Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-07-20

1919 ahH"f NNhNA7s
cLEARFIELD, Pa, July llth, 1881.
MEssRs. HiLLs GRAHAN, KREBs, AND OTHERS.
Gentlemen Your kind note requesting for pu bl
cation copy Of the sermon preached by me
July I'd is received. Sensible Of its many ia
5, perfections as sermon written with unayoidab
haste, yet hoping that its enunciation Of certai
important principles may be ssrvceable to
wider audience, / herewith place the manuscriJ
In your hands, subscribing myself
Your friend and servant in the Lord,
HESBY S. DuTLER.
TExr; Chronicles, xxviiii 9.-"If thou see
Him, lie will beiound Of thee but If thou iorsal
. Him, He will cast thee Of forever"
AS the anniversary Of our Nations
Independence approaches, we are nat
urally and properly drawn to theme
: which relate to the national welfare
The text opens profitable line o
thought in this direction for although
spoken to Solomon, | take it that it
d advice and warning were addressed L
him as the representative of bis peo
pie, and apply to nations as well as t,
their individual rulers. The doubl
fact asserted has been frequently veri
fed in the history of nations,-notably
IN the case of Israel. The first part O
the text was seen to be true in ouI
own early history, when our father
Sought the Lord and he heard them
and delivered them from fears and foes.
That the latter clause may not be illus
trated in the case of this great people
is the prayer of every true patriot anC
the object sought by such discourses
as the present.
The Safety Of the Nation lies in lSeek
ing God It's Danger.in in ForSdking God
To "seek God" here is a general ex.
pression, meaning TO inquire and in,
form oneself as to His will, to rover
ence and worship Him, as well as to
ask His interposition and help. Such
seeking will insure favorable consider.
alton and will result in the nations
safety the neglect of it will entail
speedy ruin.
1t follows, that, IN order to national
security and prosperity, everything
must be carefully avoided which inter
fercs with this knowledge and rever.
ence of God everything which would
hinder the divine interposition in be-
halt of the nation.
Certain prevalent evilssuggest them
selves as likely, if not checked, to
bring about that "forsaking of God"
which will result in the casting off
forever of the nation | direct your
attention to one or two:
First, AS regards our family and so.
cial lite, there is Self Indulgence. This
is growing evil, and, though largely
developed in the case of many who are
more mature, it threatens to make
especial havoc with those who are now
children and youth. Reason would tell
us that, in,order to u strong nation, there
isneed that its members should,exercise
seli.control. History informs us that
the mightiestof ancient kingdoms and
republics yielded to the disintegrating
force of efleminacy and luxury and
the word OF God makes it plain, in
dictates of highest reason as well as
through numerous historical examples,
that the selfindulgence which over
looks, if it does not boldly transgress
the laws Of God, quickly causes Him
to withdraw His cooperation and thus
insures q speedy downfall. This dan.
gerous tendency among us will appear
if you dwell for q moment upon Ger.
tain personal and public examples of
its manifestation.
l. To find the former, it may not be
necessary to 60 beyond our own house.
holds. Are there young children in
any of them who have pretty much
what they see fit to order who keep
such hours as their inclination may
dictate; who indulge in such mischief
as their natural perverseness prompts,
and who cannot bear to be crossed in
any reasonable or unreasonable desire ?
Are there older children who spend
upon expensive, il not vicious, habits
and pleasures a sum which would have
gone far toward the maintenance
of their grand. parents, and whose
principal respect for parents seems to
be inspired by the frequent supplies of
pocketmoney which these convenient
guardians furnish; who openly and
unblusbingly engage in actions and ex-
hibit bearing which former genera
ton would have accounted wanting in
modesty, or even shameful, and while
they are thus engaged pity the cold
fogies" whosympathize with the former
generation in its view of their con.
duct; who are ready to substitute
small rebellion in the home orin society
If they may not follow unchallenged
their wasteiul ways or extravagant or
questionable enjoymentsS Are there
those in the community who have
even grown to mans or woman's es
tate, who are accustomed TO indulge |
themselves in sensual or forbidden |
qualification, thus endangeiing the
very foundations OF the family and Of
society; or at least, in Injuries, or idle
ness, or excessive novel.reading, at the
expense of their friends, or at the risk
of the comfort and welfare of their
families ? and who, if their plans are
spoiled or their pet pursuits interiered
with, are snappish, cross and possibly
ugly, making unhappy all who must
come in contact with them
The specific acts of such persons,
whether younger or older, are not hall
so oulpable or so dangerous as the
habit Of selEindulgHce which those acts
are fostering. Theirsis the experience,
more or less fully developed, which
the sons of Eli, and
which brought it TO pass at length,
that the ark of God, the safeguard Of
the Israelitish nation, was not safe in
their keeping. A nation Of selfindul.
gent children and adults will soon be q
nation of the past.
g. That youmay even more fully ap-
preciate how surely this evil is en-
the lie Of our nation and
how il has strengthened with our
consider a public example
which is pertinent TO this subject and
Ibis occasion. Our national holidays
are becoming days Of national carousal
and dissipation to such an extent,
that many patriots are asking the
question whether it were not better
Tor the nation that they should be done
,way with altogether; whether itwere
lot better that the people should celc-
)rate these anniversaries while engaged
n their usual avocations, than that I
non without seli-control should be
urned loose TO compass the injury Of I
themselves and their families, and the {
lisgrace of the nation. Take, for in. I
tance, the one which occurs on tho {
nnrrov which oupht 10 no n cherished