The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-01-03

Was IL not most natural Tor christ 10
| advise his fellow countrymen to live
| with one another on terms OF mutual
! friendliness. and not On terms OF mu-
| tual antagonism: 4 cherish love, and
not hatred, and not TO be so quick to
render evil for evil. DO we want Him
TO speak these same words TO us today
i'm a fashion which the western world
can easily understand, and to admon-
ish Germany to teach in her schools
not hatred. but good will toward other
nations" Here the Author puts a hy-
pothetical question to Jesus which
gives us. so to speak, the whole ques-
ton in a nutshell.
Teacher what thinkest thou? A
mighty nation lusting for world do
minion has gone forth to battle and to
conquer. For a whole generation her
government has been. shaping the
minds of her citizens to fit this pur-
pose. For a whole generation she has
been beating the plowshares into
cannon, and the pruning hooks into
rifles and bayonets. For years she
has infested the whole world with
spies ranging from Ambassadors to
housemaids. Her rmie thoroughly
trained for battle are like the sand
of the seashore for number. She has
armed the earth, the sky, and the
waters under the earth. Her day has
| come.
She has opened her mouth and said.
International obligations and treaties
are mere scraps of paper, and neces-
sity Cher necessity knows no law.
Her iegions have come forth like
dragons of steel. Her howitzers have
crashed their way through neutral,
~unoffending countries, believing vic
tory. believing doom. She has put to
the sword men. women, children. she
has terrorized the seas, sunk hospital
ships, as well as merchantmen,
bombarder defenseless towns and
cities. and carried away as war tri-
butte the hard earnings of innocent
conquered peoples. She has melted
three hundred million Mohammedans
to raise and massacre their christian
~neighbors, has wantonly destroyed
homes and vineyards and temples of
worship and tortured her prisoners of
war. This mighty nation is sweeping
whole countries with fire and the
sword, and threatening the very foun-
dations of human freedom. II she
realizes her dream of empire she will
put the whole world for generations
to come under the heel of autocratic
| rule. Teacher what thinkest thou?
Is 1t lawful for us to resist the ag-
| gression of mighty power by force of
| arms. or covet bondage for ourselves
| and our children :" = @g
There can only sbe reply from
the lips OF our Lord and Master. To
advise quiessence and nonresistance
to such a rule would be unlike every
| thing we know os the Lord He is
King of the Church, and Lord Of the
World. What is His reign but IN of
righteousness? How is it possible for
righteousness to coexist in the same
world with such a system of oppres-
sion backed by scientific might as
Germany has in~augurated? The no
ton that Christ was but a manifesto,
tion of big simplicity Is not in accord
with His character as revealed In the
Gospel. He fought with evil every
inch of the way" Get thee behind me
Satan" was His constant command.
When tine high priest at the tribunal
of justice smote Him on the one cheek
He did not turn the other, but turned
on him. and in cutting language said
III | have spoken evil bear witness
of the evil. but If not. why smitest
thou me-? lave we forgotten how
with a whip Of small cords He drove
the unholy trafickers from His temp
lie? True the angels ang peace on
earth and that is the ideal toward
which His Gospel is forever pressing.
But in the progress toward that day
He does not mince terms in His OPP
position to the forces of evil ever In
operation. Did He not say. II come
not to send peace but a sword" the
sword of perpetual warfare against
evil in all its forms. And do we not
hear Him saying to Germany, "They
nOnfinued To mare 81