THE K I NG ' S B U S I N E S S ' ister to others ra th e r th a n compel others to m inister to us. Self is a t h e a rt of all wars. Men and nations desire to promote th e ir own in terests a t the expense of others. Now w hat is th e security for all this? P au l was a tru ly Christian statesm an when he w rote to th e Corinthians, “ I determ ined no t to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” “Christ and Him crucified” is th e remedy for th e lu sts which make war. When “Christ and H im crucified” enters the soul, th e sp irit th a t would die for others takes the place of the sp irit th a t would k ill others. Self begins to be crucified. When th e sp irit of th e cross thoroughly possesses us, the lu st for power, w ealth and fame for th e ir own sakes gives place to a bu rn ing desire to help th e weak, m inister' to the poor, uplift th e fallen, cleanse th e polluted, save th e sinful, and re sto re th e wrecked. There is in w ar a heroism of courage and sacrifice which all noble n atu res must adm ire, and th e cross of Christ impels Christians to such courage and sacrifice along th e line of saving life and ennobling character ra th e r th a n tak ing life and b ru talising character. No w arrio r was ever braver and more self- sacrificing th a n David B rain ard in his his work among th e American Indians, David L ivingston in Africa, and hun dreds of m issionaries, who have en dured hardships and sufferings for C h rist’s sake, th a t they m ight save the people from th e degradations of sin. Calvary ’displaces w ar for th e purpose of killing our fellow men-w ith w ar upon th e evils th a t destroy them . If it be tru e, as some contend, th a t man is a fighting anim al and m ust th erefo re be in some so rt of war, let him go to Cal vary and th ere d rink in th e sp irit th a t im parts courage and love to make war upon th e evils a t home and abroad which destroy th e people in soul and body. If a League of Nations is to be per-
405 m anent and useful, it m ust not work into its organism any in stitu tion th a t will make for its destruction. The g reat Civil W ar in America came because th e re was in its League çf Nations th e in stitu tion of slavery, which outraged th e consciences of good men and women. And th ere is danger th a t the world League of Nations may have, as a p a rt of its organism , ano th er in stitu tion which today outrages th e con sciences of m illions; and th a t is the D rink Traffic. Its doom is already w ritten. The enlightened conscience of th e world is ag ain st it. The good men and women who to lerate it now do so on th e ground, no t th a t it is a good in stitu tion , bu t they fear th a t its sud den destruction may do more h arm than good, and they are w illing to patiently aw ait a slower process. Now if th ere is a nation on ea rth today th a t thinks the D rink Traffic is a good in stitu tion and ought to be preserved, and intends to stand for its preservation, th a t nation will come into th e League of Nations a force which w ill make for its dissolution. An in stitu tion which, like th e D rink Traffic, controls governments, and owns P rim e M inisters, and em bar rasses nations by consuming its food stuffs and app rop riating its tran sp o rt service during war, may have th e power to make w ar in defense of its existence; and I m ust confess th a t I would be more hopeful for th e permanence and use fulness of th e League of Nations, if it should organize w ith democratic con stituencies th a t had banished th eir worst enemy, th e D rink Traffic, from th e ir m idst. Contributions of $5 or over to the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, entitle givers to a year’s subscription to “The King’s Business.”
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