LIBERTY! who does not long for it? It may be that one's highest ideal is liberty's perversion, yet his mere longing as such is good. This love of liberty, this longing for freedom, perverted tho it be by human selfishness, is implanted of God in the hearts of men for their good.
In the minds of some persons liberty is so perverted that it means license to do anything human lust demands. This is Satan's grossest perversion of liberty. It makes man the bond-slave of sin and lust, and by sin deludes him to believe that the highest pleasure, the greatest liberty, is devoted service to the cruelest of masters. For the cruelest tyrant on earth is not so cruel as Sin and his unholy mother and paramour, Lust.
Liberty means to the oftentimes anarchist the destruction of existing conditions, even tho it involves seas of blood, innocent and guilty suffering alike. In many anarchists there is a longing for better conditions, a hope that if the present were destroyed better would issue, thoughts of construction as well as destruction; but with many it means the destruction of law and lawful order, Lucifer's aim in heaven, whence came all our misery and wo. The worst tyranny is better than anarchy.
Liberty with some persons means a division of the spoils, the scattering of the wealth of the rich, the division of the lands or their reversal to the State, with a maximum of ease and pleasure and idleness and a minimum of toil, the State a great, indulgent, coddling parent, and the people children, directed in all the affairs of life. The idea is Socialistic. There are many Socialists who have high ideals. They note present conditions, they see the practical working of industrial slavery, and they ardently long for better conditions for themselves and their fellows. They hope by education and evolution and union of effort to accomplish the desired end; but such do not see the true cause, and, in consequence, fail to grasp the remedy.
Liberty means other things to others. Oftentimes to the "union man" it means the strongest rule imaginable over everything not connected with the union, the exercise of the strongest tyranny over those without for the benefit of those within. It is the turning in a new form of the old Mussulman's cry, "Acknowledge Mahomet, or die." We sympathize with the laboring men. We know what labor is. We see the cruel tyranny of unrestrained capital, the overreaching lordship of the trust, the domineering arrogance of the great landowner, the classifying and regarding of men as mere parts of great machines, worthy of notice only as they serve their purpose. All this and much more may be seen by all unprejudiced eyes. There is tyranny and slavery in it; but we do not believe that much will be gained by substituting one form of tyranny or slavery for another. We could not conceive that the slavery of the jack-plane by the saw would be better than the slavery of both by the adz. In other words, Is the tyranny of the corporation magnate worse than that of the walking delegate? Is slavery under the union to be preferred to slavery under the trust? There are honest souls outside, plenty of them, who prefer neither, who, rather, believe that a strong, sturdy, independent individualism is better. And yet many of these are in a worse bondage than either.
There is, also, political liberty, involving religious freedom and the equal rights of all men. This is a product of the Gospel wherever it is found. Its highest type in human government has been seen in America. Its strongest and most classic formulation apart from Bible utterances, is found in the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and in other documents of note and of State, originating at the same time.
Equality of mankind does not mean equal physical proportions, nor equal mental caliber, nor equal ability to grasp or power to command opportunity. But it does demand equal liberty for each one to be and say and do just as far as ability and circumstances permit. Politically he is his fellow citizen's equal in life, in liberty, in the pursuit of happiness. It was a glorious hour for the world when America's star rose above the horizon. As long as it was in the ascendent, for its first one hundred years of shining, its influence over all lands was beneficent, speaking freedom to the oppressed of all nations, and hope to the despairing toiler. Seeing its shining from afar, millions in the oppressed and downtrodden monarchies, despotisms, and overcrowded countries of the East, found here what Emerson designated "opportunity." And when the Old World saw some of the best of her people flocking to America rather than to her own colonies, her own feudal laws were softened, amended, or swept away before the enlightenment and liberty of America.
