The Republican., 1922-05-04
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Prepared especially for The Republi-
can by DR.. U. S. Wright.
SUNDAY, MAY 7.
ISAIAH'S IDEAL FOR A WORLD
AT STRIFE-Isaiah 2:2-4: 11:19
Come ye, and let us walk in the light
of JehOvah.-Isaiah 2:5.
THE VISION SPLENDID
The land Of desire is mans native
heath. Regardless of race or condi-
ton, he walks its ways a citizen and
rejoices in his escape from the
actual into the hoped for Every
youth knows it and every man amid
the fierce forces with which he battles
for bread wishes it while he doubts.
Age often tinges the days of youth
with its actuality, despairs of his
present and lifts his face to the
world unseen for realization. Isaiah,
like all other prophetic souls, saw his
vision splendid which is the first step
toward realization. That it has
found no fulfllment in all the cen
turies does not harm its SPLENDID
nor take away the power of it to
rally an ever increasing number to
give themselves to making it true to
the world of fact. 1t was a crusade
against war that called forth the
greatest devotion Of our young men
in the days of the world struggle.
The fact that war is no longer wor,
shipped as a thing Of glory and a
nations chief business, has already
doomed it to destruction. 1t has be
come a moral issue in a multitude of
minds which spells its ultimate de-
feat as it spelled that of slavery and
is spelling it of alcohol.
The details are not the material
thing, for Isaiah used the things that
lay nearest his own heart in coloring
his canvass, but the broad outlines
are the abiding matters. 1t was his
own dear Jerusalem that should be-
come the capital Of the new world.
1t was the Temple in which he wor
shipped that should capture the de
votion of the race. Zionism at its
best can never hold all of Christ's
plan for His world. The truth the
prophet saw was only religion could
bring in warless world. DR.. JEFF
ferson wrote: "The world has had
three historic scourges: Famine,
pestilence and war. Commerce killed
famine. By her railroads and steam
ships she killed it. 1t lies like a dead
snake by the side of the road along
which humanity has marched up to
the present day. Science has killed
pestilence. The black plague, the
Bubonic plague, cholera, small pox,
yellow fever-all have received their
deathblow. Science did the work.
These foes of mankind lie bleeding
and half dead by the side of the road
along which the world presses on to
a higher day. Who will kill war?
Not science and not commerce, nor
both of them together. Only religion
can kill war, for religion alone Gre
ates new heart Without religion
we are without hope in this world.
Without God we are lost" This is
but another phrasing of the heart of
the Prophets vision.
INCARNATED VISION
No vision has ever yet been real
lied until it had taken possession of
life. Gods plan for saving a world
needed an incarnation before it could
become fact. The dream of Christ's
kingdom lived in Paul before it
swayed Caesars sceptre. America
was born in the brain of Franklin and
Adams and Hamilton and Washing
ton before it was a political unit. Is
aiah knew that if his vision splendid
for the world was to come true it too
must become an incarnation in some
life great enough to set its flame to
light the earth. Having pictured As
syria as cut down cedar with no
prospect of renewed life, he was re-
called to the stump of Israel that
God had left from the enemy's inva.
sion and out Of this living remnant
from the overthrow he saw a branch
growing that should restore the an