AUGUST THE FOURTH

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2517, 19 July 1915, Page 2

AUGUST THE FOURTH

A YEAR OF AVAR AND A DAY- OF PRAYER.

In Ins sermon at St. Paul's Anglican Pro-Cathedral yesterday morning, the liev. A. M. Johnson, stated that tlie Bishop of Wellington had decided to call upontlio people of the diocese to ohservo August 4 (tho anniversary of Britain's entry into the war) as a day ol prayer. They were experiencing a very strange phenomenon at the present time. Thoir Empiro was in tho greatest danger, and yet the people, though they professed to believe in God, were slacking off from prayer. There had recently been a falling-off in the attendance at tho intercession ser- \ ices which are held in St. Paul's at 5.15 p.m. every Friday. Wo liad entered upon , the hundred days which wp liad been told would bo the most critical ill our nation's story! Tho military operations appeared to bo hanging in tho balance.

It was a timo which ought to appeal to every young man to a3k himself what lie was doing for liis country, and it ought to appeal to everyone who called himself a Briton and a Christian to do liis part. Yet there seemed to be a slacking off in the matter of prayer for the nation and tlioso at the fiont. War was taken for granted; God taken for granted; victory was taken for granted. Mr. Johnson regretted this tendency to leave God out of account, and expressed the hope that tho congregation would make August 4 a day of real prayer. • He asked tliem to cancel all-social engagements for that day. He hoped that there would bo continuous prayer in St. Paul's on August 4 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. A few services would also be held. Mr. Johnson proceeded to explain, tho difference between true prayer and average prayer. In average prayer there was a note of uncertainty. It was like an arrow shot in the air, and not the approach of a loving child to a loving Father. Tho New Testament idea of prayer was a much bigger tiling than the average idea. It Toally expected a reply, and strength to receive the answer m whatever form God might see fit to send it. For God's sake, for the country's sake, and for humanity's sake the'preacher urged his hearers to get busy in this matter and make their intercessions moro'real and earnest. "Too busy do. you sav" p remarked Mr. Johnson in conclusion. "The Christian who is too busy, to pray is like a workman who is too busy to sharpen liis tools."-