"PAX" AND JUDGE WILLIS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 117, 15 June 1909, Page 4

"PAX" AND JUDGE WILLIS.

To tlio Editor. Sir,—Your correspondent, ; ' l'ux," who 1 imagine is easily identilicd with a correspondent in jour contemporary of the previous day, quotes Judge Willis anil his views as to the superiority ui laitu to warlike preparations as a Defence against foreign aggression. His object in this, as in some other remarks we have had over his signature (assuming my surmise as to his identity is correct), is to oppose our ell'orts' both by sea ami hind, to maintain uie position we at present hold as an Empire—a position which all thinking people, with the exception of those 01 " Pax's" way of thinking, believe to be in the order o't Divine Providence, and as having an enormous beneficial influence on the wellbeing of the whole human race, Listening to the first lesson at last evening's I service (Joshua v and vi) I was struck with its complete refutation of the thco- ] ries of the " peace at any price" party. The Almighty comes down in the guise of a soldier, announces himself as the captain of the host of the Lord, and although about to work a miracle oy throwing down the walls of Jericho, yet commands Joshua and ids army to ue workers together with him by putting the inhabitants to the sword. What the Almighty did on cuat occasion in person and by word of mouth, he has continued to do indirectly down to the present hour. Xot many important changes for the better have taken place in human affairs except through war, and we are certiflcd by the condition of tile world to-day, lis well as by tile predictions of prophets, apostles and oin , Divine "Master, that such will continue to be the case until Ilia second coming shall cause wars to cease and innugurati an entirely new cundition of things ; Then, and not t||l llicii, will be cxperi eneeil the happy condition of things ol .' which Judge Willis and 11 r. llaundei | dre.iinw-J'n His days shall the righloom flourish; and abundance of peace so Join ", as the moon endureth." lint ihowcvci i imminent that day may he, and person ally 1 think that many of your yon-age: l readers will live to see it, there havi I previously to occur' l.l)e most terribly do strnctiyu wars tile world has ever 'seen ill which British people will most likcl; , have jo take their -,iart and rio their i duty like men. That much bloodshed j and misery will bo caused in the future, " as has been the case during the last fifty- { five years, by tlie miserable agitation of the pence party is highly probable. Hut despite their insidious ell'orts to weaken the hands of more reasonable men, one has stiii a hope that the good cause advocated by Mr. McXab will prevail. H has every argument in its favor l'<nt tends to the development of individual and national well-being. I say no word to weaken the life of faith and prayer that .Judge Willis's words suggest. .Were we what, alas, we are not, a Christian, praying nation, men and wiinirti n|ikc fearing find and working righteousness, with a religion freed from tlic> blighting influence of teetotalism, doubtless a condition of tilings .would prevail of which we have no conception. Then, perchance, miracles would be common. As it is, we do not remove mountains by faith, but with picks ann shoves, or have to make cuttings or bore tuiiße|s through them. In short, we arc a race of sinners, Jiving in a sinful worll. with much of form of godliness o which we deny tile j»wer, arid it is worse than fantastic to imagine in' om self-conceit that we are aide to force the hands of the Almighty to do for us what we are too lazy or conceited tc /Ho for ourselves; or, as ''Pax" and his friends ujjjjeuv to think, that they arc sc superior'to the Creator as to have His covered a better metjtyd of ordering affairs than His. These people, although assumedly believers in Revelation, ignore its teaehrngs, in »<i|ich nothing is more plain than that wars are to continue to the end of the era. W.ekiel jiredicts terrible wars "in the latter years," in which "the merchants of Tarsliish and the young lions thereof"—usually identified'as Britain and. her colonics—are to take a prominent part. Danicd foretelb ■wm-is "at the time of the end." Joel, in a ri-vtiy picture ending in. an era of pea**, when "tfje mountains shall drop down new WBc'mid tj,ie hills shall flow with milk," a condition wf icings whic'. must lie as gall and wormwood to prohibitionists, calls upon the Gentiles: to "prepare war, wnKe up the mighty inen n beat your plowshares into swords and vour priming hooks into rpears." Moth'in tie prophets and ill St. John's Revelation the «veat battle of Armageddon is foretold, after which it will tat* j'ftirs to burv the dead and cidlcct their lames. '|>re either has been, or is to be, war i« iitrjiyeii ,ts(, ' f - ■J»> !l,| y< our Lord Himself speaks* rf those wars which are to mark tile rinse of t|ie era mid are to precede the mllji-nial period. It is much to be regretted that 111 tins time of national awakening we have those amongst us that, like the enemies of Jerusalem in the davs of Nehemiah. ux .to hinder the g»'»l work. Let lis hope liuif evil designs will be a* nil/.' as were Hitw ,y( Tobias nnd Snnlbllut.— Tarn, etc, ' K ENROTH.