
evil But l want you to look be-
heath the surface at the reason for
t. Is 1t too much to say, reverently. |
that God planted the seed
II the human heart, which finally ,
'ore fruit in that conflict which set
he Amer can people free? If YOU
.sk me: could God not have done
I some other way?" | answer.
i do not know" II you ask me
Can you reconcile this with other
hings which we know about Goi?"
say: Il cannot do it," But, the
act is ever before us, that from
iod's inspired word came the seed
which finally resulted in the freeing
4 the American states.
And now, to come nearer to our
wn time. Has God caused this
resent war? Let us look at two
hings. First OF all, at least some
I the warning nations are n It for
he purpose OF keeping faith with
ach other. / do not, Of course, mean
hat this is the only reason. But
his Is one reason. II is the con-
let between those who broke faith
nd those who opt il. And this
eeping OF faith IS a teaching of
iod's word. "He that sweath to
is own hurt, and changeth not"
ays the Psalmist. IT IS the con-
rete struggle for moral thing.
Then look at the other side Of IL.
rance. as far as we can see, was
lopelessly plunged into infdeIity: /
iermany into free thought, England
nto commercialism, Russia into
Irunkenness, and Belgium into
trocities in Africa. In other words. 4
hese people were drifting away.
nd were forgetting the God of their .
athers. Does God ever punish i'm
his world. or does He always wait l
Until the other shore is reached? .
rhe loss OF life is appalling, the
daughter is terrific. but maybe, out