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THE KING’ S BUSINESS EFFECTS OF THE WAR
SPIRIT OF HUMILITY
T N THE New Year’s issue o f thé London -*■ Christian, published January 6 , 1916, there are a number o f New Year’s messages from prominent men in the church in Eng land. All these messages are suggestive, but some peculiarly so, and we are repro ducing some o f them here. The Right Rev. H. C. C. Moule, D. D„ Lord Bishop of Durham, writes: “Across the great darkness o f the War, God grants us, so I confidently say, many a line of light to remind us that ‘the Sun is greater than the cloud.’ Think o f our condition, as a people, before the War. W e were moving fast down the slope o f material ideals, enslaved by the lust o f gain and pleasure. W e were very near civil war, as a consequence o f the frank preference of party to the whole good of the State. We were living in a large forgetfulness—to speak plainly—alike o f God and o f the devil. As a French officer lately said: 'Germany has saved Europe,. for she has forced us to believe in the reality of evil.’ And that belief, I am sure, is driving innumerable souls now to seek light and safety-,; precisely in the Christian’s God and Saviour, even in Him Who so .saw evil that He gave Himself four our ulti mate deliverance from it, to the agony of the Cross. W e are going to learn deeper lessons than ever, as sinners and mourn ers, o f the power and peace that lives in a now reigning but once broken-hearted GOD.” The message from The Right Hon. the Lord Kinnard, K. T., is o f unusual inter est in the light o f the fact that his own eldest son, the heir to the title, was killed in one o f the battles near Ypres. A per sonal letter written at that, time to the Editor o f T he K ing ’ s B usiness was full o f meaning, but was not published because its personal character made it too sacred to appear in public print. To the London Christian he writes: “As we stand, on the threshold o f the ‘unknown,’ our thoughts go back to 1915, to see what we hav.e learnt to encourage us. W e have much for which we ought to render hearty thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father. I believe that as a nation and as individuals, including our soldiers
and sailors, we have learnt new lessons as to the need and value o f prayer. W e have learnt that God answers prayer; we have also learnt to value our Bibles more. Our chief look, however,, must be forward. The Y . M. C. A. have chosen as their motto for 1916 ‘ victory’ (1 Cor. 15:57). We believe that our God is going to give our nation victory; we also bejieve He is going to give us a spiritual victory, and that we shall see thousands o f our people' at home and abroad brought to a saving knowledge o f Christ through the Gospel message. The times are dark and critical, but faith looks up to Him who is on the Throne; and, knowing that the Lord reigneth, we will confidently leave ourselves and the future in His hands. Meanwhile, let us each, rely ing on the strength o f the Holy Spirit, resolve to do our utmost, throughout 1916, prayerfully to help our country more earnestly than we have ever done before.” The following letter from Mr. J. E. K. Studd, M. A., president Polytechnic; Lon don, also has additional meaning, in view of; the fact that his son was killed in one o f the engagements in Belgium. We received from him also at that time a beautiful letter, full, not only o f resigna tion to the will o f God, but triumphant faith in G od: “What New Year message can one give at such a time, and under Such conditions ? I can only pass on to the readers o f The Christian the motto we have adopted at the Polytechnic—‘Abide with GOD’ (1 Cor. 7 :24). In all the uncertainty, He alone knows that which' is to be, and which is hidden from us. He alone knows the why and the wherefore o f what has been in this great testing through which vye have passed and are passing. If we ‘abide with God,’ we man rely upon His love to keep us; from fretting, upon His upholding to keep us from fainting, arid upon His keep ing to prevent uS from fearing. So may we pursue, with inflexible tenacity, the pur pose we have undertaken, to erisure the safety and freedom, not only o f our own people at home, but o f others who are weak and distressed.” The following letter from Rev. J. D. Jones, M. A., D. D., ex-chairman Congre gational Union, has in it a lesson that we
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