The Bible and the Sword
By Editor
An item of current news reads as follows:— "Galveston, Texas, February 15.—This afternoon a beautiful sword and Bible, purchased by the Sunday-school children of Texas, were presented to Commodore John W. Philip, who commanded the battleship Texas during the war with Spain. The sword was made by the firm that designed the Dewey sword, and it cost $3,500." In the old dispensation, and under circumstances that were peculiar to that time, God directed the Israelites to use the sword. Just why that was, we may not, as yet, fully understand, but there need be no difficulty in understanding Christ's words to us now. He says, "Put up again thy sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." Matt. 26:52. Just how any one can read the foregoing statement of Christ's and still think that the Bible and the sword should go hand in hand is something hard to be understood. He who actually and truly believes in the Lord Jesus Christ can surely find nothing in His life or teaching that harmonizes in any way with the use of the cruel sword. It is to be hoped that Commodore Philip will study this Bible that has been given him until he finds it to be the repository of the divine gems that are not to be compared with the carnal sword nor any of the other things that the men of this world hold so dear. And he who really knows Jesus of Nazareth, he who has been brought into actual touch with His strong yet gentle life, has found something that is not to be exchanged for any of the unsatisfying glories or superficial splendors of the battle-field.