INTERCESSION SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 177, 5 January 1915, Page 6

INTERCESSION SERVICE.

WHITELKY MEMORIAL CIIURCII. A largo congregation assembled for morning service at the Whitelcy Memorial t'lmrch oil Sunday when: intercessory prayers were ottered and tlie special "Litany for the Army and Navy' was The preacher was the Kev. A. 1!. C'liappell, who took for his text: "Prav for us; for we are persuaded that we have a good conscience, desiring to live honestly ill nil tilings. And I exhort you the mole exceedingly to do this, that I may bo restored to you fhe sooner."—Hebrews. .Kill., IS. 111. Referring to these words as having been often used at great English intercessory ser.Tces occasioned by tlie v.iii', Mr. Chappe'd proceeded deal with them as they ni'ght. conceivably be ((noted by soldiers of the Allies. "Pray for ni each mill! might be heard entreating. "tor I do all with a go-d conscience and desire to carry myself honorably,and pray with this special, intense object —that I may be restored to you the sooner.' 1 Such was the call, lo us ill the homelands, from those fighting in our battles 011 land and sea. They had the best of right to our prayers, ff-.r (under Uod) our security and "happiness depended 011 them in the last resort. Of what use were all our wealth and nil our wisdom if these valiant sons of our homes had not been willing to go cut to fight for in': Well r-iig'ii we instantly intercede for tlicm. Beside;;, the righteousness of their cause gave them the best of right to our prayers. They fought with "a good conscience'' since Britain's cause was just Mid chivalrous. We had not sought this conflict. It was thrust upon us. To have shirked it would have been cowardly and dishonorable. The responsibility for this terrible breach in the world's peace lay, not with England, nor with France, r.or with Russkt, bu!. with Germany, ft was clear that none of tlie others among tile contending nations had been prepared or wishful for an aggressive war. There bad been struggle-i into which England had [dunged with less justification; indeed, some earlier chapters of her history gave orariosal cause frr shame. Put, :n this gig.mtis struggle her hands were clean in the sight of the Almighty, however they night be marked with blood. Royal family ties with Germany had net been allowed to blind o;:.' King's eyes to his international duty; but his efforts to maintain peace had stopped f'h'rt of dishonor. Sir Edward Grey, through his diplomatic representatives at every court in Europe, had striven nobly to avert a general war, even after hope of peace had vanished from other hearts. A patient reading of the "White Book" and an endeavor to master the intricacies of diplomatic ncgot'ations from the tragic assassination at Scrajcvo right oil to the last ultimatum showed that tit" isso> of war rr peace lay in tfcs lu;:vl of Germany's war-lord and Ids a'.l-toa-v.li'ing grou;> of military leaders. The Kaiser iiad prepared and precipitated the struggle. Recalling Dr. Joseph Parker's prayer, "God damn the Sultan!" at a memorable City Temple service when South-Eastern Europe was the scene of atrocities made possible by Turkey, one felt to-day almost justified in a cry to outraged heaven "Cod damn the Kaiser!" For the defence of a people, of all peoples, against an arrogant, barbaric Kaiserism, England had taken the field.With a righteous cause, her soldiers mid sailors might well present to us their claim to cur prayers. And we should pray without quailing, without hesitation, without misgiving, tor success to be theirs. Along i'.o other way eouM the world reach a satisfactory, righteous peace. Their trying conditions give our men a deep need for our prayers. We might try to picture their plight and the fiercely strenuous nature of their life, but we failed. Imagination was not equal to the task. Tales of the foes' inhuman cruelties, and cables giving details of the days and r^V.; in th? trenrhes, could help but little. Passing comprehension. the conditio::.' within the battli -zov.e were horrible to contemplate in the least vidiil fashion. Outside that rone and in area", far removed from the struggle, terrible mental burdens were being benx' Isv ler.ders and responsible | organisers. Y\V should earnest')* pray [ for a!! "iiel. in view of dire need for ev.cli -.'id. Hud tYs appeal from | battlefield and office 1 .. heed.■! ;■ Was the nation praying ii intense cage'lies? I f v the liberation and return m" u . '"jiees | through the only satisfactory way, that of a stern crushing of the foe? The nation that had given and fought must w*av, too, and pray with agony and confUenee combined. England wtn heeding the (all to prayer. A more sober spirit had come to her. Said the Manchester Guardian lately, concerning the hotel ka.r.gcs, where hitherto gossipy gaiety had laled: "A few weeks ago tango to as. :dit skirts and feverish rlutehin; at anything that was new and strange. Today, a scene of quiet thoughtfulness, like a bit of a novel of Jane Austen. Sometimes a letter is fingered and the knitting drops." The Evening Standard declared that London since the wa- began had resumed the habit of dropping into church. These things meant much as to England's heeding the call to prayer. Suppose a peep were taken at one of the mid-day intercessory servvices at the City Temple, selecting the Thursday meeting that was given one week to mof'.i rs' prayers. Here is a bit of a report if it: "Do you think they'll be praying for lis at home sir?' The Scottish chaplain with the Expeditionary Force says this is a universal question with our men at the front. Could the questioners have seen Thursday's throng at the City Temple, and read the sheaf of requests for special prayer, what an answer would have been theirs? Long before the hour struck folks wandered up and down the aisles vainly seeking a cranny. A few at least found haven in the gallery. 'The mothers are strong this morning,' said the Rev. R. .T. Campbell, and as their petitions lose in the silence the autumn .sunshine sent a benediction on the brave women, many of whom had given their all. One soldier sou had left 'under sealed ordei>, without time to say good-bve.' A mother 'thanked <!nd for the good news just received of the safety of her boy, who was with the London Scottish in that terrible charge.' No heart but was glad with her, and none but rushed out to that other ''London Scottish' mother still awaiting tidings of her son. A petition that scars the memory came from *a broken-hearted widow whose heroic husband we.s -hot for refusing to dig trenches for the enemy.'" That was enough. He spared them further distressing details. It was not like that yet in New Zealand. God grant we might never be so ail'ected. Hut why wait until that close, scorching touch of war came before we seriously settled to the task or earnest prayer? The preacher acknowledged gladly that a deep pcriousness. in contradistinction to the rabid jingoism of Ri er war times, had been evidenced by the bulk of our people, I'ut some things were disquieting. In our country neighborhood, and even ill our own town, the plea of the war funds, especially for distre-seil TVhtans, had been made an excuse for prolonged K Wis commendable that money had been raised, but thu methods in some of these frivolous re-unions had been pitifully and sadly unworthy. To give no heed to the necessities of a widowed, destitute, homeless, starving despairing Belgian nioiher, until an all-night dance could be organised and a merry jollification could be held, seemed paltry and pitiless. Where such undiluted selfishness rejoiced there could be no real prayer and little true sympathy. It was virtually impossible to arrange for many fo come together for prayer. Let eacii, in hi; ; hcetf, pray without ceasing, l. -t

