The Washington herald., 1918-08-11

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of all who help the enemy by weaken
ton. Demand utter loyalty TO the
cause as the cause Of God and hui
manity.
That Is what we should do IN this
great moral world crisis. We should
seek to arouse the moral indignation
that win permit no neutrality. but
make US cry out: "Ye serpents, ye
generation OF vipers, how oan ye es-
cape the damnation Of hell and Of
mankindr Is 1t not possible for "
now to utter the woes. the damnation
Christ uttered then against the enc
mics Of man without violating his
other precept: Love your enemies Z
II ever then, surely now. THE Son
Of God goes forth to war" II ever.
then surely now. ours II a righteous
war, In a window In Fifth avenue
are displayed some cartoons OF Ger
man atrocities. One looking at them
says he finds himself the victim OF q
strange feeling" Something happens
to the muscles of his jaws. His nm
ger tips tingle and his fists involun-
tarily ciench. An awful desire TO take
some one by the throat grips his whole
being. That u the feeling Of burning
Indignation, of righteous wrath. OF
hatred of evil that we all have or
ought to have. Pity the man who has
not felt this grip ever since the Ger
mans inflicted such unspeakably in
human atrocities upon the Belgians.
Beigians the moral support they asked
for.
But can q Christian feel this grip
- nr ha mi
rather recognize its likeness to the
moral indignation of the Master? We
are sending our boys over there to
kill as many as possible, and can we
not do II with a good Christian con-
science? We are not hating our per-
sofial enemies. We are not resenting
personal injury. II is against the
enemies Of mankind, the enemies or
Gods kingdom. The Psalmist cries
out, DO not I hate them that hate
thee? hate them with a perfect
hatred" There is a ring Of moral
indignation in this cry that finds. or
is coming to find echo in our own
souls. 1t is Gods enemies who in
cite US to anger. 1t need not. should
not have the element Of revenge or
deeds of retaliation. Our boys are
killing them by the thousands with
out this feeling Of personal enmity.
We pray that they may be kept free
from feelings of hatred and deeds OF
brutal retaliation. And yet we pray
God that they may kill as many of
the enemy, and as soon, as possible
innocent and helpless and pitiable
tools of tyrannical militarism-kili as
many as may be needed to break and
destroy the brutal force that would
wreck the results of ages Of moral
conflict. Let us have no feeling OF
shame, no hypocrisy in the matter.
We need have none. Horror and pity,
yes! But how much more for the
whole world now in coming genera
tions IL we do not fight to the finish
and win.
Righteous anger serhaps only the
Master could feel that. With US his
weak disciples. there is always danger
OF the very feeling of hatred against
which he warns us. and of acts Of
brutal retaliation-an eye for an eye
two eyes for one. Brutal retaliation.
reprisals in kind-England has been
tempted to this. God grant that we
and she and all the allies may never
resort to the Hunnish cruelties and
vandalism Of the Germans.
Retaliation and revenge? No. that
is not Christian. Damn the soul of
the German nation? No, save the
German nation Restore her to her
former true greatness. Burn her In
retributory flames? No! Burn her
with the purgatorial reformatory fire
OF war. 1t is not unriGhteous to de-
sire defeat for them, as they are. in
order to bring them by repentance
unto what they have been. Retalia-
ton and revenge. That is the danger
in our righteous indignation. As
Christians We cannot thus hate. This
sort of hatred is soul-destroying-su
eide OF our own souls and murder of
those of our enemies. This is not
righteous Indignation. The Kaiser and
his colleagues. cold. calculating de-
stroyers of the moral values of man.
kind. satanic in arrogance and selfish
ness. more than satanic in atrocities
well. we should have the goodwill
for such meet punishment as will
purge them thoroughly-the consum-
ing fire of the wrath of the Lamb
to burn out all that is burning up
their souls. And so We can and
should pray for them. pray not for
their pleasure and happiness and sue
cess. Woe and damnation to them in
their present state of mind. The con-
suming purgatoIial fire of the good
will of God and man for their re-
pentance. Such be their portion speed
lily for their own real good. This is
the form that our ethical love must
take toward them unrepentant
Let US now pray for them, not as
our personal enemies, but as the en-
emies of mankind:
Oh, Lord of goodwill towards all
mankind. help us to have goodwill
toward our enemies. Grant them
speedy repentance and conversion.
Punish them and help US to punish
them for their inhumanities to their
neighbors. Help the allies to punish
them till they are reconverted from
the brute to the human race. Save
the German people from further deg
radiation Deliver them from wicked.
tyrannical rulers. We remember with
gratitude all that the race owes TO
them as a people-the Protestant Ref
ormation; their attainments in art
literature, music, philosophy, in all
that makes for the culture OF hu-
manity. Bring them back, as a people.
from brutalizing kultur. the worship
OF physical force. Save them as n
people. that they may become once
more great power for good in thy
kingdom on earth. Put their leaders
In the lowest circle of purgatory here
and hereafter. May the wrath of the
Lamb smite them. May the consum-
ing fire of thy love purge out all the
bad will that is now consuming their
souls and bringing such horrors and
desolation to other nations. Give us