THE GOSPEL AND THE WAR.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume V, Issue 10, 1 April 1915, Page 116

THE GOSPEL AND THE WAR.

(By the Bishop of London.) Concluded from last Issue. NATION AL FAITH. The last of the series of addresses the Bishop pave yesterday, when he dealt with National Faith. The attendance was greatly increased. The younger men attended m force — and m khaki. Just before 1.15 there was the familiar tramp of marching men, and to the accompaniment of constantly renewed cheers the 3rd Battalion of the London Rifle Brigade, of which regiment the Bishop is chaplain, marched into the hall. A splendid set of fellows they looked, and a proud smile lighted up their chaplain's face as he watched them file m to take their places. In opening his address the Bishop said his first word must be of welcome to the 3rd Battalion of the London Rifle Brigade. "We are not doing badly m the London Rifle Brigade," he said, " the Ist Battalion is m the trenches, the 2nd m training at Hay ward's Heath, and the 3rd you see before you. (Loud applause.) Let us thank God also, he added, for the brilliant victory at sea we hear of to-day." (Renewed applause.) A War of Ideas. Proceeding to his subject he said that this was a war between ideas, between Christian ideas and nonChristian ideas. Now, he did not say we were a nation of saints — would to God we were — but with all our faults there were certain .Christian ideas which were inbred m our nation. We believed that war was a regrettable necessity ; we never wanted war, we hoped one day it might be done away with. Then we believed that if the necessity came war must be waged as by Christians and gentlemen. (Applause.) Certain Christian principles must be observed. You must protect the women and children of the countries m which you wage war — (applause) — you must treat the enemy wounded as you do your own. (Applause.) If

mines are to be laid they must not be so laid as to constitute a danger to neutrals, m accordance with the Hague Conference— and he reminded them that the Hague Conference was the offspring of Christianity—there mmst be no firing on the white flag and no use of the white flag as a " blind "!a there must be no placing of machine guns m a Red Cross waggon. (Applause.) These were the principles of Christian warfare, and eiven the enemy had not charged British soldiers with violating them. (Applause.) The German Idea. But the German idea of conducting warfare was altogether different, as shown by many of their most prominent' writers, whose teaching had permeated the German nation. A world-Empire, at any cost was what they were set upon — " swollen head," we English would say. Yes, but antichristian too ; and the Bishop quoted some well-known passages of German writers throwing contempt upon the Christian religion and its principles. Could they be surprised at what eye-witnesses had described as having happened m Belgium?*" The Bishop qtuoted the testimony of the Dutch eve-witness which appeared m the "Times" of the previous day on the massacre of the citizens of Dinant. This is nor war, he said, this is murder. He did not charge this against the whole German nation ; but at any rate, the people who ordered things like this, he said, had entirely disowned Christ: Here, then, was the issue on this tfav of God, and if we were to nVht Christ's battle as true soldiers of Christ we must make full use of such opportunities as would be afforded on the 16th of December, when m St. Paul's Cathedral for twenty-four hours continuous prayer would be offered to call down the power of God to help us m this great fight. Christ's battle, be it remembered, must be fought m Christ's spirit with Christ's weapons, and m communion with Christ, and if the nation so conducted its campaign, then at last victory would see the dawn of a ■day more glorious than we could now imagine for England and the world. (Applause.) I