no night close, and no day dawn, withor.', thought of the call from battlefield and ruined home and council-hall whi.re leaders meet. For what should prayer be presented? For definite, complete and speedy success to come to our arms. The world's good could pot no. come otherwise. The sanest thinking 'ou!d find no hope for the Western world in either the Allies' defeat or their making an unholy truce with the foe. Hap,i':ly, the temper of the Empire was muc.li that other things, like the difficulty over Ireland, had been counted as the small dust of the balance compared with the overthrow of the Prussian bully and Ave were prepared sooner to risk our Empire's utter destruction than its loss of honor. We were pledged to pray for victory. Trayer should ceaselessly ascend for the upholding of our leaders, and our rank and file. Nor should the homeless and bereaved and anxious refugees be forgotten. We should make these our care, even as Cod made them His. At the burial of a poor man, whose weeping widow, mother of a large young family, was standing near, st Welsh preacher prayed: "0 Cod, we do not ask Thee to show Thy face to Thy stricken handmaid: she couldn't bear it. Show her Thy back; show her Thy back—covered with widows and orphans." It was Ilis delight to bear that burden, and our prayers for Belgium's and other widows and children would not pass Him by without avail. An English visitor to Russia, writing home of late said: "I have come here to see a nation on its knees." It cannot be said of us. When as a nation we thus prayed, there would hasten the glad day of a riglieous peace, and help to give this war its place aniong the things that worked together for the welfare of men and the glory of God. At the close of the service the congregation stood for soir.a moments in a solemn hush of silent prayer, ere tlie benediction, followed by the National Anthem, dismissed them.