In a word, German philosophy and theology have made war upon every thing divine and expelled God from his universe and turned the government of the world over to the human reason and will. Naturalism has taken the place of the supernatural, and left the world to the dominion of the "superman" and his doctrine of "might makes right." Almost too late the free nations of the earth awoke to the malign purpose of Germany to crush out the liberties and freedom of all nations and people too weak to resist her power of might. Thank God we have not been altogether too late to check and defeat this wicked purpose and power. And thank God, I hope, we are not too late to repel Germany's devilish assault upon the Bible and the saving truths of God as revealed in the Eternal Word. war. America will not be the same America after the The foundation truths of human rights and liberty which underlie our Great Republic of free people will be revived and the fundamental facts and doctrine upon which Christianity is builded will be restudied and adhered to. It will not be sufficient that we crush military autocracy on the one hand and its wicked spawn of political Bolshevikism on the other. We must meet the same issues in theological guise. Our boys will soon be coming home from their victorious fight with "the Devil in the Kaiser." They have been face to face with God in the trenches and on the firing line in the open field of war. Thousands of them on their home-coming will turn to the home churches to hear what we will have to say to them. Shall we greet them with a gospel "made in Germany," or shall we greet them with the "glorious gospel of the blessed God"? This is one main reason why we must restudy our foundation truths and rebuild our pulpit instruction upon the only foundation which is laid for us, which is Jesus Christ "God manifest in the flesh," crucified for us, risen again, and ever living at the right hand of God, making intercession for us. This is the reason why I have incorporated a few sermons on fundamental theological subjects with these war sermons. It would be as foolish as vain to say that in these sermons a full discussion of foundation truths is to be found. My readers will be kind enough to remember that they were preached in the ordinary course of pastoral instruction for the benefit of my own people and not for the purpose of restating evangelical truth for theological students. Still I may venture to hope that they may serve as pointers for the average Christian. Philadelphia, Pa., August 1, 1918. |