THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21175, 28 May 1934, Page 10

THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

♦ SAFETY IN A CHANGING WORLD SERMON BY ARCHBISHOP JULIUS The belief that in spite of the attempts in many parts of the world to-day to stamp it out Christianity would continue to flourish was expressed by Archbishop Julius in his sermon at St. Augustine's, Cashmere Hills, last evening. The Archbishop said that although churches might be demolished or used for purposes other than worship of God, the Christian spirit, which had grown continually, would never be killed. It was the first address by the Archbishop for some'' weeks. His Grace took his text from Judges, 18-24, and said that at the end of Judges there were many stories, some of them of great antiquity. One of them told of the tribe of Dan, which took from Micah his oracle, his priest, and his vestments, and roused him to the complaint contained in the text. There was one thing, however, that they could not take from Micah. and that was the spirit that led him to set up his oracle and his priest. It was 7)erhaps a rude, primitive faith, that bade him set up the oracle, but the effect of the action of the tribe of (Dan was to make it flourish more 'strongly than ever before. Doctrine Goes On The Archbishop said that he knew in these days there were those who would say, "Take my church, take my priest, take my faith, but do not take my goods," but he thanked God that throughout the history of the church, there had been enough men of faith to bring it to its present position. There were many churches but the doctrine had gone on, the i doctrine of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. It was a truth which was beyond us, but it was wholly curs, and was vast when compared I with the little faith of Micah. i The Christian faith, he said, was ] safe. No tribe could come and take away our God. They might tear ; down the churches and destroy all jthat we had that was of the earth ! and earthy, but they would still have i to leave us our faith. i And yet we were not as safe ar ;we thought we were. Enemies might jtouch our faith as the men of Dan I might have touched the faith of I Micah and made him deny a god Iwho was unable to look after his own image and temple. In the last 50 or 60 years, commerce had touched many faiths. Commerce declared that it had no interest in missions to foreign lands, and that it was content to leave things as they were, but this was just what commerce did not do. It had raised many devils. In Russia to-day a new thing was in being—the worship of the national greatness. The churches had gone, and God had been banished, but he could not believe that the spirit had altogether gone. It was alive still among those who insisted on worshipping God. Things were no better in Germany whore there was religious chaos as bad as any in the history of the world. and where faith, once so bright, was nowdim. Here again, he believed that the spirit still lived on. H. G. Wells's Picture In his latest book, 11. G. Wells pai'ited a picture of a world which had attained a state where war was not allowed, and where the brotherhood of man ruled, and the writer prophesied that this state, once attained, would remain. But this state was about the dullest that could be imagined. Many great thinkers of the present time agreed that the nations should cast off their petty jealousies and live together in amity, and the Archbishop agreed with : them. He could not, however, believe that the world could exist con--1 tentedly in a state of brotherhood , without a father; without some great icentral figure round which the whole I structure could be built. ; "I believe God has got better (things in store for us," his Grace concluded. "I cannot help seeing that in spite of universities without religion, and teachers teaching a religion without a god, there is a vounger generation growing up among us that is saying, 'What have I left if you take away my faith?' 'I for once rejoice to see a generation growing up with this steadfast ! aim."