But "how has the most fine gold become dim!" While race slavery as such has been abolished, and that part of the land of which it was the curse is better to-day, industrial slavery flourishes in the sweat-shops of our large cities. The spirit of imperialism stalks boldly abroad. We have the "masses" and the "classes;" and if we do not have the "lords," we have the "servants." "Coal barons" and "kings" and "queens" of various sorts bear away continuously and temporarily, and the Republic of America is following in the footsteps of the Republic of Rome.
And the influence over the Old World, what is it now? When the American ship of State was launched, one of her ensigns emblazoned to the world was, "Novum ordo seclorum," "A new order of things." It stood for complete turning away from the imperialism of the political Old World systems, from Church-and-State governments, from political and class distinctions. Then her influence was uplifting and potent. But now she is turning back from the new order of things, which gave the world a new lease of life, to the Old World methods, to imperialism, to class distinctions, to "court" honors, to religion-and-state union, to autocratic rule. And the Old World, which had been groping toward the clear shining of the light, is now saying, "Republics are a failure; American freedom and the equality of man are myths, or, at the best, but impracticable ideals in government." And the whole world, in consequence of America's lapse, is reverting, in a "highly civilized" manner, of course, but not the less truly, to the despotism of the Dark Ages.
This is a matter of divine prophecy. The divine portrayal may be read in Daniel 8, and Revelation 13, verses 11 to 16 especially. A great part has been fulfilled. A greater part is in process of fulfilment. A little further and we will reach the climax, the ruin of the republic, the failure of the best government the world ever saw. But there will succeed to this the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ, for the glorious inheritance of which He is now gathering out His subjects, ruled by their own consent, serving eternally of their own glad volition. Reader, are your hopes on this government or on that? If the former, what will you do in the life to come? If the latter, you are blessed here and hereafter.
Morals in Money Matters
"THERE is a great deal of striving to be at rest that would be rest if only we stopped striving. Many of our troubles — more of them than we think — are like muddy water that will clear itself if let alone."
Judge Elbert H. Gary has been a very interesting witness for several days before the Stanley House Committee of the United States Congress. Mr. Gary is the managing director of the big steel trust, a billion dollar concern, and he admits that it controls half the United States trade in steel. He testifies that the Government, during the panic of 1907, had an understanding with the powers in Wall Street to the effect that it was necessary, in order to terminate the panic, to acquire the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company. And altho this transaction might not be considered legal, yet it was made to appear to the Government by the Wall Street interests as a necessary evil thing to do. And in taking this step the Government agreed not to prosecute the trust. How much of this testimony is politics and how much of it is fact it would be hard to determine. But there must be some evidence that deals of that kind are made from time to time, for it is generally conceded that you can never have a big smoke without there being at least a little fire somewhere. Men who otherwise seem to be possessed of integrity and high ideals, are seemingly developing a class of morals that they try to persuade themselves are all right when they are dealing with money matters, and yet they would not think of such a thing as bringing these so-called morals into light of the Ten Commandments.
Man as Created
1. What is the brief Bible record of the creation of man?
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Gen. 2: 7.
2. Could it be truthfully said that this “living soul” was an immortal part that was breathed into man?
The record plainly states “man [that is, the whole being that was created] became a living soul,” and not that a “living soul” was breathed into him.
3. Does the record say that this soul that was thus created was immortal?
The Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Gen. 2: 16, 17.
4. Is there other Scriptural evidence that a “soul” may actually die?
Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. . . . The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Eze. 18: 4, 20.
5. Was it believed in Job’s day that the soul went into the grave at death?
So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat. His flesh is consumed away, that it can not be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out. Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers. Job 33: 20-22. See also verses 28, 30.
6. Did the psalmist believe that the soul might die?
All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before Him: and none can keep alive his own soul. Ps. 22: 29.
For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. Ps. 116: 8.
7. Is the word “soul” ever applied to the lower animals as well as to man?
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life [margin, Hebrew, “soul”], and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature [Hebrew, “living soul”] that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. . . . And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature [Hebrew, “living soul”] after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. . . . And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life [margin, Hebrew, “a living soul”], I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. Gen. 1: 20, 21, 24, 30.
