Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-12-18

but thee hurch did not favor the pres
ent conflict, her influence has aided in
securing previous periods of peace,
and IN the future, in spite of her eff
forts, unchristian passions will plunge
into war even nations that are nom
ipally Christian. The church cannot
prevent war so long as individuals re-
Jcct her Lord and refuse to obey his
laws.
Secondly, the church must proclaim
the divine lordship of Christ with in
creased earnestness and fervor. IL
must demand submission to him in
every sphere of life, social and politi-
cal, believing that nothing but his re-
creating Spirit can subdue those pas
! slons and impulses and lusts from
which wars spring.
Thirdly, the church must pray for
peace. This must be no empty form,
re perfunctory duty. The object of
this petition must not be merely to
end the present appalling catastrophe
Tut that the Spirit of God, in the flu
ture, may more completely control the
minds of all rulers and peoples. There
is significant connection of ideas
III the injunction of the apostles that
"supplications, prayers, and inter
| SNoSiOHo DG lOI Ill men,
kings and for all that are in author
reaceable life, for this is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our
Saviour, who will have all men to be
saved and to come unto the knowl-
edge of the truth" Are we not to
conclude that such prayer is a real
power, resulting in national peace
which makes possible the proclamation
of the saving truth of Christ? Surely
the church is to pray for the abate-
ment of war, which is the greatest
conceivable obstacle to the evanpeli-
cation of the world.
Fourthly, the church is to cooper.
ate with every legitimate effort which
makes toward the securing and main
tainlng of international peace. Whily
resting her hopes OH no human prog.
rams, and on no professions or prom.
ises of unchristian men, the church
can help both in her separate congre.
cations and in united conferences, a.
well as by the influence of her indi
vidual members, to create a publ,
opinion adverse to war, favorable t.
disarmament and to the arbitration OF
international differences.
Filthy, the church must cultivate
and practise the virtues which make
Tor peace. At this very crisis, wher
the horror of war is most obvious, how
difficult it is for Christians, even of &
neutral nation, to be kindly in theil
Judgments of all the contendine
forces, to be generous in their sym
pathies, to be gentle in their expires
SONS, to impute no wrong motives, |,
falsely interpret no actions, to believ,
that other Christians from who's,
opinions they differ may be in tn,
right and they themselves in tn,
wrong, to "think no evil" not to ere
Joice IN iniquity," to "bear all things
to endure ali things" to be "kind
Eearted, tender, forgiving, loving.
There are other ways in which tn,
church can aid in securing peace, bu
possibly in no other can more be don,
than by expressing in life the spirit
OF him who came not to be minister
et unto, but to minister, and to Civ,
his life a ransom for many" For in
ternational peace can only be main
tanned when nations are controlled n,
longer by the law of selfishness, bu
by law of love.
Such law will some day be recop
nized under the supreme and univer
sal rule of Christ, and in hasteninl
that day no other agency can have =;
part comparable with that of tn,
Christian Church.
Princeton, N. J.