even have her own territory, because the Lusitania was sunk. The O! no nation and no individual can hurl a sin without its coming back again in after time. The sin of the raids of the air and of the assassin submarines is coming back to the German nation now. hand of God is used as an instrument to punish that nation for its fearful sins; and no sin was greater in the history of the world in all its wars than the sinking of the Lusitania. Now every gun that is fired will send its shells to kill the Germans and send mourning into their homes. They say, and this is conceded to be a very conservative estimate, that 300,000 Germans were killed during the last four weeks. Think of 300,000 homes made dark and black and sad for fifty years to come, because the Lusitania was sunk. No sin can ever be committed by individuals or by a nation but what its retribution will come, and hence I urge you, I warn you that while you are choosing your life's profession, "Choose life, that thou and thy seed may live!" BENEDICTION O Lord! Let the benediction of Thy care and grace come upon our soldiers and sailors and nurses wherever they are. May Thy benediction come upon our nation, and give us a victory that will bring a permanent peace and the brotherhood of all mankind. Let Thy benedictions come upon the Philadelphia high school represented here, and may each member graduating come under Thine especial care. Let the benedictions of Thy love abide with us all evermore. Amen. O XI The American Flag (THE ACTS XXII: 28) UR Heavenly Father! we pray Thee this morning for the spirit which will guide our petitions so that we may pray in accord with the rules Thou hast laid down. We pray Thee that Thou wilt take our nation under Thine especial care; we pray Thee that Thou wilt guide all of our affairs these important days, and that Thou wilt hinder anything that defeats the progress of righteousness and advance everything that tends toward good. We know that our nation has sinned and fallen far short of Thy glory. We know that our people have gone into error, and wickedness, and that they have sinned. We know that we all deserve punishment from Thee. We know that we all need discipline from Thee. But O Lord we come to Thee asking Thee to forgive us as individuals and as a nation, and permit us to begin life anew under these circumstances, so that there will be no more mistakes made. We pray that Thou wilt at this time come into the hearts of the people of this land, and be very close to them in this time of stress and excitement. Hold ever before them the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. We pray Thee that Thou wilt keep our nation in a devout spirit, while determined to do its duty, yet ever preferring peace to war-always desiring those things that make for peace. We pray that no opportunity shall pass in which peace might be secured without effort being strongly and sincerely made to secure it. We pray Thee that this war may close, and that it may be closed with the idea in the minds of men that patriotism is the patriotism of God; that it is the patriotism of the world; that it is the patriotism of humanity. We pray Thee that all who worship Thee may keep close to the teachings of Thy Word; that they may realize that Christ is for all humanity. Help us to believe that humanity is larger than the United States; help us to realize that the whole world family is far more important than our local interests. Help us to look higher even than that—to recognize Thee as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords-the only Ruler, O God! may our people never lose sight of that. We pray Thee that this war, now upon us, may not take our people into savagery; that it may not take out of their hearts and lives the Christian principles given of Christ. We pray Thee that the Sabbath Day may still be respected; we pray Thee that the Bible may have free course in the hearts of the soldiers, and the sailors, and the home, and the Church. We pray Thee that the great principles of human liberty may prevail still. O Lord! we pray Thee that the necessity for military life may not bring our people into harmony with autocracy, and monarchy, and tyranny, and dictatorship. We pray Thee that there may be maintained in our nation individual liberty of conscience, and as far as possible the individual liberty of every person's actions, and may the world see that we are still maintaining a pure and upright democracy, and be saved by the power of our example. We ask that over the whole world there may soon come a time when all the people shall be brothers. We pray for the German people, and ask that soon they may be made to clearly understand that Christ is higher than Germany; we pray Thee that they may soon see that the Gospel applies as much to the world as it does to Germany, and we pray Thee that the same teachings may go to every other nation engaged in the war, and may all learn that our obligation to Thee is above every other obligation, and may America be noted, the world around, as being composed of sincere Christian men who believe in God, |