disgraced, hindered by the spiritual failure of its members. The
unspiritual Christian is the rotten stone in the walls of the
Holy Church on earth. Perhaps, too, the lessons of the war will
teach us in the times of peace more care in the field of criticism.
Conclusions rapidly come to in an essay may very soon be
modified or proved false, but in the meantime thousands of souls
have been wounded, the faith of thousands unsettled.
We have now before us the warning of whither tends the
path of destructive criticism, for we see—with, I hope,
compassion as well as horror——the natural conclusion of a
Christless ‘‘ Kultur ” marking the whole tone and character of a
brave and scientific people. The basis of all Christian criticism
must be a devout life and a humble spirit. There will be many
eager voices raised in the day of peace for a corporate unity
among all who profess to believe in Jesus Christ, not pausing
to consider whether it be the Christ of the Gospels, or the Christ
of Renan and Trietsche. Unity with diversity; principles held
strongly, but with charitable and kindly hearts; the maintenance
of all that makes us one with the Holy Catholic Church; the
firm hold on the symbols of faith once delivered to the saints; the
ministry and sacraments linking us with the Apostolic age—all
these form the true and spiritual basis of any further growth and
extension. Let us hope that faithful to her trust, strong in the
spiritual power of her members the Church will absorb all that is
true and faithful in those noble bodies of religion, which even now
maintain the line of true faith by contact with the living Church
of God. But I am trespassing again on the ground of those who
will follow, and I turn to the next item in our consideration of
the after-war settlement.
The Nation.—First of all, perhaps most important of all, for
it includes all, is that the national life must have a spiritual basis.
The war has taught us how strong and quick can be the growth
of change in national character, and how a few master-minds or
a clique of the people can alter a nation’s character and set back
by 1,500 years the clock of civilization and faith.
National life must not only be, but be known to be on a
spiritual basis. Thank God for the growing sense of the necessity
of this. The increasing solemnity of the anointing and crowning
of our kings, the increasing sense of the power of national
prayer of national humiliation (of this too little) and of
national thanksgiving; the existing custom in Parliament, of
seeking by prayer the Divine blessing on our legislation, the
national observance of fasts and festivals of faith, the recognition
of the Divine source of all our power and the necessity of Divine
aid in all our progress; all this has been wonderfully supported
through the outward profession of religion by great men whose
lives have touched the multitude. Our beloved King, Gladstone.