BISHOP AVERILL'S SERMON

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2368, 26 January 1915, Page 6

BISHOP AVERILL'S SERMON

CHIEF LINE OF DEFENCE

SBLF-SACEIFIOE OE THE PEOPLE. (By Telegraph.—Press A®ociafa'on.) ' Auckland, January 20. "Can you picture a soldier's dying vision?" Bishop Ayerill asked his congregation at St. Mary's Cathedral last night. 1 "What would help him most, a vision of rjimlAKs rjfcAsiirf>-<wml/i'nn.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

I Auckland, January 25. "Can you picture a soldier's dying vision?" Bishop Averill asked his congregation at St. Mary's Cathedral last night. ' "What would help him most, a vision of careless pleasure-seeking, 'indifferent peoplo, or a vision of self-sacri-fice, of sympathetic prayerful people, who realise that men are dying in thousands at the front are doing so for their safety at Home. It is honour to a country at such a time to pride itself in keeping up its race meetings and its cricket matches, with blood flowing freely at the front for the very existence of oar Empire." Bishop Avsrill said it was surprising to him that God had so insignificant a place in the thoughts of men at such a time. "If we were satisfied that our cause was a just one, why were not more prayers offered up for the success of our armies? One could almost imagine that men were afraid to approach tho Throne of the Almighty and appeal for victory." He was surprised that men did not, at this tune, value mare the commuiiou sexvices j that they did not crowd the Bpecial services of intercession.

"We are all keen critics.of Germany and German ideals," said the Bishop, "for its sins are. obvious enough, but are we not suffering from over-much wisdom in ourselves? Are we not playi ing oar part in keeping back the dawn of better and truer days, days of stable international relations, because we are wanting in vision'? After the Napoleonic wars there seemed to be such hope, and there seemed to be such opportunity for truer international relations, but mean jealousies crept in in place of the seizure of opportunities God gave us. The great man is not the man who sees faults in his neighbour, but the man who is ready to admit his own weaknesses. If Prussian militarism has overshadowed German life so that righteousness and justice and brotherhood seem to be eclipsed, and might and Empire and slavery substituted in their place, would it not appear that the British naval strength, commercial might and comfort have somewhat blinded our own eyes to the real responsibilities of world Empire? Have we not been wise in our own conceit?"

Tho preached went on: "Have we not regarded our Empire as the darling of the gods, and forgotten ono God, the Father of all? Have we not been guilty of Empire selfishness ? Of course, all realise that the slow progress of the war is the result of the small force we are able to put in the field. Is there nothing deeper? God had to wait for years before St. Paul's eyes were opened. He is waiting for our eyes to be opened and for our souls to be awakened! f

Perhaps we ore too satisfied with the httle we have done' in this country, and perhaps 6ome of us have required a good deal of "patting on the back 1 ' even for that. My friends, the meaning and horrors of this titanic struggle have hardly come at all to us yet; we are interested.spectators at a safe distance, rather than participators in this terrible struggle. Judging by totalisator investments we have not yet given to tho extent of our self-sacrifioe.

"Personally, much as I respect the, high tone of jonrnalism in this country, I am sometimes disappointed that the papers do not rise higher and 60und a loftier note of warning at this time and give a clearer call to self-sacrifice in this country. I ask you as honest men and women, are wo going without any comfort to bring ourselves into sympathetic touch with those at the front, and those who are giving their lives for our sake?"

The Bishop, proceeding, 6aid he could not but admiro the movement in England for total abstinence during the continuance of war for two reasons. That movement had been . taken up among all classes of the community, first as a protest, secondly as an act of sympathy. It was a protest against the iniquitous practice of treating men in uniform and making them a disgrace to the King whom they 'served, and a disgrace to'their own manhood. Ho sometimes,wished that some of our own soldiars in this country could evolve a deeper sense of regard for the King's uniform,' 'if they could not for themselves.

In this way, too, ono might bring himself into sympathetic touch with those who were standing in the trenches. Many seemed to forget that they all bad to play their part in this war. The universal character of. selfsacrifice of the people behind the uniformed battalions, was, in his opinion, the chief line of defence of the people of New Zealand and of the Empire, and if they would voluntarily curtail even a part of 'their amusements in order to put themselves in sympathy with the men who were fighting and dying for them, the moral effect upon the soldiers at the front and upon New Zealand would bo tremendous.