God’s Claims and the Railwaymen’s Claims.
God’s claims upon railwaymen, as upon us all, include the obligation to, “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.” Many railwaymen do constant duty in running trains on the Lord’s Day to satisfy irreligious masters and thousands of the public who have no regard for God’s law. But recently there have been what are called “24 hour token strikes” taking place on the Sabbath. 11,000 footplate men at times being involved. Here we have men refusing to work on the Lord’s Day. But why? Not in recognition of God’s claims anent Sabbath-keeping, but as a means of enforcing their own claims that lodging-turns be withdrawn. Men are prepared to cease work and, deprive the public of travel to which they were accustomed on Sabbath, to force the hand of their masters to arrange that they, as drivers and firemen, shall not require to reside frequently in lodgings, away from home, when driving long-distance trains. The more trainless Sabbaths the better for our poor nation. But the Lord of the Sabbath beholds full well what railwaymen are prepared to do in this connection for their claims (which may be just and proper claims) and at the same time hold in contempt the claims of heaven.
Admiral Lord Tovey and Prayer.
We read recently in a periodical Evangelical Christendom of a broadcast address given by Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Tovey, at the beginning of the year, in which the Admiral told of his experience when the “King George V.” and “Rodney” battleships destroyed the German battleship “Bismarck.” He said, “Just before I took the ships into action I went down to my forebridge cabin and went down on my knees to pray for guidance and help. I suddenly felt as if all responsibility
had been taken off my shoulders and I knew everything would be all right. We engaged the “Bismarck” and sank her and she did not score a single hit on any of our ships. To my mind there is only one possible explanation.” The Admiral in his address also made a wise observation which our politicians would do well to heed, viz., “The world is trying to reform itself without God and it cannot. Jesus said, ‘Without me, ye can do nothing.'” In places of authority and government today, we heed men of prayer, who understand that all the plans and activities of men for the real betterment of nations are futile without regard to Christ, the King of Kings and His honour.