The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-11-30
British Weekly on the War
RIGHTEOUSNFSSJTHEN
PEACE.


PEACE
First being by Interpretation King
of Righteousness, and after that also
/ King OF Salem, which IL King OF
heacc."--Hebrew vii. =.
We hated war with steadily grow
I ing hatred and adherence. We hate
/ It moro than ever. and lah> with long
! ing for it's end. A greet and powerful
| movement for peace was at work in
/ TIE world. and has not been defeated
! though 1t has been stayed. But we
never said that all wars were to be
condemned We knew too we'll that
huge ornaments were being piled up.
/ We became familiar with the language
/ OF menace and hate. We had TO say,
II am for peace. but when I speak
! they are for war" At last me storm
burst upon US. and found us but par
! TALLY prepared. while the enemy had
prepared bv ALI means-~fair and foul.
| When the time came we calmly took
Our side. Never In any previous war
was the nation so united and SO stead
! fast. We had not renowned our quest
for peace, but We saw that something
came before that. That something
was righteousness Our Lord Jesus
Christ is first king OF righteousness,
and then king Of peace.
T.
First. righteousness Had Il not
been for that we might have had a
kind OF peace 1t would not have
( lasted long unless we had become so
I craven as to fear a night in any cause.
1t would have been a selfish gnoble
and cowardiy peace. bought at the
price Of open and cynical treachery.
/ We might have renowned our plight
I ei word. our honour. our obligations.
Z We might have torn up tsae scrap Of
paper and left little Belgium to her
/ fate. But It could not be. It would
J have been peace which would have
made US the scorn OF the whole world,
/ and left us without q friend. Such
perffdy and saSa ignomiry would
have been many times worse than
war.
While the battles rage our hearts
are often anxious and heavy. They
will be for months to come. We shall
/ have bitter news az well as joyful
news. Our endurance and our faith
will he tested to the uttermost. Con-
slider how much more wretched we
should have been IL We had been out
OF this war. il we had been watching
the ruin Of our Allies and remained
passive. Better war we say from our
hearts. than the tame acquiescence in
the claim OF the German mllitarism to
dominate tle world,
But Jesus is first king of righteous
ness. Is this an antiquated phrase
covering a dead thought? Nay. verify
1 i is the spring OF life's hope and OF
/ its highest JOY. Righteousness Is the
/ keyword of Christianity. 1t is the
granite foundation Of our faith. The
! idea Of righteousness is not a simple
I nd rfrn Of he
! Whoever understands ST Paul's in
tense conception Of righteousness
knows that ii was the secretnsp ring
OF the Apostles spiritual power To
/ him tHe Gospel was primarily a
declaration Of the righteousness Of
God Even love took second place TO
righteousness This idea was given
from above, II was not evolved from
the inner consciousness or from
survey of the worlds history. The
whole course OF revelation Is the
gradual unwilling of the righteous
Cod which reaches its end in the New
Testament. Once we know what
Righteousness meant to the Apostles
We have not muGh more TO learn.
| agree with the eminent preacher
who said that IL we as a nation had
never known Christ we should have
been mt peace. 1t is Christ who has
! jltDS ill2 SIiitjd over talb weak tUIESS
: Of the world The love of liberty, the
adherence Of tyranny, the care for
the rights of other nations. the sacred
obligations of honour. would have had
no power to move us to battle had
it not been for the spirit OF Christ
within us, Tho devil would have ad-
vised us to be neutral He would have
| whispered TO us that nothing was ="
be put In comparison vita our own
comfort and prosperity and security.
He would have advised Us to be con-
tent with our little island. and to obey
i the hests Of our masters. and to cas-
/ to the wind the old superststions about
/ justice and mercy and courage and
faith. No, il Is because we are Chris
tians that we have gone to war. II
is Christ Himself who slas hidden us
draw the sword for the cause Of
righteousness.
First righteousness, and then peace
by which I mean righteous peace.
! There is no other peace worth striving
/ for. no other peace in which men can
he ha ppy. Is 1t possible for US to hope
that as a result Of this frightful war
such peace may come to u.s. There
! are many who are comforting them
selves during this agony by the
4 thought that this war will mean the
( end OF wars. There are others, less
sanguine, who say that as long as sin
remains war will remain. To get rid
! OF war we must first get rid Of the
! evil ulnt is in mems hearts. l can
not help thinking that we may look
! forward hopefully to the end Of war
| IL a righteous peace Is reached I
! decline to accept war as the per-
! manent condition OF human society.
f, Slavery has been all but banshed
from tle world and may not war be
banished? When We come to the end
% the weary strife we shall see many
things in a new light, We shall see.
as we do not see even now, the horror,
| the pity. the futility. the ruin and the
waste. which follow in the track OF
war. I would fain hope that when
the course of this world war Is calmly
SlIrYeNed. the anneal to the arhtfra.