13. The Second World War

THE SECOND WORLD WAR Twelve years have passed since I wrote the first edition of The Riches of Holiness. Little did I think, though, when I wrote that book that I should live to pass through a second world war. It is my privilege and joy, however, to witness to the continuance of the Lord’s grace and blessing throughout those dark, trying years of 1939 of 1945.

AMID THE BOMBS During the second world war I worked during daytime in the Westminster Bridge district of London and in the evening returned to my home in West Kent, twenty miles south of London, in the area which came to be known popularly as “Bomb Alley” and was one of the most heavily bombed rural districts in the country. Both by day and by night I was in the target area for enemy attacks of all kinds, first the ordinary bombing, then the lying bomb (V1), and later the rocket (V2). In the morning as I went to my work in London I used to wonder what fresh scene of devastation I should behold as a result of the overnight bombing, and I shall never forget one particular morning when I looked out of my office window and saw the awful ruins of a well-known hospital on the opposite side of the road. And in the evening, at home, many were the occasions on which my wife and I, feeling very tired, would lie down to sleep resting on the “pillow” of Psalms 4:8, “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” I regularly performed fire-guard duties at various buildings in central London. I shall always remember the night of September 7, 1940, when the Germans made their great attack on the London docks. From a high tower of the building in which I was on duty, I looked around and saw in the distance the red, angry, glowing patches in the sky which denoted the terrible destruction beneath. On another occasion I was paired off for fire-guard patrol duty with an officer who was a stranger to me. It was a night of severe bombing, and one bomb crashed into the building not very far from where we were stationed. While talking together in the midst of the falling bombs, we discovered that we were Christians. Needless to say, we joined together in prayer and realized in a wonderful way the presence and wonderful peace of the Lord. I also have special reason to remember another occasion, namely, December 29, 1940, when the great incendiary fire bomb attack on the city of London took place and Paternoster Row was reduced to rubble and millions of books were lost. It was then that the remaining copies of the first edition of The Riches of Holiness were destroyed by fire. It is not, however, of these things that I specially desire to write. They are mentioned only to indicate the general background of my life during the second world war.

What I do desire is to bear witness to the wonderful way in which the Lord strengthened and encouraged me during that very trying period. HIS PRESENCE IS SALVATION There were times when I had to challenge myself like the Psalmist did when he said, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?” How blessed at such times to hear the Spirit whisper, “Be still, and know that I am God”! And, as in the case of the Psalmist, the way to victory came by praising Him for “the help of his countenance,” or, as the margin renders these words, “His presence is salvation” (Psalms 42:5). These words often came with great power and blessing to my heart during the second world war. It was a joy to meditate upon the various aspects of “his presence” in relation to ourselves, as expressed by a few simple prepositions as “above,” “beneath,” “within,” and “with” — the prepositions of “his presence.” THE PREPOSITIONS OF HIS PRESENCE As “above,” we think of our Lord highly exalted above the heavens (1 Peter 3:22) and, as our great High Priest, able to save unto the uttermost. As “beneath,” we remember that “underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:26), ever there to uphold us and deliver u from the downward drag of sin and lift our spirits up in the power of His resurrection life. His presence “within” in the fullness of the Spirit means a heart cleansed from sin and Christ dwelling within by faith And then we can think of His presence as “encompassing” us. His presence is our refuge and shield in the midst of all the storms and temptations in the world It is His “encompassing” presence which imparts peace as a garrison to our hearts. Finally, His presence is “with” us in the sense of leading us on, so that we may move forward confidently in the “paths of righteousness.” As we meditate upon these various aspects o “his presence” we shall surely be fully persuaded that so long as we abide in the will of God, there is no possible condition in which we can be placed, either in peace or in war, in health or in illness, in prosperity or in adversity, now or in eternity, but what we shall be able to testify with holy, joyful confidence, “His presence is m salvation.” Praise God, this “salvation” includes deliverance from all the guilt and power of sin, over-anxiety, fearfulness, and everything else that would disturb our peace in the Lord! Yes, through all the painful experiences of the second world war it brought peace and joy continually to affirm, “His presence is my salvation.” All this is included in “the riches of holiness.” Although, as already stated, I lived continually in the target area for air attacks, I was still able to serve the Lord in my spare time by continuing in village mission work, often with wailing sirens and droning bombers overhead. And it was in the midst of all these war conditions that the Lord opened a door for a new form of service altogether. I have already related how in the first world war I was highly blessed in my soul on the line of the truth and experience of scriptural holiness. It was the same over twenty years later, in the second world war. Yes, there is a continual freshness and ever-increasing vitality in the truth of an all-sufficient and uttermost Savior from sin. The special blessing that I enjoyed during the second world war had to do with the publication of my book? Scriptural Freedom from Sin, and it is of this that I feel I should witness to the Lord’s goodness.