NOTE.—From the scriptures already quoted in this reading it may readily be seen that when man was created he, the whole man, “became a living soul.” The record does not say that a living soul was put into him to be immortal so that he could not possibly die. It is also plainly seen that those same scriptures tell us that the death penalty was pronounced upon man in case he sinned, and it is the “soul that sinneth” that shall die, and not the body merely. It is also seen from the last texts quoted that the lower animals and the fishes of the sea and the fowls of the air, in common with man, are all said to possess souls. The Hebrew word nephesh, from which the word “soul” is usually translated, is applied indiscriminately to both man and beast. It is translated in over thirty different ways, by such words as “appetite,” “beast,” “body,” “creature,” “person,” “pleasure,” “life,” “heart,” “mind,” etc., as well as the word “soul.”
8. Then if we do not have a soul that is immortal, where is the hope for endless life?
In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death. Prov. 12: 28.
9. What brings life and immortality to light?
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. 2 Tim. 1: 9, 10.
10. Can it be said, then, that any one who does not accept the Gospel has immortality in himself through the possession by nature of an immortal soul?
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3: 36.
And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life. 1 John 2: 25.
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 1 John 5: 11, 12.
11. When do we actually come into possession of eternal life, which is so clearly stated to be in the Son of God for those who believe the Gospel?
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Col. 3: 3, 4.
When It Comes
WHEN this federation spirit spreads throughout the world, when organizations like the labor unions, church federations, Christian Socialism, etc., etc., unite and assume to control the political, educational, and religious life of the nation, what will you do? Will you accept of the prescribed religion? Will you send your children to the State-taught religious schools? Will you be among those who will prosecute the “heretics”? Or will you be more honorable — among the heretics? You may laugh; but the conditions of to-day, the trend in Church and State, are bound to work out just such results. The time to meet them is now.
The Peace Propaganda
By George W. Rine
Will It Be Peace or War?
In the preceding article of this series the magnitude and significance of the peace movement was briefly sketched. We also noted the fact that this movement is synchronous with a converse movement; namely, the most colossal preparation for war, on the part of the nations, known to history. Is a more glaring paradox conceivable? The question of vital moment is, Which will it be, peace or war? It is true that many of the apologists for militarism tell us these vast armaments are in themselves the only insurance against war. To insure peace, they say, the nations must be prepared to fight. Is this theory true? Will it work? We shall adduce a few authoritative opinions.
In an address delivered in June, 1909, the former British prime minister, Lord Rosebery, referring to the colossal armaments of the nations, said: "THESE ARE INTENDED TO BE USED; THEY DO NOT EXIST FOR ORNAMENT. They may be used at some moment where there is a sudden outbreak or a sudden attack of temper." He said further: "I do not know that in some ways I have ever seen a condition of things in Europe so remarkable, so peaceful, and in some respects SO OMINOUS as the condition which exists at this moment. . . . All forebodes peace; and yet at the same time, combined with total absence of all questions of friction, there never was in the history of the world SO THREATENING and SO OVERPOWERING a preparation for war. THAT IS A SIGN WHICH I REGARD AS MOST OMINOUS."
England's View of the Subject
The late English prime minister, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, after an appreciative reference to the world-wide peace propaganda, said by way of contrast: "Is it not evident that a process of simultaneous and progressive arming defeats its own purpose? Scare answers to scare, force begets force, until at length it comes to be seen that we are racing one against another after a PHANTOM SECURITY which continually vanishes as we approach."
