Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1862-06-06
BY REV. PLINY II. WHITE.

II forget thee, y Jerusalem, let my rgh
hand forget her cunning, If do not remembe
thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of m.
mouth; if l prefer not Jerusalem above m,
chief joy. Ps. l37 5, 6.
The psalm from which our text is ia
ken is "A strong expression Of the low
which the Jews, captive in Babylon, ieI
for their native land. They refused tc
be comforted in their separation from it
they wept 1.-THE remembrance of it, they
implored divine vengeance upon those
who had effected its desolation and down
fall. But it is quite evident that they
loved their country not only, nor mainly
because it was their country, but because
II was land chosen and blessed by God
They preferred Jerusalem above THEN
chief joy, because it was the place where
God had specially manifested himself Il
was the city of the Great King. There
was his temple, there his affairs smoked
increasingly, thilher the tribes went up
the tribes of the Lord, unto the tes,imo-
ny Of Israel. The Jews were pious a;
we'll as patriotic, and their patriotism was
modified, controlled indeed. by their pi-
ETY.. il could not have been SO ardent
and so enduring, had their piety been any
less or other than it was.
CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM, then, will
be the subject Of this discourse.
AT such time as this, when patriot
ism takes rank among the cardinal vir-
tues, it may seem little less than prepos-
ferrous to affirm that it is no virtue at ALL
But surely it is not, necessarily, a Chris
tian virtue. 1t is natural that man
should have love for the land which gave
him birth gratitude towards the cousti-
tuition aud laws which have surrounded
him, lostered him, and educated him from
his youth up; special regard for the peo-
pie and institutions Of his native country.
These instructive feelings are not with
out the sanction Of some eminent scrip
tural examples. But we search the
scriptures in vain for any distinct appro-
baton Of patriotism, or any express in
junction or even Endorsement Of it as
Christian virtue. 1t is uniformly treated
as a merely natural impulse, and, like all
other natural impulses, needing to be
Christianzed. Il requires curbing, reg
ulaiion, restraint, rathec than encourage
ment. BY its very nature it can look
only TO small parts of the world, and to
small portions OF the human race, and it
regards all the rest Of the world and Of
mankind only as they can be made to sub
serve its interests. 1t does not always, |
therefore, harmonic with that Chris
tianity which requires US to regard every
man as our brother, strangers as neigh. .
bors, and even enemies as friends.
And if we look at the practical work
ing Of patriotism as natural instinct
we shall not fail to see good reason why
the scriptures do not say single word to
encourage it. Beautiful and Praisewor-
thy as it is when rightly controlled and .
directed, it is passion very liable to ex- (
cess, prone to override more important
obligations, and apt TO induce disregard
not only of the interests Of others, but Of
the immulable claims Of humanity and
justice In Rome it exalted the county
into an idol, at whose shrine the greatest
patriots were always ready to sacrifice
hecatombs of human victims. 1t dsre,
garded all the interests Of other nations,
trampled them under foot, held them of
no account except as they could be made
TO minister to the riches and the glory of
Rome. 1t was nothing else than an i'm
mense and Unsuitable public selfshness, a
mammoth conspiracy against the peace
and the liberty Of mankind. In Judea,
chastened even though the instinct was
by the teachings of Moses and the proph-
cts, it inspired the most profound con-
tempt for every man who was not Jew. j
1t stigmaiized all nations outside Of Pal |
estine as barbarians, SO that we read, in {
language that sounds to modern ears |
strangely incongruous, of the no little a
kindness" which "the bsrbarous people 5
Of Melita showed TO Luke and his COM
panions in shipwreck. c
But why do we resort TO foreign lands |
and distant ages for illustrations of the I
truth that patriotism misdirected, un- r
checked, uncontrolled by the instructions {
Of the scriptures, is dangerous passion, q
fraught with mischief TO the world? ? In
o0r own land, and before our own aston
shed eyes, is an illustration of the self P
ishness, impiety, rebellion, and ruin, to P
which this feeling is capable Of driving Il