The Rev. E. F, Horst-Smith on the. Religious Aspect of Britain's National Life special Day service was held at Union Church, on Sunday morning, when the religious aspect of Britain's national—life was emphasized both in the general order of service and in the very earnest and thoughtful sermon preached by the Minister, the Rev. E.¥, Horst-Smith. Draped over the pulpit was the Union Jack, sym-hohe of the. nation's unity and its ideals. Among the large congregation were units of the naval and military forces, The service opened with the hymn "The Lord of Heaven confess", fol-Towed by a special collect and Lord's Prayer, after which came the hymn, "Eternal Father strong to swe." The first lesson (Psalm 65) was read by Col. If, B. Orpen-Palmer: Commandant of the S.V.C., following which came the hymn "These things shall be a_loftier race," 'The second lesson (Romans 12, 1-9) was read by Sir Sidney Barton, H. M, Consul-General, ant during' the offertory which followed the choir sang Blake's "Jerusalem." After special prayers for the King and Raya] Family, the legislators and leaders of national life, the congrogction joined in the singing of Kipling's "Land of our birth we pledge to thee." Following the sermon came the hymn "O God of Bethe}, by whose hand" and the service closed with the National Anthem, The subject of Mr, Horst-Smith's germon was "Religious preparation for Empire Day," based on the words from Proverbs "Righteousness exulteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to nny people." Ie said in pa One advantage of observing special days is that certain ideas fare brought to remembrance, All of us have a good many things at the buck of our minds but such a service as this brings some of them to the front. Most of our stock of Knowledge is stored away in the Jower depths of our mind and mains unconscious, briton a day like this we select certain ideas and place them in the forefront of our consciousness and concentrate our thoughts upon them. It is fitting that the set of ideas that we select for special thought this morning should be those connected with on country. It is reasonably certain such thoughts exert a constant ins fluence upon our lives, but to-day we give them fuller play, we let them hold the field.
On an ocension like this we make no apology for saying that we be-local loyalties. Loyalty may, and should, exist in ever at home is eccentric. There is something abnormal about him, 'HBreathes there a man with soul s0 lead Who never to himself hath so This fay own, my native land?"
The True Internationalism Now this does not involve any repudiation of what may be called fan international mind, the importance of which, in an ever-shrinking, world, cannot be: exaggerated; for all sorts of people have, somehow or other, gp to live together in the same world. We believe in the brotherhood of man and we regard the Church of which we are members as a part of the Holy Catholic Church which is confined to tional frontiers. But how will a true internationalism be brought about? Will it be furthered by the renouncing of nationality or by its affirmation? 1s internationalism the negation of nationalism or its fulfilment? Internationalism depends upon nationalism, It is achieved when nations, each with its own dis-gift fully developed, cooperate with other nations similarly developed. The people that has not attained to full nationhood has nothing to bring to the family of Tu like manner the mea mere internationalist has no contribution to make to. the whole brotherhood. The kind of universal loyalty that is not based upon a local loyalty is empty, while that which is based upon a local dis loyalty is spurious. And so, in the interests of an ultimate, true and healthy internationalism, we prove of the fostering of national. ism.
But in our service this morning it is not our purpose to preach to the converted by advocating love of country, but to think of the re-Tigious side of nationalism. Our friends of other countries will bear With us this morning while we think particularly of the British Empire and will probably agree with when we say that the history of Britain is bound up with the Christian religion." You cannot separate the two. If you were to take out of our history everything: connected with Christianity you would have to tear it to pieces. It a thread that runs through the Whole of it. It is of ite very warp and woof. It has been—claimed that in the eighteenth century. the Wesleys did more to save the country from revolution than all the statesmen and politicians; but that is only a more dramatic illustration of what has been constantly true—that ovr national character owes its inspiration to the Christian religion, ireless, but the wider circles all imply the narrower ones ind the narrower ones come first in the order of time, Let us start 1 the beginning and frankly ree-uta man should be trac re of one's that is commend: able. As Keepeare expresses it:
This have all To thine wan self be true, Anal st nial follow te the: might che firist not then be false to any man should be true to The love of other peo-which involves the your own—a phenomenon that is sometimes observed—is a view and not a virtue and receives commendation from any right-inking person. Moreover a man should be true to his own. eommunity. The man who is blind to the and ates ofthe. people for all partial pure poses waster, while tan who loves his own lage or town de something. to in: ree ft good, vie. pre {sh together commendable" thing and when we hear aman exclaim that frig "1 ellizen of no mean eye there is something. within us that responds, even though we may not Similarly oan should be true fee our way to endorse hi cal
and that save him birth, "The zan-who sees nothing but virtue other lands and: nothing: Yue ica The Divine Vocation Wo often speak of the and Jewish people as a elect nation, people chosen to fulfil a special fanetion in the divine economy. The inspired writers of the Old Testament insisted upon the divine vocation of Israel. They took the story of the nation—the story that contained the usual materials of the secular historian—and jeave spiritual interpretation to that story. They showed the spiritual significance of the events of every day. There is,1 understand, to-day A movement known as the British-Israelite movement which secks to Prove that we are descended from the ten lost tribes of Israel and irees on to suggest that all the prophecies relating to Israel are therefore transferable to us. I must confess the argument leaves me entirely cold. In any case, it is not necessary to be lineally descended from Israel in order to have a national vocation, For there is a sense in which every nation is a chosen nation, and a sense in which every People has its own peculiar voea~ tion. And what would you regard as the special vocation of the British Empire? Shall we be considered guilty of vain boasting if we say that we believe there hus been entrusted to us the moral leadership of the world. What a Bible could be written out of the materials of British history if some, inspired writer were to arise who
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.