Colonel Richard Gaedke, the great German military critic, in an article contributed to "McClure's Magazine" for October, 1910, entitled "Peace and Disarmament," said: "It is only partly true that armaments are the insurance premiums of peace. With better right they might be called a CONSTANT MENACE TO PEACE. . . . I believe I have demonstrated that the last and greatest danger to peace is the excess of armaments, which keeps the thoughts of war awake in the hearts of the peoples, and puts upon their shoulders a financial burden that they can not much longer bear without danger. . . . Undoubtedly neither England nor Germany desires war. But — I must repeat it again — in the MUTUAL DISTRUST BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS, IN THE COMPLETION OF ARMAMENTS which it provokes, and the aggravation which this economic burden imposes upon the people, LIES THE POSSIBILITY OF A SUDDEN FIERCE OUTBREAK."
In the San Francisco "Examiner," July 13, 1910, Rev. Dr. Parkhurst wrote, "With all the military preparations that are on hand ready for use, to prognosticate war is very much like attempting TO TOUCH A MATCH TO GUNPOWDER." In the editorial columns of "The Nation," May 27, 1909, appeared this significant declaration: "If something is not done to forestall this wicked craze [for bigger navies], AN EXPLOSION WILL FOLLOW THAT WILL SHAKE THE WORLD."
Sir Edward Grey, a member of the British ministry, recently said: "The great nations are raising enormous revenues, one half of which is spent in preparations to kill each other. It is a sad reflection on our civilization. SOONER OR LATER IT MUST SUBMERGE THAT CIVILIZATION."
Will They Fight?
"England and Germany: Will They Fight?" is the title of a remarkable discussion that appeared in the "World's Work," February, 1910. The writer, William Bayard Hale, had spent a year in Europe, "in confidential relations with governmental chiefs." The editor says that Mr. Hale was in a position to acquaint himself, "at first hand, with the views held in the highest quarters." Mr. Hale says:
They are talking, in Europe, of a war — a war in which two of the most powerful nations would face each other, with the largest armies and the biggest navies ever envisaged in battle; with weapons more destructive than any ever used before. It would be a war . . . colossal in the scale to which it would almost inevitably develop, stupendous in the possibilities of universal conflict which it would open. It does not require imagination to see the spread of this war till it should rage over all Europe, call Japan again to arms, make China a battle-field, and weaken or break the hold of home governments on widely scattered colonies; it rather requires ingenuity to find grounds for hoping that it would not extend its effects to both hemispheres and to all continents.
Who Will Provide This War?
To the question, Who are expected to provide this war? he answers, "England and Germany." He says this war talk had been going on for three years, that it refuses to die out, and that it deepens in seriousness and volume. The reader will remember the accounts of the "Englishman's Home" panic two years ago; how the hearts of all Englishmen "were moved, as the tree-tops of the forest are moved by the tempest." Mr. Hale says the public commotion has ceased, but in its place is a settled fear answering to the "ominous hush" of Europe which Lord Rosebery thinks more sinister than the bluster that preceded it. In Germany there has never been a panic; "only a slow gathering of belief THAT WAR IS INEVITABLE."
Mr. Hale tells us that neither the German government nor the British seeks war or desires it. On every score of common sense peace is desirable. In the face of every reason why peace should continue indefinitely, "what earthly ground is there for believing that Germany and England are about to fight?" Mr. Hale says: "The answer is this: THE MOST SERIOUS POSSIBLE GROUND FOR FEARING THAT GERMANY AND ENGLAND ARE ABOUT TO FIGHT IS, THE BELIEF OF THE PEOPLE OF GERMANY AND ENGLAND THAT THEY ARE ABOUT TO DO SO." He means by this that the talk of war, however causeless, tends to beget war. "Familiarize two nations with the daily thought of fighting, and it will be a miracle if they fail to fight."
