Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-01-19
Stalt of the llatiun.
The Worth of the Union.

W have received Sermon, delivered last
Thanksgiving Day at New Britain, Conn, ty
Rev. C.. /. Goodell, formerly Of St. Johnsbury,
on tie ysue Of the Union. His text was Deui.
% lg-"An to make thee nigh above all
nations which be hath made, in praise, and in
name, and III honor, that thou mayest be a holy
people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath sro'
ken
We make the following extract as giving an
idea Of this excellent sermon,-excelIenI alike IN
thought and xpresson-teaching the eternal
truths, which we believe the pulpit everywhere
ought now to inculeate truths working them
selves out in the great struggle between Gods
freedom and mans despoIsm, in or war ior
National existence. The preacher said
l. The moral value Of our Federal Union may
be seenl from It's geographical position and us
combination Of the great historic forces OF cl'il
zation.
God has established here fresh and indepen-
dtli center Of Christian influence. When Colum-
bus first discovered this continent, e regarded It
as simply new way to the Old Worldj The New,
In his Judgment, was to be only tributary to the
Oid. So thought all the nations o. Europe. They
refused to believe that God had purposes which
reached beyond them, and that he could remove
his cl1destiok from Europe to America. as be had
already, from Asia to Europe. Spain regarded
the New World as a vast gold mine for hes mate.
teria aggraudizemet. England locked upon
as dependency, mnsterng to her love of wealth
aud power Until awakened by the thunder Of
Saratoga and Yorktown, she never admitted that
there was anything absurd in continents being
governed by little Island, three thousand miles
away. But God is wiser than man, II was not
destined that America should b. Europe over
again, aud nothing more This continent did moi
come upon the arena Of modern history, to give
Engand cotton plantation-lreland potat,
held-Ffance glove msrket-AusIia thron,
for It's hungry princes, and Africa gigantic slave
pen. The New World was ordained in the prov
lde ee OF God, 10 have its new government, it
new man, and its new and important missor
imong the nations OF the earth. Civilization
never repeats itselt-its watehword is 4" onward.
There has been but one Jerusalem-but one Ath
ems and Rome. 1t were not possible even if
were desirable, to build another England, G
France, OF Spain, on this side Of the Atlantic
Every great emigration results in distinctly
~
Greece received emigration aud arts from Egyp
but Greece was not like Egypt it was a new an
living power. Rome was also colouized by Il
Greeks, but Rome differed from Athens as muC
as Athens from Thtbes. England was people
by the feuionic stock England, however, is n
copy, but an origiual with character and mi
son Of It's own. No more is America the oou
terprt Of Europe from which it sprungi it is
new creation, breati lug divine lie, aud rais
up for especial service. This nation vas not q
signed to be, can not be, like anything which b
tory has produced in the Old World. proyiden
does not go backward. You cannot nail tod
into the eoiin Of yesterday, neither can YOU bi
the spirit OF American liberty with the shaekles
past centuries, nor cramp iit expanding pow
into the old forms Of decalng despotisms.
must develop itself according TO its own law, a
dust its institutions to its peculiar wants .
necessities. We have already regarded oursel
as an outlying province of the Old World too 10
Our political independence has indeed b