"PLAY THE MAN."

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2344, 29 December 1914, Page 6

"PLAY THE MAN."

OUR DUTY TO BRITAIN

A STRIKING SERMON

BY THE REV. DR. GIBB

On Sunday evening, in St. John's Church, Dr. Gibb delivered to a very large congregation a sermon 'on, "Our Present Duty to Britain and the Kingdom of God." The text was II Samuel, 10, 12: "Be of good courage, and let us-play_ the man for our people and for ,the cities of our God." He must bo & base man, said Dr. Gibb, whose thoughte, as this year drew to its' close, were not absorbed almost to the exclusion of all else by the stern drama in which his country was playing so great, so noble, and yet bo terrible a part. Never had their ignorance of .what a.day might bring forth been so 'brought home to them as by the .experiences of the year, whose last sands wore now running out. Twelve months ago who could have dreamed that •Enrope «.would be a scene, of bloodshed such as ,the world had never known. They knew, that Europe was an armed camp, but' they imagined no nation Would dare.fire the mine that would lay the oivilised world in ruins. . Norman • ASgell's book;. "The Great lUuaion," seemed conclusive. Neither England nor Germany, could stand the financial strain-,of war with each.other fora month. And four months have run of a conflict which is hell let loose, and only God knew how many more dreadful months were before them. Perhaps the gravest and most disturbing thought forced on them found expression in the question: Is Chrißtian:rty,!a'failure?..For .two thousand years/ '■ they',,lad,known., that God was Holy Ix>ve, and that their supreme obligar tion was that every man, should love .'his neighbour as himself. Was it all on impotent 'dream? He answered, ,Jto. Let; them search the authoritative documents of the faith—the-. New Testament Scriptures—and they would see . that our' Lord' '•' and • His apostlos anticipated 'just' -such happenings in -a;;- world cursed by sin. The consummation would be a regenerated earth, the kingdoms "of this world would become the Kingdom of our Lord, but the New Testament plainly .intimated /that this result would be reached only after manifold tribulations and disasters, men's hearts failing them for fear. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, but only to those who believe.. And' until men ■and nations believe, the Gospel was powerless. Even the message of Christmas promised peace only to men of good-will." Whatever the earliest books of ;the' New Testament suggested, it was clear: that' before the close of tie New Testament period the founders of theit faith knew that' , the' forces of evil; would not capitulate in a day or a century or for many centuries.

In all this,there was.comfort for the ]belieyiiig heart, but could they find comfort in. these "things as subjects of 'the British Empire? It was with every Passing • day becoming niore manifest that in ; this war Great Britain might lionestly regard herself as standing "for the; Kingdom of God; while Germany represented the Kingdom of anti-Christ. He did not intend to think that Britain was altogether free from blame for the present Looked at from a certain point of view the war mifsht be.regarded as the judgment of. God on a civilisation that had largely forgotten Him, and turned its back on His will as the supreme- obligation for mortal man. Britain and her Dominions had had their own share in this forgetfulness. And yet it was clear, clearer to-day thanwhen the war began that Germany was solely, responsible for the- immediate outbreak, and .that in the conflict Britain is standing for justice and freedom, for the rights of man and the Kingdom of God; while Germany is standing for €he reign of brute force and a culture rooted in the conviction that might is right. "Culture," ,the. word would stink in the nostrils as long as men. remembered the horrors Germany had inflicted on peaceful cities and unarmed men; hay, on tender women and helpless little children. But her Tulers and statesmen wore dyed as deep in'iniquity as her soldiers and sailors. They had shown their determination to tear up treaties, to violate guarantees of neutrality without regard to anything but physical force. Germany was the very apocalypse of lawlessness.

