“We do believe from the very bottom of our hearts that, so far as we ourselves are concerned, this is a righteous war. We do believe that God Himself has allowed that we should take our part in it, in the cause of justice and of right. We do believe that it will be partly through us that God will work His mighty purpose out, and that He will not cast away the instruments which He has used. Therefore, we have no justification whatever for giving way to gloomy thoughts as to what may happen IF England is beaten. If God has laid this war upon us, as we believe that He has, and if He is using us through it, as we believe that He is, then England CANNOT be beaten. She may be sorely tried, she may have much to suffer — and she deserves that for her neglect of God during all these years of prosperity, for her luxury, for her selfishness; but she cannot be beaten.
“We have no right to contrast our small army with the mighty hosts of Germany, and to say of the Expeditionary Force which we have just sent out, ‘What are they among so many?’ If God is going out with our army, as we believe He is, its success does not depend on them or on us; it depends on Him. God can save by many or by few; and victory does not necessarily go to the biggest battalions. It is not without significance that newspaper after newspaper, in all the prominence of its leading articles, has expressed its conviction that we are going out to battle now with God Himself behind us. Men of our race are chary, even on paper, of giving expression to their deepest feelings; but they are doing it now. And with one accord those who have their finger on the pulse of the national life are sounding that keynote, ‘If God be for us, who can be against us?’” —The Rev. Theodore-Wood, in a sermon preached at St. Mary Magdalene’s Church, Wandsworth Common.
These are good words and true. We must recognize God. We cannot beat down “the mailed fist” but by the “arm of the Lord.” We can best answer the brag and blasphemy of the German Emperor by a calm trust in God, who will deal with him for all his cruelties, and may be using us as a nation to carry out His purposes.
To Blot out Christianity
To show the need of daily, hourly prayer to God, read the facts brought before us in the following letter sent to the “Record” on September 25th —
“Sir, ―I am much impressed with the fact that so many people still fail to recognize the true nature and the true object of this war, which is to blot out England, and so to blot out Christianity. Let anyone who questions this read Professor Cramb’s lectures, delivered in London last year, in the little book entitled ‘Germany and England’ (John Murray, 2S. Gd.). There we find that the inspirers of this war, of the Emperor and his war party, and of young Germany’ are the German philosophers, especially Treitschke and Nietzsche. They avow their hatred of Christianity, and their intention of setting up not only a world-wide dominion, but a world-wide religion, by which Christianity, ‘the cancer of the centuries’ and ‘the loathed burden of the past,’ with all its accumulated rubbish,’ shall forever be swept away. (See pp. 116 and 120). Let all Christians know fully what this war means. And against it, in the name of our Saviour, let us bring up all the spiritual forces and spiritual weapons that we can muster. Much more is needed in this struggle than armies and fleets. —A Constant Reader, Bournemouth.”
Dear Madame Lecoat is doing what she can to help the sufferers in the war, and to keep hunger from the orphans under her charge. But she has great need now of the prayers of the Lord’s people and of their material help as well. Any gift sent to her now would indeed be welcome, and would be a real service to the Lord. I had a letter from her last month in which she speaks of the coming of some Belgians to Trèmel. This is what she says: ―
“Last Friday I heard a knock at the door, and to my surprise two strangers walked in; they looked tired and haggard. They asked me if I was Madame Lecoat. I said ‘Yes.’ Then they said, ‘Can you give us a place for shelter; we are Belgians that have been turned out of our house and have been obliged to fly from the savage Germans? Do take pity on us, and do give us shelter if you can.’ I said I would give them shelter. They then said, ‘We do not ask it to be quite free; we have been able to bring a little money. One room will do for us all. We can sleep on the bare floor if needs be.’
“They were three men, four women, and a child. I made them sit down, and offered them some food, and put the rooms in the Hospital at their disposal. We gave them beds and everything they wanted, except food, which they provided for themselves. They cried out, Oh, dear Madame, this is the house of God to which He has conducted us.’ They are Roman Catholic, but before they left the house to go to their resting-place we had a little worship. When I had finished the prayer, one of the women got up and said, ‘Thank you very much for your prayer.’ Last Sunday they came to our service in the chapel and seemed to enjoy it.
“I wish you were here, and dear Mrs. W― to see them; they are such nice, grateful people. May the Lord make us a blessing to them, and them to us. They had no garments except what they had on them. I regret I have no money to help this kind of people. Will Brittany, in this great trouble, send the gospel light to one corner of Belgium through the coming to us of these poor people? ‘God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.’ They seem very happy, and they live very simply. They were well-to-do farmers. They had fifteen head of cattle; two of their horses were taken from them, fire was set to their house, and they were driven forth well nigh destitute.”
This is only a sidelight on this horrible war. A chaplain who has been in the actual firing line says: — “It is not war; it’s a holocaust. The greatest slaughter in the world’s history is going on behind that censorship curtain in France. When the world learns of the price that has been paid it will be staggered, sick at heart.”
Oh! let us all pray to God for our soldiers, that God may save the souls of the unsaved and give great opportunities to those who are saved to speak of Christ to their comrades.
I came across the following hymn the other day when visiting a patient, and it seemed to me so appropriate to the present time that I reproduce it here: —