, 1876-07-02
RELIGIOUS.
Centennial Sermon by the
Lay Preacher.
1etUs Remember Independ-
ence-Day and Keep
It Sacred.
The Camp - Meetlng---
The Presbyterian
Church.
An Address by Father Hya-
cinthe in London.
Notes and Personals Abroad
and at Home.
An Address by Father Hya-
cinthe in London.
nJotes and Personals Abroad
and at Home.
Church Services To-Day.
CENTENNIAL SERMON.

~ NA-N~~"-
poR THE SUNDAY BEFoRE ISDEPESDESCE-pAf.
Thou shalt not remove thy ncighbor's landmarks,
.h;rf thev OF old time have set i'll thine lnhcr1-
t,nrc which thou shalt inherit in the land that the
Lord thy God gi'eth thee to possess IT, Deut''
xix. II.
+hnt the topics Of the discourse arc timely anu
appropriate. The Lay Preacher would not be
ou1donc by the Pulpit. Two days hence from
the publication Of THIS discourse will occur the
hupdreth anniversary Of the nations birth.
The Centennial is properly regarded with great
interest BY our people. 1t ought to be
tbe era Of revival Of patriotism.
The Fourth will be prominent land
mark in the nations history. It will be point
of observation to review the past, and take sur
roundings Of the present, and make up reckon
inrs for the future. The preacher believes that
the reader will be glad to place himself on this
tonic of the day in harmony With the great line
of thought which at this time occupies the na-
tion.
It is supposed that this text refers primarily
to the boundary lines between the little farms or
matches which the Jews cultivated But 1t could
not have very important meaning In that con-
uection, because the Jews regarded the posses
sion Of land Is more public right than private
interest, and the Year Of jubilee settled
conflicting titles. But the Jews were
tenacious Of sacred and consecEated things.
They loved their set days commemorating their
religion. and the growth of their nation. In
TINT was their strength. The Jewish nation, in
NIL its varied forms Of government, was long
lived. All long-ltrcd nations naturally grow
into attachment to the many incidents and OBJ
seryanccs on which their vitality clinss, These
nre the landmarks of the nations growth. God
instituted such i'll the form Of government He
granted to the jews. They were enjoined TO OBJ
Serve the Sabbath as day to keep alive their
knowlelee of and reverence for the Divine
Being. They we're commanded to keep the
Feast of the Passover to commemorate
their deliverancc from the Egyptian bondage;
They had feast days and fast days. ana
anniversaries and ceremonies lnnuMefaple;
These were instrumentallties to intensity and
strengthen the nationality of the people no
uaticil Of the world ever exccled the jews III
1}atriotisn and in pride OF nationality. 1oo
never rcbuked them for this feeling, except as
they abused it, and allowed the form to absorb
the spirit, and as they departed from the allie
eiauce to Himself, which their set days and OBJ
scryances we're designed to foster. Therefore,
fhe words Of the text are very Significant III
another sense than respect Tor j mans rlSht 10
his homestead. The landmarks OF the nation
were to be observed. The usual aids to the re-
membranye of Gods dealing with the nation,
their deliycrance and 1lcir progress, the
memorials Of their forefatLers, the patriots, the
fields which they bought and solG, the ton6s
and the monuments they built, and the wells
they dug, were held in grateful reverence. rel "a
cob:s well is preserved to this Gay. There is
philosophy III this. God permitted and encour-
aged them in these ideas, because they were SO
much in harmony with the nature OF man, and
tended to make Of the Jews great anu long
lived nation. And God had use for such j 1l;a-
111 I'm ${fY1p H.
ringly-devised instrument in his hands, as an
experiment for their own culture, and as an IL
lustration to all mankind. Do not put God
away from His govcrnorship over the nations.
He who hath formed can hold them, OF, direct,
IS may seem good for humanity at large
It is profitable to observe here that valuable
nations in the world are 1ongg-liyel 4 nation
cannot grow in a generation, nor in = century.
There is something more than race that hangs
about nation. There must be time for insti-.
tutions to grow; and great ideas to spring out OF
the great men who HON, only can H. some IRON ON
eSu@ our modern eivi,1zatton n the s grew
with the nation. Thus VIC have had the Ara
bian, the Greek, the Latin, the Anglo.Saxon,
and tie English in modern times. With the
language came literature ana the arts. The
wisuonl aud knowledge Of the 1ndiViduals be-
come aggregated, and from generation
ito generation there Is concentration OF
Intelligence aud culture that has Grown above
any individual achievement. The great
things that have. been done in tue world have
sprung out Of the great and long-livcd nations
II VIC we're to make up record OF the thousand
great men OF the world who have contributed
thoughts and deeds that have made the great
e;ents III the worlds history, nine-tcntns OF
these men would be found in the nations tnat
we're also great. Some of these men have
founded empires, some have destroyed them, but
they have back Of them constituency that was
the representative Of cu1nrlatiyc powers. Those
features that work greatness Of national cllafaG-
teristics are literature arts, arcMtc:tufe, 'fs1-
CATION, improvements, inventions, science, COM
-mcrce, military power, etc. These cannot grow
in isolation. Not only docs it take a multitude
ofmcu and competition to excel Ill them, but IL
takes time to mature them.
Strike out what las been done BY the lnulyld-
French, German, aud English, and what should
We have left to make up history Of Important
eyentse These were all 1oug-liyed and power
tu! nations. It is evidently tile policy o1 DlFlne
Froyi1cnco to train up sucn nations. anu you
does so thorough established laws lie mas
given countcrance to such customs with people
IS, according with their natures, contribute to
lung life and concentration OF people:
1t is quite evident that 4 principal element ol
such a growth is homogcncousncss. some
would call it unity. Some would say TINS con-
sists in common interest favored BY climate,
productions, or cmployments. But people OF
d!rcrse tastes and interests make great power
when centralized. Such is the condition OF
Great Britain when considered. as an Empire
Sach is our condition as people. Ncvcr was
there nation more diverse in local interests
that depend on emp1oyments, climate, and
natural advantages. And these become eic-
y. mcnts Of strength when appropriated to me
common good. The cotton Of the south, the
gold OF California, the grain of the Northern
Middle States, and the manufactures and com,
merce Of the Eastern, all favor each other and
depend one upon the other. Thus they become
abond Of unity and contribute to that growth
which shall make the nation long-lved
and powerful. The utmost that can oe
done has already been done. to set
!hese local interests at war with each other 10
Destroy the nation, as was done III the late he
6ellion. But greater Law than human passions
las rushed these conflicts.
lEc founders Of this Government o1 ours con-
tcmplatcd its existence forever; at least, no
provision supposition is contained in 1t for It's
dissolution. The theory Of its formation favors
us everlasting perpctuity. This should be the
constant thought in the mind Of the patriot
Lat the life Of the nation is endless, as immor-
ta!itr is the cyer-consoling reflection Of the
christian. The Centennial celebration Is the
landmark Of its eternal procession with the
ages.
Therefore 1t should be the constant ain Of the
Pat11ots Of this country to commemorate indie
pcodcnce Day as the great holiday OF the nation.
IT should be remembered that public days for