Sermon Preached by the Bishop of London in Holy Trinity Cathedral on Sunday Morning, December 19
Romans 14, v. 12- of himself to God, 10 then every man must give an account I need not say, dear people, what 'a delight it is to me to seo this great congregation of my fellow-countrymen s0 far from Home, also, of courte, including many Americans, Who have given me such a tremend-fous welcome on my way here, and how much I admire the beautiful service, the singing and the wonderful reverence rendered here so, far'
ay from Home. I have been anxiously thinking over what should be my message. Should it be a message of conifort in what is time of considerable anxiety? my message would have a wonder fully comforting sound. Not, only the whole country of England, but} all Great Britain is behind you and also the everlasting God. Yet hesitate to take a message of simple} comfort, even in answer to a rather! touching anonymous letter and T feel that I must press home the definite message which is given in the words of St, Paul, "The reason that I love this particular phrase is that it simplifies things. There are many puzzling pictures about the Advent and I will try to explain them. They all come down to one single solid: thought—that everyone must give an account of himself to God.
Pictures and Their Meaning 'Take the Great White Throne. is admitted that. this is only a vision. Thate the thought that some! Uttle boy, as many of them are should be' haunted all through lif. Cly the idea that he is to stand out alone before a great white throne with of people around. that as a vision, but, the meaning is none the less. When you come to some of the other pictures that is x far different sto came out here on a great liner with all sorts of beliefs in ships and great crowds gathered townd me to hear my sermons and on on sceasion T could not help asking a. Unitarian, How is it that people can come to reconcile " purdy per= sonal picture of Our Lord with themselves. Is it conceivable? Can! account. you conceive any man saying that of himself? You cannot dismiss these words as altogether a vision Tt_must mean something to come.
Take that touching picture of the maidens waiting for the bridegroom, which is all the more touching when you read it in the Greek. "Our jambs are flickering out." Cannot} you hear it and the inevitable! lesson? Is it enough to say, "My) wife goes to Church and my children to Sunday School and I neod it bother ta. go myn?" Cannot ive with Teligion by. others You cannot get oil from someone rise lamp. a¢ the fast moment Or take the pletare of te servants who. were Tete withthe aleut and ihe muster one beck unexpected Our feeling is that it is rather hard! {ince on the man with "one tale chare it tan away, Dank ce that it prove fr ta life? hun who comes to Shanghel and a amoker ts slacker "ead slacker and does no good. Another man ets 'Nronger moveable ta ets on So it'in that from the One the talents taken ani' he other talents are added. "Wheto we take the mistake i thatthe unfort Hewunl was" commented forth Clevernens ye maser and oot a Gtr Lordy What be said tres, "It all the entdven of Tish were as lover" an gow fe beet reality they would get on ta ell Jou" When "we ut all thee Puatling stories Yorcther, auh Pinay aay ro boll doen Ingo Single sontnee, the fact cement plainly and in' a manner that no-can mlgcnderatand that tic one must give an aeatumt festo Goik "You are no busters to dle inthe stnchine: "You wil tike done, "Brergone acts account of Mimsel to Gade Advent Quetions frst lace, of what have et sive Than we come to consider, in the
swe be Judged" and when nal account, by what stands to happen. All these are rather] pressing Advent questions. First of fall we undoubtedly have to give a account of our opinions. ridiculous that some people seem think that their opinions do not matter. But we have got to give fan account of what we think when wwe stand before God and why we think this, "It is not sufficient. that] one should say, "E am not built that way. T don't say my prayers fand T-don't go to church, because! Tam not built that way." we not built that way? What Linguishes us from the animal that we are born to pray. loomes perfectly natural to children, fas_you have seen in the way in which they have sung hymns here this morning. We were all like that once. We all had the power land we cannot say that we are not! built that way.
When Aaron, ho made the golden calf, was taxed about it he they gave me the gold fand'T put it in the fire and there jeame out this calf." He forgot how] he took the tools and formed it and that the fire only hardened it, I task you to remember this. because T feel such love for my fellow men.
you remember moulding the whole thing? The fire is "only hardening when you are shaping. You cannot lay the blame on eircumstances, because we have all to sive an account of what we think.
Take another opinion that I found rather common as T came across the! water—that it docs not matter that! have 250 Christian sects, 1 had] rather a good-natured laugh in the church at Tokyo when I said that Thad shaken hands with 16 different sects of missionaries that very afternoon. Yet we have "of to give fu account of that. We ourselves have an idea that it docs not matter, although Our Lord's last _prayer [was that we should all be one. Wa have been split up into 250. sects in America alone. All these things are moray illustrative of the opinion of which we have got to give an Take the opinion of a person who!
says, "I do go to church oceasion-Tam here this morning, as matter of fact—but I don't go t: Communion. Tam not fit for that and ft is not for the likes of me." like these to remember all ignifieanee of it, especially as; the Christmas Communion draws near. This simple service was meant for the workers of the world and not for the clergy or Sisters of Morey. It was made simple so that} all might understand it. We are not meant to be theologians 'n order to explain Holy Communion. It is the last thing T should like to attempt myself. We really have all got to give an account because have lived, most of us, in a Christian what shall we say of Our Lord's last command when w: have naver been near Holy Com munion during our lif
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.