The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-06-17
CALL FOR SERVICE ID .GOD AND COUNTRY
 DEMANDS RESPONSE
Must Give Money and Serv- ice Until It Hurts" Says the Rev. A. G. Harris
 at Second Church

Taking as his text part of the fifth verse of the twenty ninth chapter or the book of Second Chronicles, "Who then is willing to consecrate his sery- ices this day to the Lord" the Rev. A Grady Harris delivered a strong ser mon to a capacity congregation at the Second Presbyterian church yesterday morning.
 pr. Harris said that in the clarion call which old King David made to the Children of Israel at the beginning or the building of the temple at Jerusalem we have the call of God to us today in the great struggle in which the nation is now engaged.
 This war, said the preacher, is holy warfare, a warfare for the principles Of righteousness and justice and the free dom of mankind. We stand at Arme- gaddon," he said, land we battle for the Lord, and were it not for the great moral aim at stake, our nation would never have lifted a finger. We are fighting not for trdphies or war or the spells of the victor. but to restore the world to righteousness and to re- build upon the earth the kingdom or God, and to this holy task we have not only the call of our country, but also a clear call from the throne of God himself, even the call of the text"
 SERVICE DEMANDED
 The call of the text is four-fold de- clared the speaker; it first of all de- mands service. To accomplish the great tasks before him, the King of Israel needed the <ervice of all people, and to prosecute this great war to successful he said, God calls for the service of all the people, no one can be spared-the services of every man, woman and child in the land must be mobilized and used to win this great conflict.
 "But not only did the King of Israel call the people to service, but to universal and varied service" said pr Harris. "In building the temple some were used in one kind of work and some were used in another. So God calls the people of our nation today 10 serve in various ways, some upon the farms, some in Red Cross and I. M c. A. work, some in war industries, some in one branch of service, others in another; but every one is called to render that service Tn "hlch ne cdh pe the most efficient.
 "Again. the Children of Israel were called to an immediate service, who then will serve this day the Lord so God calls every man to consecrate hls service now. Procrastination is the thief of time. The call is urgent; no man has a right to hold back his money or his service until there is greater need the need is greatest today ana
 
 too late: the call demands immediate response on our part.
 Lastly, God calls us to render Will ing service; only such service IS ac- in his sight. The man who gives his money or his service to the cause of the war for the salvation or mankind grudgingly or because ne has to is little better than the contemptible stacker who refuses to serve at all, whereas the person who gives him. self in willing sacrificial service shall find the peace of God which passeth all in his soul.
 DIE WITH A SMILE
 'The boys in France, confident of the of their cause, dle With a smile Knowing that they shall only enter upon a nobler service beyond. This is the doctrine of the Cross. It was only by the sufferings and death of Christ that the world was reconciled to God and peace came to the hearts of men. And so now if we are called upon to suffer in this great war, let us do so willingly, knowing that through our sufferings and service the world shall be restored and the Kingdom of and peace shall come upon the earth~
 Let us, therefore, respond willingly to the call and with our money and our service let us give till it hurts and then let us give until it stops hurting.
 At the conclusion of the sermon the pastor very touchingly expressed his