The War Romance of the Salvation ArmyHill, Grace Livingston
History
The War Romance of the Salvation Army
Hill, Grace Livingston
World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- Salvation Army
She called the little company of pioneer workers together in a quiet
place before they left and gave them such a charge as would make an
angel search his heart. Before the Most High God she called upon them
to tell her if any of them had in his or her heart any motive or
ambition in going other than to serve the Lord Christ. She looked down
into the eyes of the young maidens and bade them put utterly away from
them the arts and coquetries of youth, and remember that they were sent
forth to help and save and love the souls of men as God loved them; and
that self must be forgotten, or their work would be in vain. She
commanded them if even at this last hour any faltered or felt himself
unfit for the God-given task, that he would tell her even then before
it was too late. She begged them to remember that they held in their
hands the honor of the Salvation Army, and the glory of Jesus Christ
their Saviour as they went out to serve the troops. They were to be
living examples of Christ’s love, and they were to be willing to lay
down their lives if need be for His sake.
There were tears in the eyes of some of those strong men that day as
they listened, and the look of exaltation on the faces of the women was
like a reflection from above. So must have looked the disciples of old
when Jesus gave them the commission to go into all the world and preach
the gospel. They were filled with His Spirit, and there was a look of
utter joy and self-forgetfulness as they knelt with their leader to
pray, in words which carried them all to the very feet of God and laid
their lives a willing sacrifice to Him who had done so much for them.
Still kneeling, with bowed heads, they sang, and their words were but a
prayer. It is a way these wonderful people have of bursting into song
upon their knees with their eyes closed and faces illumined by a light
of another world, their whole souls in the words they are
singing—“singing as unto the Lord!” It reminds one of the days of old
when the children of Israel did everything with songs and prayers and
rejoicing, and the whole of life was carried on as if in the visible
presence of God, instead of utterly ignoring Him as most of us do now.
The song this time was just a few lines of consecration:
“Oh, for a heart whiter than snow!
Saviour Divine, to whom else can I go?
Thou who hast died, loving me so,
Give me a heart that is whiter than snow!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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