Women and Children First--from Henty

"I heard, some time ago, that one of our masters had been appointed to a church in some beastly neighbourhood in Birmingham or one of those manufacturing towns, and the people were such a rough lot that he could do nothing with them at first.  But one day, when he was going along the street, he saw a notorious bully thrashing a woman, and he interfered.  The fellow threatened him, and he quietly turned in, and gave him the most tremendous thrashing he had ever had, in about three minutes.  After that he got to be greatly liked, and did no end of good in his parish."

"Yes; but you say this man was a priest, a clergyman?" Maffio urged.

The three friends looked gravely at each other.

"Yes, but you must remember that he was also a man, and there is such a thing as righteous anger.  Why should a man look on and see a woman ill-treated without lifting his hand to save her, simply because he is a clergyman?"--from Out With Garabaldi, pgs. 128-129

The Kingdoms of this World

History seems to be dominated by evil men.  Whether it is the Assyrian Empire, the rule of Communism, or the United Nations in our day, the wicked seem to be in power.  Yet the Assyrians lasted much longer than Communism (or even the United Nations will!).  Why?  Because in the New Testament, God is much quicker to avenge his elect, as Paul says in Acts 17:30: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: "
But why did Communism fall quicker than the Assyrians?  Why is God's judgment on nations swifter than in the Old Testament?

¹⁵ And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11:15)

This is the answer.  Christ has received the kingdoms of the world and is in the process of bringing all things in subjection to Himself.

(Many thanks to Kevin Swanson's Proverbs Study Guide for this question, which made for excellent family discussion last night!)

250th Anniversary of the Treaty of Paris

250 years ago today, the Treaty of Paris was signed.  This brought an end to the hostilities between France, Great Britain, Spain and Portugal. 

Interestingly, the treaty begins with this phrase: "In the Name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. So be it."  It goes on to say how "It has pleased the Most High to diffuse the spirit of union and concord among the Princes, whose divisions had spread troubles in the four parts of the world, and to inspire them with the inclination to cause the comforts of peace to succeed to the misfortunes of a long and bloody war."

These quotations show how much Christianity had influenced politics in 1763, and that even the men who drafted the treaty realized where peace came from--the Most High, not from the machinations of politicians. 

The full text of the treaty can be found here: http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=1763_-_Treaty_of_Paris

The Legend of Biscuit Hill

"One of the many fascinating stories connected with the movement of Rochambeau's 5,000 troops were events, encounters, and adventures that occurred aside from the great battles that took place. Along a section of Route 14 near what is called Rice City, one of the 300 wagons which moved supplies and equipment broke down, breaking an axle and dumping its contents all over the road. As the area was suffering its third year of drought and flour was in short supply, the French soldiers allowed nearby townspeople to collect most of the spilled biscuits that had been baked at Providence the day before. The area was henceforth called "Biscuit Hill," and a country lane nearby is still called Biscuit Hill Road."
Text and Painting from http://www.davidrwagner.com/revolutionaryrouteseries.htm