THE EMPIRE'S CENTRE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14382, 27 November 1908, Page 10

THE EMPIRE'S CENTRE

CHRISTIAN IMPERIALISM. , (Fboj: Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON; October 16. Preaching-at tho Harvest Festival of the old Parish Church, Chiswick, last Sunday evening (when the thank'-ofFcrings weredev°tod to work in tho Auckland diocese), tho Bishop of Auckland took'for his text the 9th verse of thiS 122 nd Psalm: "Yea because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek to clo thee good." If it was not part'of their province that evening to inquire as to the man whoi wrote that Psalm, or why he did so, Bishop Neligan considered it clear that the man who did write it 'had been away from the city, and was glad to bo back again. Just the same as they who had been away from London wero glad to return to the city. When ho came back he felt carried away by certain feelings and sentiments, and was moved to such an extent that ho began to ask himself why this particular feeling of patriotism animated him to • such an extent, and he looked round to see to what to attribute it. In looking round ho saw all the people going to Jerusalem as their oentre. But that was not enough to account for that impulse, that motive, that eong of 'patriotism, which was carrying him -away to find his brethren, his companions, the places lie could recollect, the place where he could exchange opinions with tho people of his own standing. But that did not seem to bo enough; neither was it that it was the seat of justice. But what did he seo in all these things? The answer was that' it was the house .of the Lord our God. That was Jerusalem, the centre of'the nation's history. It was around that'that his own convictions and highest aspirations wero centred—tho national life. That still affected the civil and municipal life. There was the place where they learned, and where generations yet unborn should learn, abqut God and upi'ightcousness, and everything that made for the social righteousness—that was the impulse that was driving him on; because of that he was prepared to be a patriot, and " I will sock to do thee good." There was only one permanent impulse for patriotism', fcß social righteousness, civic integrity, and uprighteousness in the State, and that was. what the house of the Lord thy God taught man. That was the only 'motive that was going to do any good in the nation at all. If a nation thought it could do without that impulse and motive it was grievously mistaken. What was the house of God to us as a nation? queried the Bishop. M hat was the groat motive that would secure to the British Empire its best traditions? What would keep together the nations callcd the British Empire? Other empires as great as the British Empire bad fallen, They fell ,vhcn they neglected their religion. What did the Anglican Communion stand for? The answer was: The Anglican Communion stood in the permanent and unique position of seeking for the liberation of the national life, through its sanclideation; it nevor stood for the enslavement of the national life. Was the Christian faith to be the bond that would keep the British Empiro together? The Bishop then referred to the Roman Empire and the Grccian Empire, and to their schemes of colonisation. In the British colonies to-day they had nations producing their own types and char'actcris-

lies. The Greek colonies prospered so long as tlioy practised their religion ami worshipped God. Hut they became luxurious, and'then they began to think exactly tho same, as the people in England and in tho young Umpires. They-paid too much attention to money, and began to think religion was unnecessary, 'file man who told them religion was incredible was not nearly so hopeless to deal with as tho man who was self-complacent and eelf-concoited as a result of prosperity. So long as Greece kept to her religion she kept to her high ideals. Nut when luxury came in it killed the ideals. The end of Spanish colonisation came when religion enslaved the national life. Let them look at what was going on in Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand—tho young nations. "What was being done to elevate the national life? Above all things, lot them be themselves, with their own characteristics, their own communion, lifted up by that faith in Christianity, and by that they would lift up their national life; they would becomc concrete kingdoms, and among the kingdoms of God. So long as the British Empire remembered tho house of God, the motive of Imperialism would be all right, the impulse to patriotism always pure. But if' they' forgot that, and forgot what Christian Imperialism meant, then the British Empire would have to go. There could be only one bond—lmperialism. It was now in tho dirt—tlioy had to teke it out, clean it of the dirty fingermarks, from the dirt and grime of, illgotten gain by men waving the' Union Jack and avowing patriotism, while they were "lining their They had had too' inuch Imperialism without the adjective Christian.