Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-07-16

DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, SATURDAY.
SERMON
Delirered at the Presbyterian Chwrch in this
City, on the Sd inst, By Rec. ". Freer.


City, on tho Sd inst, By Ree. ". Freer.
Psalms ~: IS. "appy is that people, that is in suc
cae; yea, happy that people, whose God the Lord
Every people has some God. There Is no
nation Of Atheists upon the Garth, nor cve
has been. They each have some worship
some God. This needs no demonstration. 1
is conspicuous the world over. Temples
rites, and religious Observances, or idol images
arc everywhere to be seen. This is SO no
only among the great and enlightened powers
Of the earth, but in the most pagan lands
Livingston shews US this even in the farthes
recesses Of dark and degraded Africa. PagaI
India has most stupendOus system Of god
and religion.
In the time Of David, Israel was the only
nation whose God was the Lord. The nationl
about them, all had other Coils. Jupiter anC
others were the Gods Of the Greeks. Baa
was the chief divinity of the Pheonccians. -
Bael was the great God Of the BabylOnians
The PhiliStines bowed themselves to Ash
torcth. MOlech was the aboninatiOn of th'
Ammonites, and the Egyptians were worship
crs Of Osiris and the Sun.
Nor is this religion, asiti called, an obscure
feature Of the nations 1t enters into the very
libcrs Of their constitution. II is the organic
law Of their growth. 1t moulds their institu
tions, fashions their character, and determine.
their destiny. Like Gods. like people always
The religion OF a people shapes its civilization
more than any thing else. 1t enters into al
its prevailing ideas Ofright, and is at the basi.
OF its laws, and customs, more than any Other
one thing. 1t gives direction to the main ma
tional course more than any thing else. II
enters into, and pervades, and has a plastic
power on every thing in and about the nation
al being. Nations do not arbitrarily select OF
assume their religion, as If it were n matter ol
accident or convenience what ono they adop
ted, or as if one would suit them ns we'll al
another; but it is rather and mainly the
ground work on which their superstructure
rests; as it is the subsOil into which the roots
OF their peculiar growth and happiness reach.
The same religion tends to produce the same
national characteristics. The connection seems
to be nearly as intimate as that between the
plant and the seed. Nations Of the same re-
ligion are alike in their general styles Of civili
zatiOn, in the peculiarties and degrees Of
their enlightenment, in the modes of thought,
in their ideas Of right, in their manners, and
in most Of their general characteristics. They
are so grounded in their religion that they
cannot change from one to another without
becoming, very materially, n different people.
A Christian people for instance could not be-
come MOhanedans without becoming such in
mind and heart-in their ways Of thinking
and feeling-in their bigOtries and blind obc-
diencc, their gross and carnal and contracted
views and aims, and in ell their private, social
and public habits and duties. There would
have to be total revolution in the nature and
kind Of their civilization, and all their institu.
tiOnS would undergo change. The English
man or American would become the Turk, the
Moor, or the Arab So too If they become
Brahnins, the principles and prcccpts of the
HindO0 philosophy, and theology, would
make them of necessity veritable Hindoos. in
custom and life. The pagan will be the pagan
until his religion gives way or is changed
Not merely the worship and morality, but the
the whole body polite, the happiness of peo-
pie are modified and determined in their cut
and hue, by the religion in which they have
been nurtuI ed, and grown. All History shows
this. We can glance at no nation without
seeing it. 1t is plain to see, that the religion
OF a people is inwOven in, or is rather the
formative principles OGall its laws, ways, and
national life. Diplomacy and every thing else
is shaped by II.
Now this shows two things. Itshows how
deep and important an element in man il his
religious nature. 1t shows that he cannot
discard it-that tits part Of him,-and not only
that, but that it is the most influential, regu.
lating, and important feature about him. II
is what determines him more than anything
else. 1t demonstrates also the fact that the
prosperity, permanencc, growth, happiness and
enlightenment Of nation depend more upon
its religion than it does on its physical might,
or on anything else. In fact education, views
Of policy, and everything Of this character 70.
lieye the secular world from the religion Of the
people.
Now David perceived, and understood, and
felt this truth when he wrote in the text
"happy is that people, that is in such case,
yea, happy is that people whose God is the
Lord" He knew that religion made the na.
tiOn more than anything else. This was the
great source and cause Of the distinction and
prosperity Of Israel It was what made them
differ from all the surrounding nations. They
only, had the Lord for their God. They only
had knowledge Of Him, and were in possess
ion Of his truth. It was the Lori that gave
shape to all their laws and institutions. Their
constitution was derived from them, and stood
upon this truth. Their ideas and worship o
Him gave cast and mould to their character
They Were the Lords people.
And so it is because the Lord IL our God
that ne arc happy people. There are those
who would deny this There are those who
would ignore all connection with any religion
whatever; who would mako US, as a people
entirely self constituted, without any religious
groundwork or connection whatever. This
has been much argued Of late in our state-ir
places high and lOw-in our tribunals, in the
pulpit, in the press and among the mnsscs.-
IL has been in effect affirmed that our nation
that VIC as u pcople-that our government
has no more affinity to, or connection with, OF
reliance on, one religion than anothcr-that
we are irrelated to all alike. II Is contcnded
that oil our laws should be without n part
Gle Of religious foundation, and that the shad
Ow or trace of connection with any sort of re-
ligion should not be found upon them. It Il
argued, that, from all our public institutions
the very thought Of tho Lord as our Goo
should bC carefully excluded; and some O
our boosted Independent Journals can not ever
treat upon anything that has even so slight 1
religious look about It without trembling les
they should be upon forbidden ground. Mcr
however may argue and trcmblc before thi
question until their hair whitcn, still nothing
is trucr, in fact. than that every nation hal
sOmC sort of religious basis, and cannot exis
without it and still further, nothing is true
than that we are great, happy and prosper