Norwich bulletin., 1918-12-24
SHALL eHRlsT HAVE RocM
 AT THE PEACE CONFERENCE

 peace conference? was question ask | ed by Rev. c. H. Strouse in his sef= | nloh on Sunday In9ruin5 at the First | Baptist church. It is nat the easieSt1 question in the world to answer, he i said bsst the shores of time are eoV- 1 cred with the wfecks of nations and | civilizations which made no room for | the Christ. A German said recently in speaking of Germany's downfall; | <It is the greatest calamity that has come to any nation for 2,00O years.n No trace of Christ could be found in German kHltur. If the nations are bent on justice, and they truly desire the triumph of right, why not make large room for Christ at the peace table?
 In continuing his sermon, he said:
 I want to suggest four reasons why Christ should be invited:
 1. Because of his superior intellect There will be some knotty problems to solve at that conference. The best brains in all the world will be needed for their solution. In Jesus are hid all the treasures of wisdom and kitoy-- ledge. .He is uilma atchsd in the purity of his ethical system, the sublin1Ity Of the truths he announced, in depth ap1 breadth of reasoning upon the highest i themes, in logical clearhess, in insight into the moral needs of the Iaca. l Schaff says, Without writing a single 1 line, he has set mere pens in motion ! and furnished themes for moro ser mons, oratiens, discussions, learned volumes, works of art sweet songs of I praise, than all the great mel of an- l cient or modern times" Jesus is il1- 1 tellectually unique in this-men have
 never found one error in his teachings, 1 nor have they in all these centuries of amazing intellectual activity added one bit to what he advanced on moral and
 religious subjects If at the confer l ence his matchelss intellect is fecog- i nized by giving a large place to the principles he enunciated So long ago then the future will be rosy with promise.
 2. Because he is the embodiment 01 Justice.
 There is no possibility of an endur- ing peace without justice. Let injus-
 tiee characterize the decisions Of the
 conference and war is inevitable. Ger
 many asked for so much at the close of tha Franco -Prussian war that in
 ustice was done France-peace coult
 not be permanent-and now Germany
 seems to have losRan. We now insis
 on justice and we ask what is it? Jus l tiee is the impartial award to evert ]
 the rendering of h,s own to every man What is due is determined by what { man is; what he is includes his ca pac:ty to become better. The relation between justice and benevolenee. is in terestilg. Strict justice cannot rende 1 to anyone less than that which is ap
 proprfate to him; but boneyolence cal ask for nothing more. BenevoIepce in ,, tends what is well for the creature
 justice insists on what is fit. Blu
 what is well for us and what is fit fo
 us exactly coincide. If room is mad ,. for Christ at that conference then jus : tice will be done to all
 3. Because his love and 'frientI1Ei
 are international and ihterraeial.
 No one nation can claim Jesu , Germany seemed to think she had monopoly on God, but Christ belongs
 all the nations. It is impossible ofte
 because of training or distance to ge
 the true perspective. A man in th
 l Occident is likely to have some diff q cu1ty in seeing the Oriental's point { 0 view. President Wilson in America an y Lloyd George in England may look at . question form an altogether differel s angle. Then it is a natural tendenC = that man will be biased in favor s his native country. This could III ;, 1
 great Interna tionahst-he thinks aI q loves and plans in international term e 4. Because He has power to enfoft Ii His righteous claims.
 is Let not America or England boa q of superior power. Christ has at Fl ie disposal all the forces of heaven al 1t earth and will marshall them, if .ne IS essary, that justice may te dGr s, 1 Christ's will is not an arbitrary thir ,- but it is based on justice and He h. F. power to translate that will into a 2t ton.
 II In an article by Dr. Robertson, CT 5, titled, How God Saved Venice, we S IS how easily Christ may overcome Il d, enemy and shatteF every scheme a, man for His own sglary. The Pia' s- river is from q quarter to T half mi le in width It Is easily crossed by hoa Il, or handbridges. 4 large eontinge T. of the Austrian army had crossed vi ss guns and ammunition but no fo le supplies. The soldiers were told th 5y when they cached Venice there Wou
 be plenty of food and wine and al /. they were advised to carry a sack
 which to carry awaf the spells. Of e cers provided themselves with lar ;n chests for the same purpose. T III l Austrians were within six and a qua -a+ ter miles of Venice. Triumph seem ,t , certain. Twenty four hours of "a 2, l on the mountains and the Pi8Ve D nf came a mighty Ha.l Of water. Bj'idg ; and boats were aIl swept s.W;ly. Lar a ~ numbers Of troops crossing the riv D, were drowned. Those who had / 1t n ready crossed were rot strong enoh ,a 10 make their way to Venice and til,] +o ell the other side of the river cou |, .o not come to their rescue. They we 4 trapped and either killed UT ma prisoners. Venice was saved and | ,n gentle rains from heaven did t of trick.
 VI Will it be possible that this gre 4 Christ will have no place accord 'aI Him at the peace conference. shot p pa like to see Him made as welcome of our brave setdier boys were at Ch 0- teau-Thierry. The battle was at
 height. The Germans wore pouring
 q hurricane of shot and shell. liau ., fire and poison gas and the stro }L French veterans were giving way h " fore the never-ending hordes of o of rushing Huns The French comma re der was already preparing for ht e. ried retreat. The outlook was dark mt the road to Paris and the heart