Evening star., 1915-06-17
MARTIAL SONGS OF
CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS
A Protest Against Any Elimination
of References to Fighting
From Church Hymns.
To the Editor Of The Star:

| In your issue of the 18th instant my
, highly esteemed comrade, Adjt. John E.
Rastall of Kit Carson Post, G. A. r.. in
| his Flag day address at the Madison
School Is represented as making use
of the following words: 81 hope that
the day will come when martial spirit
shall be taken out of church hymns"
AS the class of hymns he would have
eliminated he refers to the ones COM
! mencing with the words Soldiers of
Christ, arise" and "A mighty fortress
is our Cod
Now I so far differ with Adjt. Rastall
that I beg to say that instead of being
eliminated from our church songs I
hope the hymns he specifies and many
others of their class will remain where
they are. and, reinforced by others Of
similar chara acter, will continue to be
sung by Gods mighty army in it's ad-
vance against the enemys lines while
the ages roll on.
The church Of God, it's membership
taken from the records of no particular
church organization, but composed of
all whose names He has placed on His
own and only correct and infal1ible
record. Is an army, and every sincere
CHRISTIAN is soldier in that mighty
armies of Europe. Of the doings of
which we have daily accounts Of that
army God Himself is the commander
ln-chief, and the enemy against which
ne is leading it is sin in every form.
This position I take is plainly
and forclbly sustained by the teachings
OF the Bible. Christ himself said, 81
come not to send peace, but a sword"
Mat. 1o:34. st. Paul. in his epistle to
the Ephesians. represents those whom
aQ0reSSlnR tri1
them detailed instructions as to how to
arm themselves for the fight before
them l must not ask for space to
quote fully the Instructions contained
IN Eph., 6:13-17. From head to foot
they must be armed, particular i'm
portance being placed upon the
sword of the spirit" st. Paul, in his
second epistle to Timothy. 2:3, exhorts
dure hardship as good soldier of
Jesus Christ; and later, when this
same heroic Christian soldier was
about to lay down his life for the
cause to which he had been called,
about to exchange his sword for a
crown, in his farewell address to Tim
| othy, and through him to all coming
generations. wrote those solemn, but
| inspiring words, II have fought a good
| fight, I have finished my course I have
kept the faith" II Tim, ~ 1 must
| not and need not quote further.
1t is by such passages of Scripture as
| these, with which the Bible is replete,
that the composers of the class OF
| hymns objected to have been guided,
| and from which they have received, in
| large degree. their inspiration. From
| the Bible these passages will never be-
! eliminated. They are parts of Gods
message to man. and are destined to
| endure. Neither. in my opinion, will or
| should the soldiers in Gods mighty
army, in their advance against the en-
| emy, lose the inspiration that comes to
| them from the singing of Soldiers of
| Christ, Arise and Put Your Armor On
| or the strength, consolation and COM
| fort which they experience when they
| tune their Tyres to sing "A Mighty
| Fortress Is Our God" AS the singing
or playing of THE Star Spangled Ban
ner" or other patriotic songs has
reused the courage and enthusiasm of
many weary soldier, and put new life
| into him as he was about to go into
| battle, so has the singing of the class
of sacred songs my comrade hopes will
| be taken out Of church hymns been an
| inspiration of unmeasured power to the
! soldiers of Christ as they have followed
| their Great Commander against the
strongholds of sin. Let them be re-
| tanned J. H. BARNARD,