The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-05-15
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
Sermon BY the Rev. G. D. Hubert, Presiden,
Of Middlsbury College.

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
Sermon by tho Rev. c. B. Hubert, President
Of kiddlsbury College.
In the absence Of Rev. Mr.. johnson, the
Rev. q. d. Hubert, president of Middlebury
college. occupied the pulpit of the Consre-
gational church Sunday. His sermon was
Of political character and admirably quit
ed to the need of to-day. He disclosed
fearlessly and strongly the defects of Amer
lean civilization, and pointed out the rem
edy. The following is a brief abstract.
The text was Ecclesiastes, ix., IA, Is and
49,
There was a little city. and few men within
II; and there came great king against It, and
besieged IT, and built great bulwarks against
it:
Now, there was found in 1t poor wise man
and he by his wisdom delivered tho city; yet
no man remembered that same poor man.
Then, said l, wisdom is better than strength
nevertheless the poor mans wisdom is de-
spBed, and his words are not heard.
The description in The text is supposed
by some to have been historic. But there
is better reason to suppose that Solomon
wrote 1t as parable, and that ID is designed,
like the parallels of our Lord, to show the
superiority of spiritual wisdom over ma
terisl power.
If the Lord should send ua, to-day, a
message by host Of angels 10 the words
of the text, we should be overwhelmed
with their power and the application to our
nation. As nation we believe--or live as
If We believed-that the chief end of man 10
to accumulate wealth. We place material
prosperity above spiritual wisdom or intel
lectual power. This has been common
trait Of human nature in nil time. The
tendency OF 1t has always been to drift into
idolatry, materiallsm, and sensuousness in
word, into paganism. But In all time
there has never been such a theatre for the
display of this tendency as our country.
We glory in our great extent and material
prosperity, and point proudly to them as
the elixir of national life.
With the growth In this direction there
has not been corresponding growth 10
virtue and character. We are descended
from the puritans, but the puritan princi-
Piles have not been transmitted
We have not been tried from without as
was the city mentioned in the text. Our
foes are within our national household; our
per1l 10 self-originated. Our first great evil
Is our passion to amass wealth. The young
man sees the power Of wealth and the nu-
merous advantages it opens to its possessor
and he abandons school and joins the
throng struggling to be rich. He cannot
spend time over study; it will not pay
PAY. That is the verdict of father, mother,
sister and brother. Put money in thy
purse is our daily song and the burden OF
our prayer. Our one absorbing passion is
the love of money. Wealth 10 the Ameri-
can nobility and the want of II a culpaple
vulgsrity. Our arithmetic contains one
tabls-federal money. Our standard mea-
sure for all things-soul, mind, body and
raiment alike-is the dollar and If there
be a higher law with US 1t Is the law of
trade. Study is dry, thinking not to be
tolerated |; action is our motto and "busi-
ness" our lite. He only lives who does
:ps 'owf61 aas We Dc We do on parade
to make noise in the world IL our voca-
ton. Our eagerness to lose no advantage
keeps us on the run, and this spirit 10 not
here and there, but 10 omnipresent in the
country.
This dedication of money would not be
SO bad If 1t merely kept US in turmoil
but 1t causes many other evils. 1t works
corruption; 1t exalts 'cheek" into a fine
art Daily the papers are filed with &C
counts OF attempts to get money without
earning 1t. The love OF money is the root
of these evils, and also, a. Ibelieve, of
American intemperance. This heller skel-
ter race exhausts our vitality and nervous
force; we regain them not by seep-we
have no time for that-but by stimulants.
This accounts for the enormous consump-
ton of every kind of stimulant. Men be-
GIN using them not for the love of them
but to gain strength they have no time to
gam by sleep.
No one can observe widely without feel
ing that there are better ends to work for
than those most of us pursue The words
OF my text ought to be Numbered through
out the land as warning to this people.
We can but believe, il VIC pause to think,
that the Sin OF the nation Is speaking to US
in the present continued financial depres-
sion. To Bible student It must seem
that God is seeking to impress on us the
lesson: wisdom 10 better than strength"
The country will bc saved only BY falling
back on the wisdom of its wisest men,
wherever found-even Though they be
poor men OF thought and insphered in
truth these are our browning glory.
Though multitudes, the majority of our
people are absorbed in seeking wealth we
should not despair. The city of the text
was saved by one wise man. We should
note, however, that he did not save it in
opposition to the will of the multitude
they sought him. II we refuse to seek out
our wise men, We shall fall and expire as
have the nations OF history. II we desist
from the dedication of gold. il we encour-
age young men not to take the rich man as
their ideal, our future is bright; otherwise
our doom ia sure.
In monarchies the education OF the peo-
pie Ia OF small moment, butin government
where the people rule 1t is essential. The
time was when greatness meant muscle (;
but to-day wisdom Is strength. There
never was great action not preceded by
great thought. The life Of mankind has
been often overturned by theorists in their
closets. We need activities, but we need
the motive power that lies unappreciated
behind them more.
The text enunciates the American theory
of government. Ignorance is the dcstruc-
tion OF a republic under 1t. law gives
place to chaos. No nation has ever de- |
manded q 1.-THE Of the talent for ito guild |
ance that ours does to-day. Look at our
situatisn-our complex population, our ig- |
noranl masses, our dangerous extension of |
the elective franchise, our great number of |
religious sects, the great number with no |
religion, the assault that is to-day being |
made on popular education-and tell me II |
1t is not time to awake. Do We not need |
wisdom1 A survey Of the state of the ma |
tion shows the difficulties In our path; IL We |
would pass them safely we must seek help /
from our wisest, truest, most thoughtful |
men.