A PROLIFIC CAUSE OF WAR.
By G.
WHEN Jesus Christ inaugurated His reform movement in the world, there was political peace—there was but one political nation, Rome. Therefore it was not a political peace that was announced by the angels in the song of “peace on earth, good-will to men,” when the infant Saviour was born. He was in no sense a political reformer; His mission was to establish peace between sinful man and a holy God. “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” While the church maintained the spirit of unity within her ranks, and held fast to the doctrine of Christ that “they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world,” there were no political wars between nations. But when dissension and division crept into the church, and professed Christians entered politics and became influential in the government, political wars followed. In time, the bitterest wars were those arising out of questions of controversy in the church. The government had to decide questions in dispute between different factions of the professed Christian church. Three kingdoms were annihilated because they took sides with one church party against another. This was the last act in the full establishment of the Papacy, and for many centuries the most warlike nations, and the most powerful military powers, have been the nominally Christian nations. And, strange as it may seem, their doctrine of peace is based on the maintenance of great armies and navies, rather than on the doctrine of faith in Christ, as promulgated in His Word. The history of the past fifteen centuries goes to prove that there has been no element in the world so prolific of political warfare as perverted Christianity. There is no spirit with which the adversary of Christ can accomplish so much evil as through the spirit of a worldly, place-seeking church. No combination ever has caused more animosity and bitterness, with covetousness and ambition, than the combination of politics and religion, especially if the religion be a professedly Christian religion. G.