The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-09-13
PULPIT AND PLATFORM.
SECOND PARISH CHURCH.


At the Payson Memorial church Rev. Mr..
Dickinson, in the morning, preached a most
timely and practical sermon upon the duties Of
citizens at the present crisis. 1t was from the
text IN Neh. i, l. "The words of Nehemiah
to the son of Hachaliah.'' The preacher said
that it was especially fit at this crisis to con-
slider the words of one of the most patriotic
men presented to us in history The pulpit is
no place for political preaching, so called, but
it is the place for the discussion of those great
principles that underlie all good government
and right action; and no theme could be more
timely and profitable than the careful study of
the noble life and patriotic devotion of the
distinguished prophet. Every man is under
the highest obligation to aid by his influence
and vote in the maintenance of those great
principles upon which the perpetuity and even
the existence of our free institutions will de-
pend. The citizen should seek to know the
right, and in the fear of God, vote to MAIN
tain it. AS patriot he should study the noble
character of the prophet, and, in doing this
he will find, ~ that he loved his native land
because of the great principles which that
country represented to him. Jerusalem signi-
fed the religion of his fathers, the welfare of
his race and the honor of his God. All that
was dear to him, and how much more dear to
us should be our native land, connected as it
is with the highest hopes and most vital in
terests of our race. (2) His patriotic love was
proof against time, place, circumstances,
wealth, honor. power or royal favor. (3) He
recognized his individual responsibility for the
evil state of his native land. ~ His patriot
ism was disinterested; his country was more
to him than all personal or selfish interests, for
selishness is the crying sin of our people. Men
in high positions dishonor their station by
wrong and falsehood; citizens are willing to
defraud the government by evading their tax
es and smuggling goods True patriotism will
lead us to seek to correct all this and to eStab-
lish truth and righteousness in the land. %
The patriotism of Nehemiah was courageous
and jealous. He paid no regard to the threats
or accusations of his enemies while working
for the good of his country. He would have
misses with the enemies of Jerusalem, but
kept on in his work. Thus should every
voter do at the present time; vote in the fear
of God and according to the dictates of his
conscience; and if he do not act thus he sins,
and if anyone tempt him to do otherwise he
also sins. We might speak of the prudence,
wisdom, patience, liberality and princely hos
pitality of Nehemiah, but we close by refer
ring to the GROWING characteristic of his pat
riotism-its piety. He was eminently, in
heart, soul and life servant of God, and
such must every one be who would be a thor
oughly true, unselfsh and disinterested lover
OF his native land. Let us all then, in the fear
of God, pledge ourselves as Christian citizens
| to work for the establishment of truth and
| righteousness in the land in which we have
| the high privilege of dwelling.