The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1886-12-08

Try. none OF us 90 enough TO O0asC oil.
had expected to see in Thanksgiving
day a typical religious festival, when
Baltimore would crowd it's splendid tenn
pies with devout worshippers. But the
rain, which fell in foods, disappointed
me, and the churches were but poorly
attended; but these, heard it remarked,
were the bone and sinew. | Joined a
thin congregation at our Franklin Street
church, which believe, in numbers, is
one of, if not the largest church In the
city. The services were opened with
thanksgiving Psalm. The singing by the
choir was an impetuous, galloping, jubi-
appropriate and exilirating This was
followed by the reading of the l04th
Psalm, and pertinent, grateful, and
comprehensive prayer by Dr. H, and
then came the sermon. Many of your
readers are familiar with DR. Ms
style. In huency and appropriate use of
words, we do not know any one who ex-
GELS him. His facility and copiousness
OF utterance and his power of selecting
just the word which suits, and clothing
the dryest facts in faultless diction, and
gliding them with the glow of bewitch-
ing rhetoric are marvellous Thanksgiv-
ing, Christmas, and New Years days are
the crucial periods of pastor ministry
when there is limited range of appro-
pirate topic and thought to bring into
the pulpit annually upon these days
something fresh and attractive demands
fertility of resource possessed by very
few. The preacher opened his discourse
with a felicltous alluslon to the day and
a brief recital OF its origin and history.
The main topic of the sermon was the
Providence OF God as illustrated in the
discovery and settlement OF this country,
the fixing of its borders, and its unprece-
dented growth In population and wealth
In these facts the hand of God was as
conspicuous as 1T was in the selection, as
the abode of his chosen people, of Pales-
tine, with it's boundaries of desert and
harborless sea, and prolific soil yielding
under its varied climate all the products
of the temperate and tropical zones
The period OF its discovery was the exact
date best suited for the realization of the
divine purpose to set apart in land OF
liberty the highest type of the human
race, the English speaking people; and
make ready, through their Transforming
and dominating influence over the OPP.
pressed of other nationallties seeking an
asylum from tyranny, a homogeneous na-
ton of Christian treemen who should
carry its liberty and religion to the ends
Of the earth. Had this discovery oc-
Cured century earlier this country
would have been settled by one of the
Latin races, and become the nursery OF
the Roman Church and despotism. When
Columbus set sail tor the West the art of
printing had been discovered the dark
ness OF the middle ages was giving away
before the rosy blush of a new morn ;
Luther was eight years old, and the pre-
lusive signs OF that glorious and everlast-
ing emancipation effected by the Refor-
nation were apparent in the revival OF
literature and the bold speculations and
outspoken proclamations OF truth OF a
few dlsenthrslled souls. By divine
providence the gulf stream and trade
winds turned the prows of the Spanish
and Portuguese ships to the West Indies,
while the more northerly currents bore
the English adventures to the Atlantic
Coast The pecuniary necessities OF a
single man, Napoleon, combined with his
hatred Of England, gave to this country
the marvellous opportunity of making
upon the south, as already upon the east,
the sea as It's boundary The presence
OF missionary in California during the
negotiation of the Ashburton treaty with
England, enabled Daniel Webster to fix
as our border on the west the Pacific
Ocean. Thus by the providence of God
was the most magnificent and extensive
territory ever under one government
given into the hands of this people as
the heritage of Christian ireemen The
preacher then made a most interesting
statement Of recent statistics, exhibiting
an unexampled growth OF population and
wealth-each day now adding six mil.
! lions to our store-and from these facts
and analogy calculated the possibilities
of the future of America Atthe end Of
the next century, with the present rate
OF progress, we will have eight hundred
millions of people and immeasurable
wealth. What imagination can picture
the magnificent role Of this country in
the coming history Of the world-the
part America must play in the next hun
dred years in the diffusion of our civil.
zation-tDe propagation of our institu.
tions Of freedom-the emancipation oil
mankind from the bondage to error and
tyranny-and the carrying to the ends o
the world the saving and sapctilginu re.