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THE CHUKCH AND THE ARMY. 



spiritual oversight which they require. The religious teaching of 

 children should be as continuous and efficient as the secular. 



Professor H. Langhorne Orchard, M.A., B.Sc. : — 

 The Author justly remarks that " When we talk about the religion 

 of the Army, we really mean the religion of the men of the nation " ; 

 and he shows us that these common men are (with a few unhappy 

 exceptions) by no means irreligious. They have " a sense of the 

 Divine " ; they believe that God hears and answers prayer ; they 

 feel that sin is failure ; and their conduct manifests in some degree 

 not a few of the Christian virtues. Yet, though their religion is real, 

 it is " desperately imperfect, very far indeed from being fully 

 Christian." 



We shall agree with Canon Hannay that the Christian " Church 

 is in some measure responsible for this state of things, — a state of 

 things caused largely by indifference brought about by (1) A notion 

 that the Minister preaches merely, or mainly, because he is paid to 

 do so — that it is his " job " as they have their " jobs " ; (2) Failure 

 in the Preacher to lay greater emphasis on essential and fundamental 

 truths than on what is comparatively unimportant. The plain 

 man is perplexed, and turning wearily from theological and dialec- 

 tical subtleties, is apt to turn from the truths vitally important and 

 to give the whole thing up ; (3) Failure in the Preacher to convince 

 his hearers that Christianity is in intimate practical connection with 

 ordinary everyday life. 



Too often, also, there is lack of earnestness and clearness in setting 

 forth the Gospel, the enormity of sin and the fearful character of its 

 consequences, the nature of righteousness as consisting in obedience 

 to God, the atonement and resurrection of the Son of God — the 

 personal Saviour Who saves " to the uttermost " everyone who puts 

 heart-faith in His Blood shed upon the Cross, and trusts to that 

 alone for the Divine forgiveness. 



Do we ask what is the remedy for the Church's failure ? The 

 remedy is to be found in faithful, prayerful preaching, by the lips and 

 lives of men constrained by the love of Christ, of the Gospel declared 

 in I Cor. xv, 2-8. And this not as a system of abstract doctrines, 

 not as a mere university thesis, but as a practical experience which 

 they have personally verified. 