The British "Dreadnought of the air," the dirigible balloon Mayfly, was launched May 22 at Barrow-in-Furness. This gives the British navy the largest aerial war machine that has yet been built. In size it is said to surpass the largest Zeppelin air-ship, it being 510 feet long, and 48 feet in diameter, with a lifting capacity of 21 tons. There are two eight-cylinder 100-200 horse-power Wolseley gasoline motors, working three propellers, one large one in the stem of the rear gondola and two smaller ones at the sides of the forward gondola. The covering of the big gas bag is of "duralumin," a new metal which has been experimented with for several years and is said to be lighter than aluminum, stronger than steel, and not liable to rust. Count Zeppelin and others are learning by experience that the surface of the water furnishes the best place to launch these huge air crafts, and so the Messrs. Vickers launched this novel addition to the British navy in this way.11
England's Naval Determinations
That England does, however, nurse a real, tangible grievance against Germany, is made certain by an article in "McClure's Magazine" (June, 1910), written by Dr. Theodor Schiemann, professor of history at the University of Berlin. He gives unimpeachable evidence that England regards Germany's rapidly growing navy as "a menace to the peace of Europe," and that she has expressed her determination to dictate to Germany, by a display of naval force, what the maximum size of the latter's navy should be. England is determined, if possible, to remain the undisputed mistress of the seas, and thus perpetuate her predominance in the commerce of the world. Professor Schiemann declares that Germany will under no circumstances brook dictation from any power as to the size of her navy or as to any other question that she regards as a matter of internal or domestic policy. He says further that Great Britain is the historic enemy of whatever European power happens for the time to be paramount on the continent. Germany is that power at present. Hence England's battle-cry is, says Professor Schiemann, Germaniam esse delendam—"Germany must be wiped out." Anent the wide-spread horrors that would result from a war between these two great peoples, he says:
A German-English war would be a calamity for the whole world, England included; for it may be regarded as a foregone conclusion that simultaneously with such an event every element in Asia and Africa that is hostile to the English would rise up as unbidden allies of Germany. The great connections of the world commerce would be rent asunder, incalculable values would be destroyed, and every nation in the world would share in these losses.
In the same issue of "McClure's Magazine" the president of the University of California, Dr. Benjamin Ide Wheeler, says: "Professor Schiemann is among present-day writers the most far-seeing, straight-seeing, and well-informed representative of German imperialism; that is, of the larger policies, both in the foreign and in the domestic affairs of the German Empire. . . . He is the trusted confidential friend of the German Emperor." Professor Schiemann's testimony is therefore absolutely dependable.
The Far Eastern Question
Intelligent observers as to current history admit, without exception, that the ambitions and aspirations of Japan and the unrest of China and India constitute a standing menace to the peace of the world. In a speech in the House of Representatives, last May, Congressman McLachlan of California said: "The new power [Japan] that has arisen out of two wars in the Orient stands militantly ready to defend the place she has secured. Her defeated opponent [Russia], neither forgetting nor forgiving, is preparing to take advantage of the first opportunity that arises to regain what she has lost. . . . They [rumors of war] come to us from every quarter, they come with increasing frequency, and we, no less than others, must take some note of them, and, if necessary, prepare for whatever they may portend. Even China, asleep for centuries, is aroused and preparing by her own military might to defend her territory against further aggressions. Nor are we outside of those rumors. On the contrary, we loom large in nearly all of them. . . . There never was a time when nations were so engrossed in keeping themselves in condition to maintain their rights BY FORCE."
"The Valor of Ignorance"
In the close of his address Mr. McLachlan refers to a recent book with the title "The Valor of Ignorance," by General Homer Lea. In this book the author gives reasons why he believes that war between the United States and Japan is an absolute certainty. "General Lea," said the congressman, "says that war for this country is inevitable, and he supports this opinion with a logical array of facts and arguments that certainly no one yet has controverted. . . . He touches upon the skill and the completeness with which the Pacific waters bordering our coast have been sounded, the coast itself mapped, and the topography of the interior studied. No observer on the Pacific Coast needs confirmation of his statements in these respects." General Lea's book has compelled publicists, not only of this country, but of the leading nations of Europe, to give serious thought to the phenomena that point infallibly to a conflict between our country and Japan. In a review of this book, the "London Times" declares it to be filled with indisputable FACTS.
