SUNDAY READING

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1934, Page 14 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING

By (fte Rev.

J. D. McL. WILSON

THE HOPE OF YOUTH

SIR PHILIP GI2BS' PROPHECY. REFLECTION AFTER GREAT WAR. Three years after the close of the war Sir Philip Gibbs published a book called “The Hope of Europe.” In it he made a bitter indictment of the national, leaders. Those old men, he declared, were wholly responsible for the monstrous conflict which well nigh crushed civilisation. They were, he went on, With very few exceptions, little men, who had no greater vision than the safety of their own jobs, and the continuance of their own prestige. Before the war they daily gamboled with each other for new territory, privileged markets, oil fields, native races, coaling stations, imperial greatness and the like; and were always willing to stake a million lives, though never their own, upon the hazard. All the follies and all the tragedies of those days and up to the close of the war he traced to those whom he contemptuously referred to as “the old gang men who had no spiritual light in them, not much nobility and no inspiration of genius. The hope of the future and of civilisation now lies with youth, he declared. It will worthily, shape destiny. Youth will build a new world upon the ruins of the old; recast social relations between classes and nations; stay cruel and evil powers and conquer disease; earnestly pursue truth and beauty, resurrect art, poetry and lovely handicrafts, and call back song and laughter to human existence. It shall, by the discoveries of science, prolong human life and establish faith in the soul of the world, and all things will become new. More than a decade has gone by since the prophecy was made, but there are no signs of its fulfilment. Youth, it is true, ever has destiny in its keeping, but we look around upon the uprising generation—so full of unconscious power, portent and mystery, and we wonder greatly what the outcome is to be. Will the youth of the present generation be as the Greek Sphinx, or the Egyptian ? The Greek one, you remember, couched at the cross roads and destroyed all who could not solve the set riddles. The Egyptian ones were set in a double row at the temple entrance, there to move to humility, thought and wisdom. Is present day youth, the unwitting though inevitable arbiter of at least a generation’s destiny, to be to it as the angel of light and knowledge and good, or as an angel of destruction ? At the present hour in many lands youth, inspired by various motives, is making portentous contribution to the life of the world. No one can think of the tremendous youth movements in the Orient, in Fascist countries, in Soviet Russia and in the Moslem world without being stirred. Something must happen; something, is happening, though so far away are we from the masses of population that we scarcely feel the repercussions. Unless the youth of the great Englishspeaking world are speedily possessed of some great and particular cause and ideal and inspired by some high aim and objective they will lack that cohesion and moral force necessary for leadership in the world and needful to withstand the alien influences from. abroad which make for disintegration and ruin.

The youth of Russia have a definite plan and campaign. Their Communism is a religion for which they are willing to die. Have our youth a Gospel which they are willing to preach and propogate; which they will live out and perish for ? Or is their religion the old bastard and discredited pagan one of individualism, self-seeking and self-pleasing; a gospel of personal pleasure and gain. God has given to present-day youth three great essentials for wisest existence. He gives a world in which we actually can live. And what a marvellous universe science has revealed it to be! What a wonderful thing is even this pin point of a planet upon which we have our being! Behind it all is mind. In it all things work together for good to those who love God; transcendent above it is man—for what, is vastness to him who can apprehend it? What is power to him who can control and direct it ? This particular and wonderful world of ours is a fit and appropriate sphere upon which to achieve divine and eternal purposes. God gives to us a worthy task to accomplish. This is not a perfect world. It is not a world upon which Deity

could now pronounce His fiat of “very good.” Righteousness and peace are not embracing each other; nor do mercy and truth everywhere flourish and abound. Around us are selfishness, impurity, cruelty, covetousness and pride. Sin is entrenched and wages relentless war against man and God. The four most interesting zones of man’- activity are science, art, politics and religion; but of the four religion is the most far-reaching and affords the richest scope for the whole range of man’s powers. Through it he can influence all, and so turn the base into the noble; the harmful into the beautiful; the evil into the good; and restore chaos to order.

Now to drive out the darkness, to cleanse foul stains, to fill the world with the love and peace of God is surely a work which angels might well envy men. We are given also a noble Lord and Master; a King whom we can serve with pride and joy, and if need be, gladly die f or —God the Father of mankind; God, •who gave us His only begotten Son to redeem the world. This high and noble service, it is said, is given specially to youth: Christ' himself was, comparatively speaking, a young man when He inaugurated the Reign of God movement. The Apostolic band, despite their pictorial representation, was composed of young men. Most of His followers, if Paul has been correctly interpreted, were youthful; and the tragedy of to-day is that youth will not accept leadership in the cause which once was carried by them gloriously through the Empires around the Mediterranean. We beseech young men and-, women, not to wait for the “fat forties.” From 20 to 25 are the great years for service. pr‘ on Christ’s armour now and get. into the fray 1 Remember John Wesley was m’rely a student when he founded his holy club. George Whitefield at 21 was stirring old England. At 18 Jeremy Taylor was holding men spell-bound at St. Paul’s, London. George Williams at 23 founded the Y.M.C.A. Moody in his twenties was doing marvellous work as an .Evangelist. Francis Clark at the same age was founding the Christian, Endeavour movement. At 23 Livingstone was spending himself for Christ in Africa. And in his twenties Calvin was proclaiming his distinctive doctrines. It lies with youth to evangelise _ the world in this generation; to bring in a new world order; to crown Christ king over all mankind. Think not this is an impossible task. As Maude Royden says, It is no more impossible to bring the Kingdom of ■ on earth than it is to grow wheat where wheat never grew before. Ask yourselves, young men and young women, are you seriously giving your lives to this crusade of God and Christ ? There are everywhere opportunities. You can begin just where you are. Overthrow self and evil in your heart and seriously and honestly live for Him. Keep your flag of loyalty and devotion to Christ and His Church flying bravely and unashamedly. Make definite personal contribution to the life of the community by living out your Christian principles. For example, trustworthiness and honour were once common business standards; bring them back again by being unflinchingly straight and fair yourself. Character and chastity were once the accepted thing aniong young people; bring them back in a time and in a town where immoralities can be committed in the very grounds of the churches. Social life, commerce, industry, sport and politics tragically need to be moralised—Christianised. There is work for all there.

Christ is calling out friends, devotees, helpers and followers to champion openly and vigorously His cause in the world, and to bring in the Kingdom of God. It is as easy to be sentimental in our appeal for Christ as it is to be nominal in our Christian discipleship. So let every one examine himself; and if, daily, he will prostrate himself in willing obedience at Christ’s feet, doors of opportunity will everywhere open. Let me remind you there are three rules of action in the world; that of the savage who says “What is yours is mine, I will have it”; that of the pagan who says “What is mine is my own, I will keep it”; and that of the Christian, who says “What is mine is yours, I will share it.”

Jesus calls us as of old He did the disciples beside the Galilean Sea. For Christ’s sake and the Gospel’s let us be up and doing something; for the years roll on; youth with its idealism, its visions, its powers, never returns; and death draws near.

“I must work the work of Him that sent me, while it is day, for the night comes.”