Conscience is not sufficient to guide man aright. Speaking of his early days, Paul said, " I verily thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." He had bitterly persecuted those who believed on Jesus, believing he was doing service to God; but when he learned that Jesus was the Son of God, from that moment he became as zealous in serving Him as before he had been in endeavoring to stamp out the religion of the Nazarene from the earth.

The word of God, then, is the only safe guide; to it appeal should be made – not to this or that man's conscience. All sorts of things may be held, and conscience appealed to as vindicating this or that line of conduct; for God alone can truly teach us what right is. Alas, how few care for what God has said ! For many there might as well be no God, and no revelation from Him at all. He who was, and is, God, who stooped in infinite grace to become a man, has shown, when assaulted by Satan, that the word of God is to be obeyed, no matter what may seem to be gained by disobeying it, or lost by obedience thereto. Neither prospective results nor difficulties can justify a man in going contrary to God's revealed will.

Much has been said of late about conscientious objectors to military service, and various opinions have been expressed as to them. Some would use violence against them – imprison them, disfranchize them, etc. ; while there are conscientious objectors who cannot reconcile the slaying of their fellow-men with the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ -whose utterances are indeed against these things for those who claim to be His disciples. The epistles of Paul and of Peter give definite instruction for the guidance of Christians in relation to "the powers that be." In Rom. 13 Paul speaks of the powers as "the ordinance of God," and the authority as " the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." Peter writes of "the ordinance of man" (i Pet. 2:13), meaning thereby the form of government in whose hands God has entrusted the power for "the punishment of evil-doers, and the praise of them that do well." Here too it is God who determines what doing good or doing evil is.

By the hand of Moses God gave to Israel, His earthly people, a code of laws which was to be maintained by their rulers; and punishment was to be inflicted on transgressors, and these laws do not change.

God will, we are told, set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and Israel, restored to their land, chastened and purged by judgment, shall have the law written in their hearts. They will love it and keep it. He who gave the law could if He wished modify or add to it if He thought fit to do so; and did introduce certain changes for the land. When David came to the throne, it was called the throne of Jehovah; but failure soon came, as it always has, and the ten tribes went into captivity, and Judah went to Babylon, the kingdom ceased, and passed away from Israel into the hands of the Gentiles-to Nebuchadnezzar, who had to learn that " the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men." Yet God is the supreme ruler, who could and did override the commands of this haughty monarch. God's saints in this day are to obey, to submit to authorities'; they do not share in the rule. To rule is not theirs, save in the home or in the business. The husband rules in the one, the master in the other. In the State they obey, save and only when the State assumes to override God's authority. It is no punishment to deprive a Christian man of the franchise if he never made use of it. To send him to prison, or to hold him up to contempt and ridicule because of following Christ, is either great ignorance or great wickedness. God will deal with that in His own time and way.

Government is founded on righteousness. The Christian is to follow Christ. "Grace and truth," not law, "came by Jesus Christ." We, Christians, preach grace; our feet are to be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; our lives and our testimony are to be in accord with this. We are to honor all men; to fear God; to honor the King. We are to be meek and gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. Poor soldiers the followers of Christ will make in the fearful conflict now raging. Our warfare is with unseen foes. Our weapons are not carnal but spiritual. We can boldly say that none can give the Government such help toward the ending of this awful war and the establishment of a righteous peace as does the simple, earnest and obedient Christian who pleads before God for it- with peace in his soul, trusting in God, yet weeping over the misery that sin has brought, he in-treats on behalf of the precious souls exposed to danger and to death. Nor that only, but, as commanded, prays for those in authority "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." When these prayers are answered, the State reaps the benefit, little thinking what they owe to those who have been so occupied.

I will endeavor to show that guidance for believers in Christ and guidance for those in authority are in striding contrast. To the former it is said:"Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. . . . Wherefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink. In so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." To the latter it is given as ministers of God to take vengeance upon evil-doers:"He is the minister of God to thee for good, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." God's ministers-would to God this was truly recognized! If it were, there would be a seeking to know His will; a confession of grievous failure would follow; then God may be expected to support His servants in the exercise of the authority He has given to them.

We hear a great deal about the rights of humanity. What about the rights of that glorious Being to whom every human soul must give account ? Who can meet Him and stand before His throne ? Not one; all are guilty, all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. He-blessed be His name-has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. He has given His Son, who, in the same wondrous love, offered Himself without spot to God. So God, on account of the death of His Son for us, gives full and free forgiveness to all truly repentant sinners, as Rom. 3 states:"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

We have been told that it is quite right for Christians to take no part in war, but when conscription becomes law, then we are bound to obey. It is alleged that our responsibility to our Lord and Master is set aside by an authority established by God Himself. We answer that no such authority has ever been given. No saint of God is justified in doing what as such he is forbidden to do.

The obedience the Christian is to render to the Civil Power is for the Lord's sake. It is added, " As free;" liberty is his; but he must not use that liberty as a cloak for hostility against the civil power. To do that would be very wrong. In Paul's epistle to Titus he says:" Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men " (Titus 3:i, 2). In the measure in which we acquire the characteristics described in verse 2, we become worse than useless in scenes of conflict and strife. The works the believer is to be ready to do are works consistent with his duty to God and to his Lord and Master Jesus Christ. What these are the New Testament will instruct the obedient heart. Those in authority, whose it is to rule, may learn from what God in past days gave to His people Israel. This is epitomized by the Lord Jesus thus:"And all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets." E. R. Wills.