The Hawaiian gazette., 1884-07-09
Pastor Cruzan's Sermon.
A NATIONS WEALTH AND Powr

A NAIIONb WEALTH. AND HOWEH.
Text, Nal. 3I2-And all nations shall call you
blessed.
Next to God, and the Kingdom of God, where is
his higher citizenship Christian should love his
native land. He shonld covet the best things for
his country. He should pray for her that she may
be blessed in her rulers, and laws, and institu-
tons, that all nations shall call her blessed.
What makes nation blessed ? In what consists
her wealth, strength and prosperityG | answer:
nat on's real strength and wealth is in her moral
power, and in the manhood of her people.
No matter what her natural resources, a nation
cannot foster crime, and debauchery. and intern
perance, and live III defiance of Gods immutable
laws Of purity, strength and goodness, and retain
her place among the great nations of the earth
Such nation, though every acre of her territory
TEEN with wealth, will be poor, weak, decaying
state, whose days are numbered.
Sometimes single sin threatens the life of a
nation. America yonder, with territory of unsur-
passed extent, fertility and natural resources,
came near perishing because of the single sin of
slavery. For 200 years the cry of the slave came
up to God. With long suffering patience He gave
her time for repentance, but she would not. Then
in his wrath, with the sword, God cut the cancer
of slavery from the breast of the nation, and in
that awful surgery the nation we'll nigh persisted.
Turkey is another apt illustration. Standing
with one foot in Europe and the other in Asia,
holding the key to those inland seas, the Medter-
ranean and the Black, with country of vast ex-
1AAN
of the strongest and wealthiest nations Of the
world. She is one of the weakest and poorest
the Beg2ar among the nations, bankrupt in trea-
sure and morals. Her rulers, from the Sultan 10
the lowest ta1-gatherer are robbers, and from the
palace to the vilest hut the poison of icentious-
ness is in the veins of the people. and how the
hand of God has smitten her for her sins She
has been SCARED and cut, and harried by the
sword, and trampled under the hoOf OF charging
squadrons She exists as a nation still simply
because the great empires cannot agree how to
divide her territory. Sin Is the great national
destroyer. 1t saps nations resources. 1t rem
ders great armies and nayies impotent.
nations solid llbeIng consists IN the persons
of her people. Natural wealth as well strength,
is personal, not material As DR.. Bushnell says,
at includes the natural capacity, the industry,
the skill, the science the bravery the loyalty the
moral and religious worth of her people. The
wealth of a nation is in the breasts of her sons
Let manhood be advanced, it IS sure to bring
with it riches, justice, liberty, strength, stability
invincibility, and every other good. Neglect or
degrade manhood and every sort of success and
prosperity is but accidental and deceitful.' That
revenue which Is of supreme value is the revenue
of great abilities and high moral qualities. 1t is
only this type of manhood which can found OF
build up a state. 1t was the Puritans, empty
handed, few in number, but strong in God, and
rich in sterling qualities who laid the foundations
of Americas great Republic; it was tue strong
manhood bequeathed to their sons, which won in
the heroic struggle of lII6 1t was the blood of the
Puritans in the veins of the loyat North which
saved the Republic in 1861.
Where lies the strength of nations defense in
time Of peril? In forts, guns, ships of war, and
muntions-thinQs money can purchaser No. ii
lies in the spirit, and patriotism of her sons
These cannot be bought with money. They are
not inspired by crisis. They do not exist among
and cannot be infused into a mean-bred, sensual
debauched, Incorporate people. In time OF peril
true men, filed with courage that springs from
and is based upon principles, the devotion oil
manly sons who viii die for her If need be, these
are worth more than money, guns and munitions
of war.
1t becomes then, a very serious and important
question; How can noble, brave, manly men be
developed? / believe that true Christianity viii
do more than all other forces combined to give a
nation manly men. believe this for these reasons
1-Because the direct effect of Christianity Is to
elevate individual character. The morale of a
nation is not mere abstraction. 1t does not con
sist in constitution in a code of laws. IL de-
ponds entirely upon the characters of the indiyi
duals of whom it is composed. While this is truG
under any form of government it is especially trug
in a Republic like America, or in a COnsti
tutional monarchy like England Hawaii
Every full-grown man among Us contri
butes his quota to the character of the nation
The legislature and the laws it enacts, the govern
ment, and how it administers the laws and affair
of the nation, take the tone and tincture giyer
them by the character of each member Of the BODY
polite The more direct the relation Of the indi
vldual to the nation is, the important does il
become that each member of the communitl
should be distinguished by righteousness. In al
absolute monarchy, wise autocrat may conduct
public affairs With discretion and insure prosperity
for a time even though the people should be cor
rupt. But in a representative government. be it
Republic, like America, or monarchy, like Ha
vail the very national life depends on the qualities
of character which are predominant among the
people. They make the government. The TIM
has gone BY when any man can say with Louis XIV
II am the State" The pe5pls govern now it maj
be through King and Cabinet, or it may b
through Presidents elected by the people, but who
ever holds the symbol Of power, must use IL IN ac
cord pcitb the eiH Of TIE people, or give place Il
some one who will. It is therefore Indispensable
that the Psonle should be right at heart, should
be themselves men Of principle and uprightness
II was because our American forefathers were dis
tngushed for temperance. truth, chastity, honesty
benevolenos and qodliness, that II was possible
for them to form that great Republic 1t was be
cause their descendants who came 10 these isandi
| 50 years ago were men and women like them, tina
they had power given them Of God to evercom,
heather beastlality, and superstition, and igno
rance, and tyranny, and lay hare the foundations
of constitutional monarchy We may say o.
these virtues, therefore, with as much truth as th
Barons OF Runnymeds said Of their swords -sB,
these We have obtained our liberties, and will
these we viii defend them But these virtues an
the very qualities which Christianity creates am
fosters IN its disciules- Wherever the gospel i
believed, and Christ is received rs Saviour, Their
man Is elevated and ennobled. He loyes righteous
ness and hates iniquity. He crucifies selfshnes
and cultiTatcs the public spirit. Christianity lead
him to look upon the things Of others as wel as hi
own He abiures allegiance 10 seif-intefest, o
place, or faction. and seeks only 10 do that uhic
Is right IN The sight Of God. The highest Doralii
| Is that Of the gospel. The noblest patriotism i
that OF the Christian. The -minuts-Eiann needle
/ IN all lands to-day, are those who hare ciea
hands and pur6 heart and IN whose eyes a vii
person Is despised, and fhess nrs the lafa The g5sI
niaksl- Given majority Of such men IN any "a