WAR has been raging during the last fortnight between Turkey and four other Balkan States, viz., Bulgaria, Servia, Montenegro, and Greece. Several sanguinary battles have been fought between Turkey and each of these four States. It is computed that there are a million soldiers under arms in this war. Of these, Turkey claims seven hundred thousand, leaving for the other States combined three hundred thousand. So far Turkey has been losing at every point of attack. The loss in human life, so far as can be gathered from reports, must have been already very great.
The inhabitants of the Balkans belong to the Greek Church, with a sprinkling of Mahomedans among them. The Greek Church formed a part of the Church of Rome till the year 1285. She holds still almost all the soul-ruining doctrines of the Papacy, but does not recognise the Pope as her head. In Russia the Tzar is the head of that Church, while in the Balkans the Patriarch of Constantinople is head. At the same time the Greek Church is considered by all her followers to be one Church.
The Turks set up their despotic and persecuting rule in Europe when they captured Constantinople in the year 1453. All the Balkans States were conquered by them at that time. Ever since they have been using oppression and massacres in order to keep the Greeks in subjection. These inhuman atrocities appalled the whole civilized world. The Greek Church, on the other hand, persecuted with as much rigour when she had full power. Russia’s persecution of the Jews is ample proof of this. The other nations of Europe, at least for the last hundred years, looked aghast at this awful butchery in the Balkans, but their inter-jealousies prevented them from coming to their rescue. In recent years, one after another of these small States revolted, and had to receive an appearance at least of autonomy. But Turkey never carried out the reforms to which she bound herself in several treaties. Taking refuge behind alliances formed by some of the European Powers, in which the integrity of the Turkish Empire was embodied among other agreements, they have, by using deceit and procrastination, evaded their obligations both to these powers and the Balkan States. At last the above-named four States have combined in order to free themselves from the tyranny of the Turks, or to die in the attempt.
The British nation is placed in a very difficult position by this war. Between our dominions in India and in Egypt there are more Mahomedans under our rule than there are in all the rest of the world—Turkey included. Should the Mahomedan subjects under our sway proclaim a holy war, as they have often done in the past, we would find ourselves in a very trying position. Our prayer to the Lord of Hosts should be that He would give wisdom to our rulers at this critical time, and that He would bring this awful war to a speedy end. Let us raise our cry to the Judge of all the earth who will do the thing that is right. Let us also plead that He would by this war open these dark places of the earth that are full of the habitations of horrid cruelty to His Word, and the benign influences of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord alone knows what may transpire before the end of this war. The nations of the world are at present steeped in infidelity, idolatry, sensuality, profanity and avarice. These sins call for vengeance, and unless it be prevented by repentance on our part, the day of reckoning will come. May the Lord pour upon us the spirit of grace and supplication! N. C.