STEWARD OF THE WORLD.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 3929, 10 February 1920, Page 4

STEWARD OF THE WORLD.

UUEAT BRITAIN'S TRUST.

I "To whom is given much., oi him shall much be required," was the text front Luke, 12th chapter, verse 40, on ivJiich lilt- livv. W. G. Monckton preadied a most forceful sermon ia St. i'oiers Church, Takapuna, on '< Sunday evening. The British Empire ho touic to bo emphatically the stewj aid o! the nations, and he proceeded Ito i>ollll out the vast responsibilities that Great Britain had undertaken, following this up with some impressive comments upon the manner in which she had fulfilled the duties imposed by her stewardship. Some people assorted that we had been guided by lust of conquest ia building oar Empire Quito the contrary was tho truth. ''We did not want India/ , ho said. "The government of India was a duty imposed on us by God. The Mogul Empire had collapsed, no other, native power manifested any constructive governing ability. It therefore became evident that if India was totbe protected from the Mahrattas in the south and the Afghans in the north, and iroiu anarchy and confusion within, the duty must be undertaken by the English. It was our stewardship. In thy same way we intervened in Egypt io save the people from the extravagance and oppression of tho Khe-. dive Ismail. We, in common with tliu otlier groat Powers of Europe. failed, however, in our duty to the Christian subjects of Turkey, whom we had pledged ourselves to protect. We honestly intended to carry ouc our pledge., and sent some of our best men to Asia ilinor. But the claims of Egypt distracted us, it M'oimvl too much to bear so manyburdt'iss. >o' wo withdrew from Asia Minor, l'oryetting that tho responsibility towards the Armenians was imposed oil us by God, and that having boen ;;iven so much, much was required, l>ml had called xis to be the lielj>or and protector of the. weak and the spreader of the Gospel throughout the world. Napoleon's motto was, "Glory!" the motto of Nelson and Wellington was "Duty!" and Because the English people had such .a strong sonso Ji duty God had entrusted to us tho stewardship of the world. The Jh-iu-Ji poople had a strong sense of individual liberty, and here- we get the essential difference between Britain and Gonnany; We uplifted inferior races by that sense of liberty; w» had tsumlit inferior races tojgQVil'n themselves. Th« senilis of our'iaco was uoi: to make separate states, but to build up a yrcaL federation that wo call our Empire. For~rc»ligipus liberty, lioiu'stv of admiuistratio«,-and impartial justice, Britain stands supremo. You could never build an Einpiro nnle>s vim realised that the trust was from God, and unless you looted upon our Empire as part of tho Kingdom ot G<kl. We must strive to make worthier that Empire from which so many had laid down their lives."