Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1866-12-10
OUR NATIONAL PRESERVATION
In our Nat ionaI Virtue.

OUR NATIONAL PRESERVATION
In our Nat ional Virtue.
SERMON PREACHED ON THANKSGIVING
DAY, NOVEMBER 20 h, BY REV. W. Fl. n
MARSH, PASTOR OF THE SECOND BAP
TIST CHURCH, AND PUBLISHED BI
GENERAL REQUEST OF THOSE WEE
HEARD 1T.
"For the nation and kingdom that will moi
serve thee shall perish, Yea, those nations
shall be utterly wasted "-Isaiah 60--l2.
"Ths United States OF America is the great
est nation on the face of the earth" This ss
! sertion made so frequently is not the un-t
guarded expression of the enthusiastic patriot
but Is literally true, for it is claiming no more
| than facts warrant, to assert that we are il
all the elements of National greatness not only
without an equal but without rival in the
great sisterhood of the worlds pationalities.
Certainly on this continent we are in no dan
ger OF rivalry from our Aeighbors, whether
Mexico on the South, or the British Provinces
on the Nerth; aud our geographical position
| so completely isola'es us that we haze nothing
| to apprehend from European armies, while, il
our manufacturing interests are adequately
| protected by prompt and wise legislation, we
ought not to suffer from the competition OF
Foreign manufactures, but on the contrary
| ought to be their successful rivals. Lying as
we do, between two great Oceans, the Atlantic
on the East and the Pacific on the West, and
hence between Europe and Asia, we are not
| only destined when the Great Pacific Railroad
| shall be completed to control the commerce oil
| the world, but, as De Toqueyille has affirmed,
we are "born to rule the s,as." Already,
though not Il century old, the sails of our mer-
ehantmen whiten every sea, and the wooden
waIls' of England tremble at the sight of our
monitors, which to the amazement of all En-
ropean qrid nunes have proven not only their
adaptation to coast defence, but are demonstra-
ted to be adapted also to the Ocean navigation
and that they eau at any moment level any of
the seaport Notifications of either England or
France, though we devoutly pray that such
service may never be demanded OF them. Onr
mineral resources are immense The stores OF
wealth treasured In our mountains are incsl-
culable. We have all the mineral productions
of the world in lavish profuson. They are
distributed all over our country. They are
found in every section, and, If we may credit
tho confident statements made by our geolo-
gisis and mineralogists the half has not been
told The mass of undiscovered treasure must
be beyond computation. And no doubt as the
progress and prosperity of the nation creates
u upmhhu lOI tucut iuoJ Will Do bUukuL
discovered, and thus added to our national
wealth.
But not only are we great in the variety and
vastness of eur mineral resources, but all eur
resources are equally vast and various. OF soil,
we have every kind. OF climate, we have all
the varieties Of the Temperate Zone. The soil
ana climate enable US to produce every fruit
that the earth Yields. Stretching as does eur
domain from the Atlantic to the Pacific, giving
us a coast on the former of three thousand
miles and on the latter OF one thousand, beside
our vast lake coast on the North and immense
gulf coast on the South, our advantages for
Fo reign commerce are incomparably superior
to those Of any nation, while our great rivers
traversing all sections Of our country and
running as they do towards almost all points
OF the compass. afford us facilities for Internal
Trade, such as are possessed by no other ma
tion. Nature has largely supplied US with the
means OF inter communication, and it Is to
this Providential provision that our amazing
advancement is traceable in a very great de
gree; for by means OF our great lakes and ma.
estic rivera much has been done for us, tha.
other nations must do for themselves by the
construction Of expensive lines of railway.
Nor does any nation to-day occupy the po-
sition in the eyes of the world that we do. We
are an object of world wide interest, and now
| of world wide admiration. Indeed, European
despots and their miserable sycophants do
write and speak against u.s. they 6nd funda-
mental defects in our system of government. -
They said at the beginning of our civil war,
the 6s66te of the American Renublic has burst.
The wish was father OF the thought. But, they
tremble now at the fact OF our preservation, q,
Notwithstanding the fearful struggle we have
had for existence. They dread the amazing
| recuperativs power we manifest in repairing
| the sad and awful damage of a civil war, such
| as the world never witnessed, for they see in
our National preservation, the triumph offree
| institutions, won under God, by a free and en- :
| lightened people, the hand writing on their
palace walls. They read In our preservation
| and progress the departure OF their glory, and
| the approaching end Of their power to resist
the mighty march of this progressive age a
| mong their subjects while the millions of those
subjects see in our success and preservation
the promise OF their dissnthralmentand rapid
though 1t may be for a time, disorderly, ad-
vancenent and elevation.
We lead the nations of the world They look
to US, and we are in the judgment of the mil.
| lions OF the Old World, what was said by ouI
lamented Martyr President the last best hope
of EARTH If we fail-if free institutions and
q free government fail here and as entrusted tc
us from our own internal dissentions or the
prevalence of vice in our midst the millions o.
Europe see no hope OF deiiyerance from tht
| oppressive laws ana midearal institu Ions unde
which they now groan, being burdened-th'
inhictions OF an aristocratic few-s self con
stituted governing class
| We are great people too in what we ma,
term our ProUidental MssiOn. Other nation
seem TO have fulfilled their destiny. They ar
beginning to wax old and are ready to vanisl
away Whatever ends they may have au
swered 10 the Divine government of human
affairs, they now nearly all give evidence o
having lived out their days. They exhibi
signs of old age. Their eyes are dim, ant
their natural force abated. They must intro
duce radical changes into their policies, or b
annihilated. They must learn from moderr
progress, or If they cling to antiquatsd notion
OF government they must be crushed, for th
ruled are rapidly outstripping their rulers Ii
the souadness OF their views of government.
With the exceptions OF Russia, Prussia, ital
and England, the remaining governments 9
the Old World are what they have been hu
; morously pronounced, sick mem But whe
we look at our own we cannot avoid the cor
viction that we have but just entered upol
. that grand career the God OF Nations ha
q mapped for us in working out His wondrou
plans. Everything connected with our presen
all the facts Of our pc It, predict an importar
and may we not hope glorious future.
We are In our National infancy, and all WI
make an anatomical examination of this infat
are convinced that In vigor OF its life, and th
strength of its limbs, the full grown man wi
1. be such giant as the world never saw. Az D
Draper remarks, 'there is before us career
unparalleled grandeur, asplsndid history,t