The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-05-31

etc.
In many of our churches the services Q
Memorial Day were alluded to yesterday. In
public Sunday service of the members of Bos
worth Post took place in City Hall ut three O
clock in the afternoon. The members OF tn
Post met at their headquarters and in uniform
repaired to City Hall, about so being present
A large audience representing many OF tn
churches was also present, The exercises be
gan with singing by quartette composed o
Mrs. Merrel, Mrs. Flint and Messrs. Circle.
and Dayee, Mr. Quimby, accompanist Rev
Mr. Dole then read the tenth chapter of Act
and Rev. DIR. Hill offered prayer. After sing
ing Mr.. Dole preached a sermon which wa
listened to with deep attention by the Who'll
audience. Below we give the main portions o
sermon. emitting mu CHI of the illustration, Blu
marring 10 part of the thought The sermon
will repay a careful persual. The deliver
was characterized by great earnestness ant
force.
Mr.. DoLE's SERMON
Pa 49, -. Blessed is the nation aohose God
the Lord and the people Dh0m He hath ch0sel
for has oacas Inheritance.
The subject on which wish to speak to yol
this afternoon is connected with religion ant
patriotism, / have chosen this subject because
there is feeling among us that the two thing
have nothing to do with each other; that IL
that man can be a good patriot anu have NJ
religion at all, or a man can be very plous and
yet be poor patriot
1t is popularity of our times and our gov
eminent that religion and state have very few
if any outward ties. There is doubt, too
whether even this that we have will long bt
thought best to continue. 1t has never beer
like this before. Each people used. to have
their national Gods. Kings used 70 be priests
by virtue of office. This held for long time
after the rise of Christianity, and, as yon vel
know holds still throughout most OF Europe
Not to be of the national church, whether Ro
man, Lutheran, Calvinst or English Is moi
quite to be good citizen.
The idea that have to bring to you now,
may be stated something like thiss that II
makes no difference whether there is nation
al religion or not, that is, whether there is an
outward connection kept up between the state
and religion, it is true just the same " hatever
system you have, that religion and patriotism
are one. l might put this more strongly.
blight say take your Bibles altogether out Of
your schools, take your oaths out OF your courts,
pay no more chaplains at public expense, TAX
the churches like other property, have no re-
ligon in government than you have in rail-
road corporation, break down whatever traces
remain of outward artificial connection be-
teen the church and the state, and you come SO
much closer toward seeing the dvinely wrought
oneness of religion and patriotism.
Let menow briefly define what mean by
the two A single word of the Apostle Peter
covers religion, namely, GOD is no respecter OF
persons; but in any nation, he that fearetn
Him and worketh righteousness is accepted
with him." glory to call myself Chrlstlan
because the life and teaching and example and
death of Jesus Christ are the fullest and crown
ing inspiration toward this Bible idea of re-
ligious life, -
Possibly it seems needless that l should de-
fine to you here, on this day of all others, what
L mean by patriotism. l am surrounded by
those who carry scars of battle, by those whose
manned limbs tell silent stories of sacrifice, by
those who are about to scatter their memorial
spring flowers on the graves Of fathers, broth
ers, husbands and comrades. These things
both hallOw and illustrate my meaning.
Patriotism means that love of country which
prefers the good of others to its own. Religion
means trust in God and righteousness. Pat
riotism is self sacrificing love for ones country.
Keeping the difference in mind, before we
20 farther L have two impoitanta remarks
that never tire of making. They neec no
proof. One is that Christianity includes IN IT.
self whatever is good: mean to say, religion
is not a part of our life, and business another
part and our domestic affairs another The
Christian religion is all of our lives. 1t begins
ousSunday but it walks through the week. 1t
bows its head before God, but it holds the
hand of each brother 1t owns its duty toward
God and his laws, but only towards GOD as
his laws are the laws which govern our WoIla
and secure hu man society. You hnd DO de-
tail of human life SO small that Chrl us
spirit of love and duty does not lift into re-
lgiousness.
