Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-19
AT MEMORIAL CHRISTIAN.

Discussing The Church as the Chief
Bulwark of the Nation Rev. David A.
Johnson, pastor of Central Presbyter-
ian church, addressed the congrega-
ton of Memorial Christian church in
part as follows:
The celebration which begins this
day centers about fort, a bulwark,
Fort Armstrong. This fort suggests
to me the thought of the defense of our
nation, for a fort is bulwark erected
for defense. Our country is today
alive with the thought of prepared
ness-preparednes for what? Pre-
paredness against attack, and prepar-
edness for the defense of our national
honor The purposes of God do not
depend upon the existence OF lnstltu-
tions except in so far as these insti-
tutions serve the purposes of God, If
the day shall come when we shall
build upon a false sense of honor and
so our present national identity be de-
stroyed through dissensions within, or
we shall become prey to attack from
without, who shall say that the God
of history is unable to bring refined
gold from the fiery furnace as He has
done times untold in the past? main
tain that any nation, no matter how
fourishing, if its God is not Jehovah,
and if its policies are not in accord
with the purposes of God, will sooner
or later go the way of other nations
whose sad record exists but upon the
pages of history. And | maintain that
if there be a true honor to defend, we
shall not lack strength and wisdom to
prepare ourselves for the defense of
such honor. And true honor, which
can be Enthusiastically recognized as
such is its own greatest defense.
For this reason, it becomes evident
that the church, or the thing for which
the church stands, religion, is the
greatest bulwark of the nation. Honor
has its root in religion. There is only
one question upon which We can APP
proach universal agreement, and that
is the proposition that there is an over
ruling Providence and that our first
allegiance is to God and that that is
honorable which conforms to His will.
For such a conviction as this men will
not hesitate to die if necessary. But
build upon any other foundation and
the advisability of giving their lives.
The nations greatest assurance of
safety, therefore, consists in pursuing
a course that is unquestionably hon
orable, according to the standards of
honorable inherent in the character
of God, and defending this honorable
course unto the bitterest end. but a
sense of this honor can come only
! from a voluntary and habitual interest
| in religious functions.
| The success Of every cause of right
eousness lies in the hands of those
who give their allegiance to the
| church and to the God of the church.
1t is to them that the appeal is made
in every city and in every hamlet of
the nation. Let conditions become I'M
! bearably corrupt in any locality, and
| you hear the cry go up, Why don't the
members of the church arise in their
might and do something to better the
| conditions? The issues are up to YOU
men and women who this day assem-
BILE to pay your homage to God. Shall
| your attendance this morning be but
| a sporadic event in your life as the re-
! suit Of a special appeal? Then it will
not mean much to you or to others.
But if it shall be the beginning of a
set habit with you, then you shall have
served that little world where you
move and have your being in the best
manner within your power. You may
not be called to don the soldiers uni
form and go to the front to fill the
ranks that have ben thinned by the
enemy's fre-God grant that you may
not But you have a service that you
may and ought to render your coun-
/ try. 1t is for you to do your share in
| giving to the nation the highest ideals
that there may be an honor that ought
to be and will be defended And this
! ideal and this honor you can learn
only at the foot of the cross of the
| Christ who came as the Prince of
Peace and champion of the sword in
the defense Of righteousness.