Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-12-08

llsheu the laws NCcOfulng 10 which thcy
are to be constituted. And no nation can |
trample there laws in the dust without mf. |
fering the penalty OF transgressiop. IL |
was in view Of these laws that David sang |
as he scanned the work Of an uyerruIing |
Providence IN shaping tlfe destinies
OF the world "The kings of the earth |
set Themselves and the rulers lake |
counsel together against the Lord nnd |
against his nnnOintcd, saying, Let us break !
their bands astndcr and cast their |
cords from u.s." But ole that sitieth
in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall
have them in derision." The cords nnd
bands with which God has bound the -,,n.
tions can never be snapped asunder and
cast away. y"
Since this is true il is easy to see why
David could sing "Bessed Is the nation
whose God is the Lord and the people
whom he hath chosen for his own Inherit
ance." The fountain source of individual
biessedness is Col. God is the ultimate
source Of all things. lie is the sovereign
source OF oar being and all that Is essen-
tial to our welfare in time and eternity.
How then shall we tap this fountain of
blessednesH, that her streams Of wcll-being
and unSpeakable joy may everlastingly
bathe our being2 The answer is this:
Live in obedience to the laws in which the
Creator has wrapped our life. Blessed is
that man who never dlsobeys, but always
conforms to the eternal girdings of Jeho-
yah. In the laws OF heaven there is bless
ing, protection and salvation. Obeyed,
they eniold life in eternal blessedness; dis.
obeyed, their righteous dictates pursue,
smite and sting in the eternal haunts OF
despair. llerod disobeyed God, and be-
headed John in prison, and dripping with
blood, the maid brought before him the head
of that sainted herald in a charger But at
the sounding name of Jesus he was troubled.
Conscience smotc him. Trembling on his
throne he sail, This - John the Bapti-, D..
he ~ risen from TIE dead" But Enf.h
walked witt, God three hundred years TR
was not, for God took hiul" One was a life
blasted aud cursed from disubcdicnrc the
other was life of obcdiencc baptized i'm
blcssedness and swallowed up in glory.
BLESSED are the poor in spirit. for theirs
is the kingdom Of heaven" Blessed are
they that mourn for they shall be comfor.
ted" Blessed are they which do hunger
and thirst after righteousness for they shall
be filed" Blessed are the merciluI for
they shall obtain mercy" "Blessed are
the pure in heart for they shall see God"
Blessed are ye when men shall pcrsucute
you and say all minner of evil against
You falsely for my sake" "Rejoice and
be exceeding glad for great is your reward
in heaven" These are edicts OF Jehovah,
and set forth the laws which grid our be-
ing. Rlessedness baptizcs the soul that il
personally obedient. And to him who
thus stands and struggles for the right. il is
said Be thou faithful unto death and |
will give thee crown of life" To such
fn1 ID for leo a, T.,
them, aud, slc TERED in an everlasting ref
uge, they shall not be hurt of the second
death. As this is true OF the individual. 40 it
is of the nation. "Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord." Let the Govern
ment take God into her councils. Let her
obey His laws and as an inevitable Sc
quence, ordained and established in the
eternal councils of Heaven, that nation
will be blessed. The government of God
is model for the earth in her principles
Of duration and righteous reign. "But
unto the Son lie saith, Thy throne, o,
God, is for ever and ever; a scepter OF
Righteousness is the scepter Of Thy king
dem" In this enduring kingdom there
is no scepter OF evil, but from His throne
the Son ever and always wields the scep-
ter OF righteousness and as God is the
author OF human governments lie has or
dainsd that in them there is to be found
Il scepter, reign and rule like unto His
own everlasting reign of righteousness.
And it is not uttering too strong a prophe-
sy to say, that il this nation brings God
into all her councils, and in reality takes
Him into her maternal life, az the soul
takes Christ in salvation, she will stand
until time shall be no more and ever rest
under the divine baptism of blessedness.
Righteousness exalteih a nation" and
when the righteous rule the people re-
joice.' In ages past, when Israel trnmpl,d
Gods commands in the dust and lived in
total disregard of them, they were aban-
doned OF God and fell as prey to surround
ing nations. In that period when Saul
was king and made no inquiry Mt the Ark
of God, swift destruction followed hard up
on Israel, and the king himself at last lcll
by his own sword; but unde. the reign oi
David the Ark was again brought. and at
its shrine the king asked God what to do.
and to Israel there was a return Of the davs
of prosperity. And so better days and q
grander nationality would be ours, were
God brought nearer by the people and
rulers Of our land making earnest and
heartfelt inquiry at His throne.
But we have reason to thank God that,
though We have not rendered stict obedi-
ence but at times have suffered chasiise-
ment, yet ours Is blessed land. in degree,
Tor God is her Lord. go back in thought
to the CORY scenes Uf a hundred years ago,
when from under the oppressive rod OF
English legislature the Colonies struck for
freedom. In that struggle, God was with
US. On the 4th of July, 1873, in the bel
fry OF the State House, where the Conti-
mental Congress was assembled debating
whether to declare for independence the
gray haired old bell-man stood whiting tn
ring the bell and sound the note Of free
dom. The country was bleeding under op-
preston AN al was breat h less as they wait
ed lor the note of liberty. The forenoon
passed away, and the gray headed patriot
grew tired from waiting. His heart was
beating to the chime of liberty but Mt last
growing discouraged he began to say to
himself, "They will never do it; they will
never do It," When, Just as the clock
struck two, the lad stationed below ran ont
and shouted at the top of his voice, Ring,
ring;" and the old veteran did ring ms
never before. 1t kept time with the chime
and beat of his patriotic heart for liberty.
We pass the bloody scenes Of the Revoln-
ton and come to the Confederation Of
States. In that hour slavery was fostered
Dcchuhe the slave states Womb listen to
nothing else. II was a sin against God. In
due time this slavery, the child of hell,
lifted its defiant head and shook its dark
sOber In the face OF Ike nation. For that
sin We paid the price of that dreadful four
years of civil conflict, from the darkness
and ruin of which the land has not yet
emerged. But though bleeding and IN
poverished by the ravages of war, under
the blessing of God, who was better to the
nation than the nation was to herself the
old flag still waves over every foot Of land
and the sun smiles on The Union of States
undiscovered. In these slruggles God was
/ with us, for according to the principles OF
His Gospel, He has unsheathed the sword
OF omnipotence against oppression OF every
kind, and shakes the thunderbolt of despair
| in the face OF him who enslavcs n people
even as Pharaoh did ancient Israel. And
what was that oppression and servitude
compared to the internal blackness OF
American slavery?
! (lod hoa hoa., NTH