The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-12-10

hero, some golden calf of mammor
some withcriug prejudice, or som
political creed, and forget the soteml
warning contained in tho text: "Knoy
iye that tho Lord he is God it is h
that hath mado us and not we our
selves; we are his people and the sheeI
of his pasture,
Tho theme then to which yourat
tention is invited, and which is clear
ly embodied not only in the text, bu
also in tho proclamations of our Ex
ccutivc rulets,-.is this, Col, tie So
i IpreMG Ruler ia the affairs of nations
In treating this theme | propo5,
ffrst Tile necessity Of a aatioRs rec6g
uizing God. Second: Tho necessitj !
/ Of nations recogai-iag Coils credtif,
and preserving p9ter. r.
First then, the necessity Of a nations
recognizing Gods existence. "KpoW
Sc that the lord he is God" is u sen.
itiment contained not only in the text
but in many passages Of sacred writ
The ancient Hebrews were warned
time after timc, that their God was a
jealous God, and that he would not
permit them, under the scvorest pen.
aItes, to recognize or worship any
other than tho one true Cod And
that warning was most terribly veri
fed in the caamilies brought upon
the children of Israel for their idoIa.
tries, Many times they denycd their
Ruler, ,andcach time in the fiery furnace
Of His wrath they were compelled to
acknowledge Him. ra
1t is just as vain, just as foolish, for
nations to deny God as it is for ipdi-
viduals to do so. Nations after all
arc composed of individuals; and in
dividuals in tho aggregate are just as
responsible for their acts as indivdu,
ais when acting separately. God is
the ruler Of the universe, and VIC ie
more his existence at our peril and
as nations wo peril our existence by
denying him as much as though act
ing as individuals.
Ia the beginning, away back in that
past eternity ,before'any created thing,
either of matter or spirit, had been
formed, God existed. Everything
aside from God has been created;.-
hence the time must have beon far
back in the past when there was
naught in existence but Gothalonc. lie
was then the same eternal, incompre-
hensble being he is today. Through.
out the rolling cycles ola past eterni.
ty, God has existed. God was, God
is, and God will ever be, is u truth
not only written in the sacred volume,
but it is truth written with pen of
fire dipped in the tears and blood of
nations that have persisted because
they denied his existence. Tho rec,
ord Of history, both. sacred and pro-
fame, is clear on this point. The ma
tions that have dcnyed the existence
of tho one true God, have either sunk
to tho depths Of barbarism or they
have perishcd entirely from Off the
earth. Tho Egyptians, the Chaldcans,
the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans,
each in turn, have ruled tho world.
One after the other they rose, rcign,
cd and fcll And | might add to the
list Gods own peculiar people, the
children OF Israel. Why havc all
these nations ceased to cxist2 Why
is it, that with somo of them their
very works havo perished /? Tho an.
swer is, because they would not re
cognizo tho ono truo God. Somo of
these nations in point Of intelligence,
OF refinement, Of literature, Of the arts,
cquallod, and in some things eXccllcd
their successors of modern times -
The old masters Of Greece and Rome
have furnished tho world with its
models of painting, of sculpture, of
poetry and Of oloqucnco, And yet,
with these advantages, after having
arrived at this high stage Of intclcc-
tual cnlturc, they pershod, and their
shattered ruins stand like sentincls
of the night, to warn coming ages Of
tho rock on which they persisted, -.
and that rock was their denial of God
The disease that caused tho death and
blrial OF these old nations, was inf
deity. Truly, God is n jealous God
He will make himself known aud felt
Tho nation that will not recognize
him must die. An illustration of this
truth occurred in,quto modern times,
in France. Soon after wo had severed
our connection with England, aud
bocNwo n FREQ and Independent Re
public Franco ondoavorcd to follow
our example. Tho old dynasty of
French Kings was overthrown, and
tho effort was made to establish Re.
publican form of Government. Our
Republic was based upon compares
lively sound moral principles, Bait
France would improve on our course;
hence, on tho ruins Of tho old mon
archy she sct up Rcpuclic, in which
Reason, under tho typo Of II beautiful
but lowd woman, was wOrshippod MS
tho only God. The French Republic
said in so many words, There is no
God but Reason, and We will worship
mono other. A moro bold national
avowal Of infdolity has seldom been
known. Would God permit this bold
and defiant insult on the part of any
nation, and not cause that nation to
repent in dust and ashes? Tho sad
answer to that question was given,
when, amid tho blood and carnage of
tho Reign of Terror, the Fronch Repub.
lie pcrishCd, and France was once
moro placed beneath tho sway of an
absolute monarchy,
Tho nation that donies Gods exis> !
tcrcc, must suffer. .1 !
We have an instance Of tho forget
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