Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-04

Tuesday, NOvem-
Der 27, 1879.
"What mean We by these stOnesF'-[ Joshua
w.,
80 let the Nations be glad and sing for Joy:
for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and
govern the Nations upon earth. - Psalm L,
VII, 4.
Our National Sabbath has rarely come
with greater reasons prompting us to
devoutness and gladness. 1t is very
meet and right our National Thanks
giving finds us in the house of God, with
souls brim-full of the heartiest praise.
That anyone who believes in the God of
history, Providence, and Revelation,
should restrain his thanksgiving. seems
to me indeed strange. With the almost
unbroken health of the summer, the
most bOuntiful harvests succeeded by
remunerative prices, and the Nation en-
tering upon an eve of what promises to
be marked prosperity, we do well to join
the singer of Israel, and say: Let the
people praise thee o God; let all the
people praise thee" And just in the
measure we are dominated by this sense
of the presence of God, will devoutness
thrill our hearts and dwell upon our
tongues. If we are not glad in this
presence We may well suspect that there
is some serious disease sapping our
moral life, thus making us less worthy
as citizens, and ruling us once for all
out of the real kingdom Of God. 1t is to
be feared that a goodly number of us are
much like spoiled children, who having
been fed by tender parent, on sweet
meats, and having shared the bounty
with no one, are only made the more
narrow and selfish by the gifts.
The one striking trait among the real
ly great in Israel was their devoutness,
their tendency to Loyalty and joyfully
commemorate deliverances. You may
turn over the history of that really re-
markable people, and every little while
you ARE led to ask, What mean ye by
these stones?" 1t is at one time the IA
nous stone tables, having on them the
laws of the ages written by the finger of
God; then it is an almond rod with
buds, blossoms, fruit; again, it is the pot
of manna-then the twelve stones at
fGilgal-later a stone between Mispeh
and Shew, bearing the legend "Ebenezer
hitherto the Lord has helped us;
finally their greatness and gratitude cul-
minated in the historic temple ON Mt
Moriah. Their years were studded
thick with mercies which in every au.
tumn was commemorated by the glad
ness of their national harvest home
and the rejOicings of their Feast of Tab
ernacles. Of the erection of this un
hewn monument at Gilgal, need scarce
ly speak, as you readily remember it wa:
built to commemorate the passage Of
the Jordan, and the succession of deliv
erances that at last set them safel!
down in the Promised Land. "TheI
shall We let your children know that Is
rael came over this Jordan on dry land.
> Such a passage was worthy cOmmem
oration.
Great men have seen and said tha
Israel in her ideal government was th'
typical republic. And this struggle il
! Europe, and Asia, and on this COntinen
) of Republics, is only a reach after tn
ideal state, which men have forgotten i
!, outlived in the Mosaic economy. For
time we will waive such thought aside
4 and go on lauding the slaveocracy o
Greece. the military republic of Rome
, and ignoring the theOcracy of Israel.
In the true Hebrew Republic over
powering and oppressive corporation
= were impossible; the ugly fact of Com
f munism could never have been felt; an,
! Nihilism that angel of death could fin,
no place to stand. The liberation an,
restoration of every fiftieth, or Jubile
: year, made such monstrOus growths a.
s impossibility. And when the Unite
: States has wrought out her ideal-an
it is probable on this virgin soil the fina
= problem of a righteous and loving gov
ernment is entering upon its solution
6 we shall only solve it by adhering to tn
0 Hebrew ideal, softened by the milde
= rays shed forth from Calvary's cross
= and deeply bedded in foundation princi
pies set forth by the sermon on tn
n Mount. We commend the study of tn
: civil system of the Hebrews, and tn
= great laws of Christ's inimitable sermo
to those who aspire after the-statesmaI
: ship that never truckles or degenerate
a into the demagogue.
t This is day for thanks. The song
, of the Hebrews run over with thanks
Our text is single specimen of tn
II many that ring with gladness. 80 le
d the Nations be glad and sing for JOY
It for thou shalt judge the people righ
# eously, and govern the Nations upo
earth" Many as are the reasons fC
/ thanksgiving, it is feared that it is nj
r true, AS vet, that even majority of til
,e governments of this world have righ
O eousness set forth in their conduct. NJ
. that it is not the purpose of God to s
o. govern; but the selfish and unscrupnlOl
d. plans of men thrust themselves in b
C. tween Gods purposes and the people
v be governed, thus defeating Gods gr
N cious designs, and turning I'll
" glory of Nations into shame. Al
III it as often happens that tt
II. people themselves are unwilliI
e. to receive the choicest blessings; th
n. is, their unfitness makes what they G
too good for them. 1t is the Observable
~ of the thoughtful that our rulers are
IS, good as we deserve, are fully equal
of the average of the people they represeI
he The preceding verse tells us when '
=. may expect to see righteousness As Il
III fruitage of human government-"Wh'
n his face shines upon us"-"When all t
n people praise thee"-that is, when '
he recognize the shining of Gods fat
g. and give answer by heartiest praise.
W if the world is not growing into VIII
'e- we would have it, we have not far to-
sc to find the reason-it is because the
he is too little recognition of Gods wa!
10 and a beggarliness about our praise tn
'0 hinders his coming into our hearts.