With Our Fighting Men: The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great War — John Shaqi
With Our Fighting Men: The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great WarSellers, William E.
History
With Our Fighting Men: The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great War
Sellers, William E.
Great Britain. Army -- Military life; World War, 1914-1918 -- Religious aspects
"A large number of our mounted men have recently gone forward, so this
week we started in the infantry camp, which is about three miles away.
We had our first open-air service there on October 26. We were only
two when we started, but a great crowd before we finished, with eleven
men out in the ring seeking Christ. This is grand work. The weather
has turned very wintry and wet this week, but the Camp Commandant has
promised me a store tent for our meetings, so we shall go on."
What wonderful scenes these are when you think of their setting and
the men who were the chief actors! As Mr. Bateson says: "In the Nile
Expedition, in the South African Campaign, in the frontier work in
India, there have been many soldiers who, here and there, have
surrendered their lives to Christ, but this 'Revival' in the British
Expeditionary Force in France is surely unique in the history of war."
We picture the scene--not a Salvation Army ring in some country town
in England, but crowds of khaki clad soldiers, supposed to be
trifling, light-hearted, devil-may-care. But here they are out in the
open, in full view of hundreds of their comrades, surrounded by great
camps, humbly kneeling in penitence at the Throne of Grace, "owning
their weakness, their evil behaviour," and pleading "God be merciful
to me a sinner." So strangely, yet so powerfully, stands the Cross
upon the field of war.
Another beautiful little picture is presented to us by Mr. Sarchet in
another letter--a gathering of twenty-six soldier lads on the
afternoon of the Lord's Day.
"We had a talk about temptation, and then celebrated Holy Communion.
It was all out in the open in a little wooden dell. I had my portable
camp table. It was a very gracious and never-to-be-forgotten time, as
we knelt there on the grass, with a beautiful clear sky overhead.
There seemed absolutely nothing between us and God, and the presence
of the Risen Christ was a great reality. Before next Sunday some who
were there will be fighting in the trenches, but they will carry the
memory of this soul-hallowing time with them."
[Illustration: BISHOP TAYLOR-SMITH, CHAPLAIN-GENERAL.
Rev. E.L. Watson, Senior Baptist Chaplain at the Front.
Rev. O.S. Watkins, Senior Wesleyan Chaplain at the Front.
Rev. J.M. Simms, D.D., K.H.C., Presbyterian, Principal Chaplain
at the Front.
Rev. E.G.F. Macpherson, Senior Church of England Chaplain at
the Front.]
So out there in France our soldier lads "do this" in memory of Him
"until He come."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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