HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 September 1917, Page 6

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF.

SOME STARTLIXG PARALLELS. Preaching at Holy Trinity Church. Te Henui, last Sunday, the Rev. F. G. Harvie called attention to the startling parallels between the Assyrian campaign in 'Palestine under Kins; Sennacherib, at the close of the eighth century before the Christian era, and the present war. The German character, frankly materialist; the swollen-headed Kaiser; the lust for world power; the troublesome "buf-fer-state," 'Belgium; the dishonored treaty; the sneer at the "contemptible little army"; the apparently dc-ad religions heart of France before the war; the seemingly inevitable fall of Paris in 1314; the mysterious failure of the Germans to capture the city; everyone of these familiar features of the war, and others, too, arc faithful echoes of the invasion of Jußea by the Assyrian armioa more than two thousand six huß.lred yearg ago.

If, as wo believe, the British Empire to-day has been called into being, as "God's Trustee." to bring the whole world to Himself; and if we are to be found worthy to continue to hold that sacred office, then it surely follows that we can only do so bv the same means that saved Jerusalem in the days of TWekiah •. penitrn.e for national and individual sins; fuifh in Cod's purpose for us and for the world : and prayer. If these conditions are unfulfilled, who can doubt that the same will happen to us as liup;ir-not] to the dews seven hundred years later? Thev had no penitence they had no vision of God's worldpurpose; they rejected the promised Messiah when He came, and their sacred office 'of God's trustees was taken from them and given to others. "Take from him the !.-!'m." and she it to someone else more fitted to hold it than he.

May we therefore' recognise today, concluded the Rev. Harvie, the time of ■Hir visitation, and show ourselves worthy to remain the human instruments, under Cod, to bring the world to His foot.