The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-03-23
ST. Patrick's Day.
BY Rev. DR.. Robert Knox, Belfast, Ire
land.

BY Kew. DR.. Robert Knox, Belfast, Ire
land.
The 18th of March is day of peculiar
interest to every patriotic Irishman 1t
Is linked to the memory of the noblest
men that ever adorned our annals. ST.
Patrick is claimed as their representative
man by all sects and parties. This is
no small tribute to his memory. We do
not wonder at this ambition among rival
churches to cover themselves with the
glory of his great name Patrick did
much for Ireland He found it almost
wholly pagan. He left it almost wholly
Christian. How did he, single handed
achieve this marvellous result? He came
to our shores as the messenger of peace
He brought with him the Word of God
He went everywhere preaching the
simple gospel. He taught men to be-
lieve the doctrine of the Trinity, the
Deity of the Son of God, the necessity of
regeneration by the Holy Spirit, and the
efficacy of the atonement of Jesus Christ
to take away all sin. His creed was
simple, but it embraced all that was
vital, and essential for the soul of men.
He established schools and colleges for
the preparation of men for the ministry.
Before he died, he had, it is said, got up
365 churches. These were sufficient for
the wants of the entire population at the
time.
Think of the difficulties he had to en-
counter. There were no public roads,
no comfortable conveyances from one
district to another, no public opinion,
hardly any books, and nothing that could
be called literature. The whole country
was stepped in poverty, and broken up
into rival AID mutually. exterminating
septs. Yet this heroic man, his heart
bleeding for the miseries of his adopted
country and glowing with love to God,
set about the regeneration of the whole
island. How can we account for his
marvellous success? He was man of
prayer, of strong faith in God, of simple
and pure life. He was patriot in the
highest sense. He did not aggitate for
any personal aggrandizement, for wealth,
power, or fame, but to bring men to feel
their sinfulness before God, and their
need of Divine Saviour; and wherever
he went, be spoke in words of burning
fervor of the Lamb of God which taket6
away the sin Of the world. His pagan
hearers felt the power of his sincerity,
and the unsel6shness of his life; and
above all, they felt the power of the mar
vellous love of God revealed in the Cos
pei he preached.
The question may fairly be asked
What has become of the work of this pat
riotic and apostolic man? What is the
permanent fruit Of the simple faith he
held and taught? That faith, wherever
it becomes reality and living power
in the heart, will purify and elevate any
people, however sunk in barbarism and
vice. st. Patrick's name has been a
household word in Ireland for more than
thousand years. What has become of
his work? Large numbers Of our people
are still poor, turbulent, and stepped in
misery-their homes little better than
the novels occupied by their fathers a
thousand years ago. While all other
parts of the civilized world are going
ahead, advancing in comfort and culture
unhappy Ireland remains proverb and
by-word. What is the reason of this?
We have beautiful and fertile country,
with vast resources, relations towards
other lands-everything that could be
desired for trade and commerce. The
fact is, we have not been true to the mis-
sion of Patrick We have ceased to
cherish and exhibit his principles Of peace
and good will. We have not accepted
and surrendered ourselves as a people
to that loving and gracious Saviour whom
he preached. We have merged the COM
mon veal in the petty interests of sell
and sect. While boasting of the name
OF the great Irish missionary, we have
neither initiated his patriotism nor EN-
braced his living Christianity. This is
largely the secret Of the present unhap-
py condition of our country. In connex-
ion with his anniversary We recall tb q