| Salvation by Grace Alone | |
 |
| Salvation by Grace Alone | |
|
Messenger of Truth—June 1917 WAR AND PEACE
These are perilous times. Nearly the whole earth is in war. War is a great curse; it brings poverty and famine; it destroys the morals of the people. No doubt it is a punishment for the sins of nation. The present confused condition of the world is no doubt a fulfillment of prophecy. It may be what is intended in Rev. xvii.-xix, but I am not able to point it out in the prophets. In the lifetime of Jeremiah the world was full of war. The Lord chastened his people by stirring up the nations to make war on them. “I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.” “Behold, a people cometh from the north, and a great nation.” The king of Babylon is called “Nebuchadnezzar my servant.” The Lord used this wicked king as a rod with which to chastise his people and the other nations. And after God had chastened the nations with him, the Lord spoke against Babylon, and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet. The Lord stirred up a nation to punish Babylon and to destroy it. Daniel told the king, “They shall drive thee from men; they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.”
Beneath the great mass of events that seem to be fortuitous, “there is a Divinity that shapes our ends.” “He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, what doest thou?” It is well that God’s providence should care for the world and all the nations of the earth. He made the world and all that is in it, and it will answer his design in its creation. As to my lot in life it matters but little. This life will soon be over with us, and we will not long grieve over the sins and follies of men. We will rest from our labors, a long, quiet, restful rest. “O to be, to be with Christ is best.” I remember the Civil war, what sorrows it brought with it—the orphans and widows with which it filled our land. Other wars have been in my time. I hoped I might never again know of war. We know not what sorrows are in store for our children after we are gone. “His mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bear him with sorrow.” Babes born in such times as this might well be called “Jabez,” as they are born in time of general sorrow, and will fill parents with grief as they see them drawn into war. It is good to think of the gospel, and of the Prince of peace. “We have peace with God.” This is the best peace—to live in peace, to strive together for peace. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” If the Lord is our friend, it will not long matter who is our enemy. He “is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.” “Nor should we wish the hours more slow, To keep us from our love.” by Elder James H. Oliphant Submitted by Elder David Montgomery • Previous |
| Salvation by Grace Alone |
|