Views of Japanese Officer
A Japanese officer of high rank recently said through the medium of the "Annual Register," of the English Navy League: "That State only is a genuine sea-power which does not need to let itself be disturbed by the laws of neutrality. Whether permitted or not permitted, JAPAN'S INSISTENT CRAVING is the mastery of the Pacific Ocean. . . . Japan is armed on every side with men who are stronger than armor-plate."
The German officer Colonel Gaedke has this to say on the foregoing citation:
The above illustration is the main mast, or "fire-control" platform, of the most modern battle-ship. The observers on the platform at the top are about 100 feet above the water, and from this elevated position they are able to sight the enemy when his vessel would not be above the horizon of some one on the deck below. From this position also the "fire-control" officer is able to observe where the shells fired are striking; and by means of electric communication and speaking-tubes he directs the gunner so that he can alter his aim and hit the target.
It would hardly be possible for any one to speak with higher national self-importance. War begets chauvinism and armaments; armaments beget distrust; and distrust, in turn, augments armaments in the same ratio as these increase distrust. It is a vicious circle into which the whole civilized world of our day appears inextricably to have fallen.
In his remarkable book entitled "Asia and Europe," Meredith Townsend, an English historian, inquires most significantly: "Will the East ever conquer the West? Will the yellow whirlwind, rushing with irresistible force across the world, engulf Europe and its civilization until the people sink beneath the matchless strength and numbers of eight hundred million inhabitants of Asia?"
Commenting upon the foregoing, the London "Daily Mail" says, "SOME DAY IT WILL COME; and then, if Europe should drive it back, it in its turn would drive Europe out of Asia." From the same paper we quote: "What, asks Mr. Townsend, in closing a remarkable chapter, is to become of Asia? It is the most fascinating, the most hopeless of problems, and we feel with the author, as we close his book, that the only possible reply is: 'WHAT GOD WILLS, NOT WHAT EUROPE WILLS.'"
Not long before his death, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman declared, "On the one hand we find the reasoned opinion of Europe declaring itself more and more strongly for peace, and on the other hand, preparing for wars which in their extent and effectiveness suggest that a LUST FOR BLOOD is the actuating principle of modern society."
A Striking Prediction
These prodigious preparations for war, the marvelous awakening of the heathen nations after "the sleep of centuries," is an unmistakable response to the following inspired latter-day prophecy: "Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen. . . . LET THE HEATHEN BE WAKENED, AND COME UP TO THE VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision [thrashing]: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." Joel 3: 9-14.
In rapt vision Jeremiah looked down through the vista of the centuries to the time of the end, and prophetically exclaimed: "My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart. . . . I can not hold my peace; because thou hast heard, O my soul, THE SOUND OF THE TRUMPET, THE ALARM OF WAR. Destruction upon destruction is cried; for THE WHOLE LAND IS LAID WASTE." Jer. 4: 19, 20, A.R.V.
Again, the apostle John, in holy vision, declares: "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto THE KINGS OF THE EARTH AND OF THE WHOLE WORLD, TO GATHER THEM TO THE BATTLE OF THAT GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY." That this divine forecast will have its fulfilment at the close of time, is made certain by the words that immediately follow. Christ declares: "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments [spiritual garments], lest he walk naked [spiritually], and they see his shame." Rev. 16: 13-15.
We have cited the serious convictions (as to the prospect of a world-wide all-devastating war) of many of the most far-sighted, most acute, most veracious, and most influential leaders of human affairs in our day. Do you not see how wonderfully consonant with the predictions of Holy Writ are the sober, deliberate predictions of these great men?
God bless the noble men and women who are working for the bringing in of the endless era of peace; and may He graciously lead them to see that the only hope of ever realizing that glorious consummation, is "THAT BLESSED HOPE, AND THE GLORIOUS APPEARING OF THE GREAT GOD AND OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST." Titus 2: 13.
