Arizona republican., 1916-05-29

Jeremiah, 476, 7--"O thou sword of Jehovah. how long will 1t he ere thou be quiet? Put up myself Into thy scubbord; rest and be still. How carst thou be quiet. seeing Jehovah hath given thee a charger was the text of Rev, George R. Narney of the First Baptist church yesterday morn ing. Dr. Varney said:
 With far seeing eye the prophet saw destruction about to descend upon the Philistines from the mighty Babylonian monarch, Nebuchadnezzar, The Phil istines had always been the sworn enemies of the Israelites, and yet as the prophet beheld their fearful doom, the humanity within him cried out in horror: 70 sword of Jehovah. how long will it be ere thou be quiet? Put up myself into thy scabbard; rest and be still" Then the prophet within him answers the question and command of the man: How canst thou be quiet seeing Jehovah hath given thee a charge?" The sword was wieded by the Babylonian army, impelled by the imperous and relentless will of the
 
 purpose of Almighty God. who was in this way punishing the Philistines for their hostility to Him and His people. This gives us the theme of the day, "The Divine Mission of War"
 Let it be acknowledged at once that General Sherman's words were well within the truth when he said, War is hell The wicked waste of money. the wholesale destruction of property, the ruthless marring of Gods foot stool by bursting shells and marching and entrenching armies, the cruel slaughter of men, the unholy desecra- ton of women, the forcing of weakling fathers upon unborn generations through the staying of the fit in bat tie, the devilish hate aroused, the un- leashinS of the devil and brute in man these cruel, savage, inhuman. fiend- ish, internal, devilish, God -displeasing, man. destroying evils have character ized to some degree every war that has ever been waged since man lifted first his hand against his fellow man. It is as if the vile serpent of hell had Sorged himself with all the nameless abominations of the neither regions and then spewed it out upon the earth, to rot and fsster and spread pestilence broadcast over the face of Gods fair world.
 What do l mean, then, by speaking of "The Divine Mission of War;" Do | mean that God has used so hellish thing as an instrument with which to accomplish his purposes? mean exactly that. Withhold your condemna ton until 1 explain:
 Millions of years ago God began tC prepare this globe to be the dwelling place of man. An earthly home foi man was his purpose. Silent, unseen beneficient forces were the most con- stant agencies that he used. The mol ten mass cooled the rocks crumbled the sediment was washed down into the sea and lower levels, seeds sprout- ed. vegetables grew. animals flourished the ages sped their silent course anC at last mans home was ready for him But when these silent and customary forces were inadequate to accomplish what God desired. he used earthquakes volcanoes, the uplifting of the noun tains, the glacial period-forces mighty and appalling to man. but beneficen in their final result. These Titar forces have destroyed human life anC property and are commonly regarde, as mans worst foes. Yet it is to the reproductive energy alone that we ar indebted for the very existence of dr, land. Our forests and fields. are fe, by soils prepared long ages ago be meath the ocean; we build our house of stone thus prepared; our store o coal and other minerals has been give us in similar manner Instead, there fore, of dreading lest these might forces should. acquire new energy. w should rather fear lest they lose thei force.
 Now just as God has been workin upon this globe, to fashion it into hi ideal so he has been working upo man, to fashion him into the likenes of his Creator. And, as in the forme case the agencies used have been mos often the silent and unseen force! Humanity has been changed. is bein changed, and will be changed, unt the moral world shall be transformeC as the physical world has been, an the change has been wrought, is bein wrought, and will be wrought. mos largely by the silent operation of thos