The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-10-04
THE SWORD OF JESUS. Mt. 1884
An Address Given al Manchester
September 30th. by George Holiey

is there any connection between the
sword Of Jesus and the sword Of the
present world war. and If SO, can we
determine what that connection is and
see what IL meansg
Obviously, this is practical ques-
ton, for we nll acknowledge Jesus as
our Spiritual Master and we all feel
that this war Is the great burden on
the heart Of the world. We must
know then whether the gospel Of
Jesus Is viially bound up with this
struggle. or whether the two things
are distinct from each other as light
and darkness.
Pious Jews in the time Of Jesus
were expecting that their great Hero,
the Messiah Of their prophets, would,
Mt his coming, destroy his enemies and
set up kingdom Of peace. Jesus told
his disciples that this was not to be,
that the coming age was TO be one OF
conflict
But what was 10 be the nature Of
this conflict Was it to be merely
continuation Of the thousand wars Of
old7 We get light on this question
both from the words of Jesus and
from his own experience.
II came" he said in Old Testament
words, "to set man at variance
against his father, and the daughter
against her mother, and the daughter
in-law against her mother-in-law; and
a mans foes shall be they Of his own
household" In other words, his mes
sage was TO cause separation and
strife.
And that had been his own expert
encc. His teaching had caused vio-
lent outbreak against him in his native
village and it had rent asunder his
own family, for we read that his
mother and his brothers sought to lay
hold upon him, thinking that he was
out of his mind. Thus his teaching
had brought not peace but a sword,
and he told his disciples that it would
have a similar result in their lives.
But what connection is there be-
tween this strife Immediately con-
templated by Jesus and the present
world war? Surely, the two scenes
are outwardly most unlike. Can it be
that they are one in principle?
Plainly, Jesus knew that the truth
OF his message would not be accepted
at once, that conflict between the old
and the new, the lower and the higher,
was inevitable, and that this conflict
would be so bitter that it could be |
fittingly symboized by the term
Sword" The particular forms that
this conflict would assume were Incl
dental, as was its relation to the social
and political institutions of men.
II may well be that Jesus did not
anticipate time when those who pro-
fessed TO be his followers would be
arraycd against each other in deadly
conflict, even as he may not have an
ticipated that earthly history was to
go on for thousands of years. But the
validity of the principle contained in
his words is not impaired even if he
did not foresec all the outworkings Of
it through coming centuries. He
knew that his gospel would not
triumph without sore conflict; that as
he. the master of the house, had been /
treated like Beelzebub, much more
would the servants be. Therefore he
said that he came TO send a sword.
And his words have been abundant
ly fulfilled. Every century since Jesus
lived has seen and felt his sword. His
gospel has fomented strife because il
has aroused and strengthened the
higher elements in man against the
lower elements. This strife, begin
ming in the individual, has extended to
all the relations Of the individual to
the world.
The gospel, sometimes directly but
oftcner indirectly, has brought about
great reformations with their wide
spread social and political conse-
qucnccs both good and bad, ii has in
cited TO revolutions with their accom-
panying violence, and il has promoted
civil and international wars with their
long trains OF sorrow and bitterness.
Thus the Reformation Of the 10th cen
tury, that overturned various govern
ments and rent the Church asunder,
came from clearer apprehension Of !
the gospel by Martin Luther. Thus,
too, our Revolution Of l77S derived its
motive power from that spirit Of de-
mocracy which Is always developed
when the gospel is deeply apprehend- {
ed: and both the Civil war Of 1861 and !
the war with Spain in 1898 were out |
groupings in national life Of the
humane and brotheriy sentiment, the {
love Of right and hatred Of wrong. :