Against this fell invader of the rights of men, Britain had to fight and had the right to claim, as they did humbly but confidently claim, thai in giving Germany battle they were fighting for Bod' and the Kingdom of God. Aβ clear as was her call to resist to the death the Napoleon of the 19th century, was her call to smite to the dust the _ would-be Napoleon of the 20th. Against the blind barbarian vengeance of these Goths and Huns' of the modern world, Britain had but one duty. vShe must end it or perish in the attempt. Every'heart throughout the British. _world ■ had thrilled at Mr. Asqnith's imperishable statement: "For my part I say sooner than be a silent witness—which means, in effect, a willing, accomplice*—of this tragic triumph of force over law, of brutality over freedom, I would see this country blotted out of the page of history." The sin of the lvorld-p-there lay the fount and origin of all wars, but was it an exaggeration to say that the sin of tho .world had become, as it were, supremely incarnated in this brute force Empire ? The Church's duty as a rule was to fight sin with spiritual weapons, out once and again there had come the necessity of the Church's bidding men betake themselves to tho weapons of the flesh—to rifle and .bayonet. Never in their long history had it been more obligatory on ; the Church thnii now. to bless the arms of our soldiers and sailors, call upon our manhood to join the.-colours., and , cry to . the Lord of Hosts to' defend the right. What word was more fitting than that of the text: "Be of good courage and play the man for our people .and for the cities of our God." ~. . . Dr. Gibb, continuing, said that he was deeply conscious of the sadnoss of having on the last Sunday r.'ght of Jsheyear thus 'to. address i'ler.i. Sad fjildeed was it that the Chritbian pulpit jjaust ring with tho.battle cry. But it was ■"must." All their duties wero meanwhile subordinate to the duty of bringing Germany to her knees. If Germany were victorious, dire disaster would hefall "all the interests enshrined.in tho of, God. It was not merely a material'conflict, it was a spiritual conflict. Their loyalty not only ; to their earthly king, but to Him who was King of kings and Lord of lords demanded that they should play the man. Ho called them to prayer that' God would crown their arms with success. Let them pray for the soldiers who wero so manfully doing their duty and more; for the sailors who kept their stern vigil in the wild, dark North Sea; for their, own Jads in Samoa and Egypt, ill at they might fight as soldiers ni Christ as well as the Empire. Hβ called them to pray that good might como out of this evil; that tho ncoplo of Now Zealand might be led back though it was through thick darkness to tho God whom so many of them had forgdjiten; that the way might ho prepared for tlio fuller coming of tho Prince of Peace hero and in all tho rorld. But it was necessary to do more than lound tho call to prayer. They must work and givo. .They must above all givo their sons to this conflict. Let them realise- that this is a fettle, 4a..

the death. Germany may be scotched, though that was doubtful, but sho was not defeated; Her first plans had been broken. Paris was still tho seat of the French Government, and Calais at least as far off as when the Kaisor told his soldiers to take it or die. But we are further from Borlin than tho Gormans are from Paris. Britain must strain every nerve and sinew if she is to triumph. Germany will go <*own only if Britain and hoi- Alliee are prepared to equal tho sacrifices their foemen are malting and aro ready to make. To the fathers and.mothers present he would say: Givo3'our sons.

And to every young man who has not already intimated his willingness to take hia part in this Armageddon he would say: Play ■ the man for your people and the cities of your God. It might not be necessary, lie prayed God it might not, that all our young manhood should find their way to the front. But every man of martial age should indicate hia readiness to go as soon as called upon. At Home the demand was that every man between 19 and 35 should volunteer for the war. It rejoiced him to learn recently that Scotland had given 2.9 per cent, of her sons, a higher number than any other part of the Empire. Let the men of Scottish extraction here emulate the Eons of the mother land. "I call upon you," he said, "to realise your personal | responsibility. It is a great thing I am asking of you, but the cause is greater still. The man who, the way being open, will not now fight for his country and for his God is a laggard or a coward, and of him may presently bo spoken the word of Deborah concerning them men of Morez: 'Curse ye Merqz, yea, curse bitterly, because they came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty. . Once again I say to each of you, and: especially to the men who are'still young in years and have none depending on them, 'Be of good cour'age, and play the man for your people and the cities of your God.'"