The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-08-27
EXODUS Is CHAPTER

OF 1fH4 1909. DY q r.
S1aaulding.
EXODUS Is CHAPTER
Who l. like unto thee. o Lord, among the
Gods (! pho is like thee, glorious in hoti
ness, .tsorf.l in praises, doing soonders! !!
The religion of the Bible is illust rated in
daily life. It is Of no obscure origin or
dreamy interpretation. 1t blazes fort h in
the grand facts Of history. Il addresses
itself to the livslicst sensibilities Of our ma
ture. It calls for songs Of praise az well as
deep humiliation aud fervent prayer. God
u living being. In our text he is contrast
ed with earthly rulers, sometimes called
Gods. He is represented IS king 30 much
superior to all others that none can be found
like him. He is glorious in his holiness,
fearful in his praises and wonderful in his
works. Those, then, who worship him
have sources ofjoy and praise unequalled
by those Of any other class ofmcn. Others
may be moved by will and irregular impul.
ses, but the joys ofa true believer spring
from perennial and exhaustless fountain
The King Of Kings has wise ani well
defined plan in conducting the affairs Of his
realm. When he had finished the works oi
creation "the morning stars sang together
and all the Sons of God shouted for joy
When an angel announced the Saviors birth
he was attended with multitude of heaven
ly hosts singing "Glory to God inssthe high
est and on earth peace, good will toward
men,"
Two grand events in the worlds history
have thus seemed worthy Of song by angelic
hosts Things Of inferior magnitude may
properly be- themes of praise to the inhabi-
tants ui earth.
When Pharaoh and his hosts are over
thrown in the sea, Moses and the children
Of Israel sing praises to God filled with ex-
pressions of gratitude for deliversnce so
signal. Pharaoh was selfish oppressor.
God benevolent Savior. The glorious
power of the KING of Kings secures the ut
ter destruction OF monarch renowned for
his injustice and cruelty. The pompous
empir' Of vickedness and oppression has
crushed AMI broken. to be forever warn
ing to those who might dare to emulate it
IN t's ~"r',rs subsequent history, while the
onlv rig .:fIi sovereign Of earth leads forth
his p.ope 10 land of plenty where they
may peacefully abide un der the shadow of
his power Sudden and remediless ruin
had overwhelmed their foes. How could
they fail to burst forth into songs Of praise
1t would seem but natural impulse Of the
heart.
To-day we are assembled for similar
purpose. A great nation is called upon to
render praise to God for signal exhibitions
of his power and goodness Previously we
have been called more than once and by
more than one administration Of our Nation
al governu.en, to fsst and pray in view OF
dangers tina, threat encd the existence OF
our lerce, prosperity and power as peo-
pie; now We are summoned to the more
gratful duty Of mingling praise for past de
liverance with prayer for future blessings.
Let US then glance at what God has done
for us.
Nearly fity-fve hundred years Of the
worlds existence had rolled round and ex-
hibited one of its Hemispheres as theatre
of strife, cnmmotion and bloodshe d, when a
bold adven turer animated by some correct
idea of the geography of this globe, made to
be inhabited. tempted the dreary wilds Of
the ocean till they disclosed to him another
continent But little more than another
century was permitted to pass till God di-
rected the feet Of weary pilgrims, who, like
the dove fromth ark, could find no rest in
thc old world. from the meddling Of tyranny
which had inundated it, to this haven Of
peace and II hnpe The lapse oftwo centur
les more found sn independent government
here established which had been able sue
cessfully to resist the invading force Of the
proudest pire on earth
Five thousand seven hundred and eighty
years after God had ,lanted garden east.
ward in Eden and placed man in II, gov
ernment for man was planted westward in
another hemisphere on principles which had
hitherto laid the foundation Of no earthly
empire. For The full developement Of these
principles magnificent region had been
for ages reserved, which in the abundance OF
its gold and other mineral wealth, in the
number and magnitude Of the rivers that
watered it, in tho extent and richness Of its
soil and in the vast variety Of its native pre-
ductions might we'll challenges rivalry with
the Eden of mans nativity.
At the creation God had endowed mar
with the right Of dominion over every thing
on earth excsrt man or any portion Of his
race. In this new empire founded by The
! hand of Providence in this new world, mer
simply re-afirm the rights with which they
were originally invested and claim no more
So signal reproduction Of the divine ide'
in regard to the dignity of man, after it had
been so wofully lost to humsn sight through
the dreary length Of centuries and ages
should never escape the eye that would look
to God for light and hope.
The nronhet Isaiah. who tells Us SO much