NV other remark is in the same line with
the last. tits this: That all common daily
relations of life illustrate Christianity. dod
love isn't one thing and parental love some
thing else aud patriotic love something differ
emit still But these lower and earthly loves
point I'D and show us God. Gods justice ID
not one thing and mans justice something else,
but mans imperfect justice shows the way
towards Gods Civil relations, domestic re,
lations these children's school relations, all
reveal and illustrate divine relations.
have three main points now to OFFER:
First: That Christianity tends to patriotism.
Second: That patriotism tends to Chrs-
tianity.
Third: That real patriotism is Christianity;
First then, that Christianity tends toward
patriotism. In other words, a Christian man,
because a Christian, is apt to be a patriot.
There have been times when this did not seem
to hold true. l suppose the early Chrstlans
were very far from patriotic In most ssats
too, such as the Eughsh ana ger
man, Christian men have often made their gov
ernments trouble. 1t is easy enough to see
why this ought to be SO. But why should
cite what ought to be true. Who were there
in the time of our war who were patriots!
mean those who enlisted for duty and those
who enlisted for .oye l mean soldiers whose
souls shrank from the horrors of bloodshed.
1 mean those who did the work as well as
fought; men who acted more than talked;
men who staked fortune and Life. having moth
ing to gain and all to lose, in war. l mean
great women who put cheerful faces IN sao
hearts and said willing goodbye to men VINO
never came back mean mothers and chill
dren who waited and suffered in silence, aye,
and still suffer and wait and never regret what
they did Who were they? What made them
patriots? 1 say they were Christians. 1t was
their Christianity which made them suca pat
riots. 1 do not say they were Christians by
this or that particular standard; but say, and
/ appeal to you here for The proof OF il, that
the spirit of Christ preserved them. 1t was
Christian principle that stirred men to be 10y
al. 1t was Christian principle, learned, no
matter how, through the ever present spirit OF
Christ in the world, that lifted women and
children to silent, accomplishing years OF
heroism. 1t was Christian principle, many a
time when they did not know it,, that made
rough men patient and tender and bore sucn
fine fruitage in self-denial and courage. lssum
it all up in one word when say you cannot 60
back to the time of cur war and put your hand
on the man who was really Christian VINO
10.
1 hurry on to my second point. It's that
patriotism tends to religion. just go back and
See what lessons we learned 10 the stormy time
of our war. We learned to obey law. The very
idea of the war was obedience. All OF the
ehty stirring of the North on that now far
off firing on SUMTER every loud and reported
summons that followed, was a call to obedi-
euce, It was law not passion, it was law not
self-interest that called our hundreds of thou
sands of men into the field.
Next courage Not animal physical courage,
not the SO called courage that throws itself
away. not the kind that drink makes, but the
COOL quiet courage that faces hidden danger
and meets certain death.
Next honor-Wbat was it that plunged our
nation in war, for which we lavlshed treasure
and shed blood? Was it just to keep this great
lars and cents? Was it self-will? Was it SIM
nly to win? Not one of these things. 1t was
national honor
We learned too, what trust or faith 49, We
did not believe that man or people could
ever do right and fail of success.
We had a wonderful lesson, moreover, of
love. We went out of our little cilcle of rela'
tiyes, out of cur neighborhoods, out OF our
states We found new comrades and friends
wherever two men wore the national biae.
Nav, we learned lessons of love to our foes. We
pursed them, we were proud OF their valor.
And once more and best yet, we learned self
denial. We learned to suffer. We learned to
be willing to mourn.
But why have cited these virtues-obedi-
ence. courage, honor, faith, love, self denial?
Because they prove the point which was max
ing, that patriotism tends to Christianity. You
cannot learn to obey law, or face peril, or trust
the powers above you, or value honor. or deny
your.elf for duty and not be nearer the king
dom of Cod The patriot. if only patriot