The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-11-30

B!
I'elievtst thou the prophets. Our Lor
himself mos, forcibly illustrated the de
pendence Of the present .on th
psst when he said other men lab0re
and ye are entered into tteir labors
When he said. "otber men labored,
, be pronounced a panegyric on all th
faithful toilers OF all former ages When
he added: "Ye are entered unto these la
ihors," he announced the s,es.. Ia. "a, OF 10,
life Of the church, The law OF Il. nerpet
uation through the labors Of The piou
workers Of all preceding centuries, snt
the enrichment Of each generation by in
heriiipg the accumulated treasures OF al
ithe generations which had preceded it.
SO We found the psalmist In the tex
giving expression 10 this great truth
in his appeal 10 The past, when he de
clares we have heard with our cara. oh
God, what cur fathers have told ps, what
works Thou didst In these days in times
of old"
This was only The echo Of what had
been said long before, Remember the
days of old consider the years Of msny
generations; ask thy Father and he will
show thee Thy elders, and they will tell
| thee"
Remember, consider, the inattensive
soul ia never grateful soul. The soul
must enter into communion with itself.
From the depths OF memory il mrst call
mp the long catalogue Of past benefits
that the heart may be touched By the re-
view OF and affections kindled by the
contemplation. This is our office to day,
and TO this privilege and duty we are in
vited. The language of Holy Writ
more accurately describes the dealings OF
Providence In bringing our fathers 10
this land-than any words we could
frame for ourselves. II was a mysteri-
GUS Providence that kept this continent
hidden from the knowledge OF the world
for 1000 years, while every land in Eu-
rope was crowded with It's ,eaming pop
ulstiJn, this vast Western realm lay
unteDan:e1 and unknown. And yet the
divine wisdom and goodness shines
in tie fact that the curtain
was not lifted until the period
came when this continent could
be settled by statesmen, wise enough to
lay the foundation Of free government,
and by Christians enlightened enough
to demand and secure religious liberty
The government erected here was the
very first in human history which was
planted on the rights Of the people as
its sole foundation, u government which
has been so happily defined a govern
ment "of the people, by the people, and
Tor the people"
DR. Hoge then proceeded to sketch tie
successive tides Of emigration which
flowed TO these shores-ihat Of the PurI- |
tsns to Massachusetts, Of the HoIIandeIs
to New Amsterdam and the Valley Of the
Hudson, OF the Swedes 10 southern New |
YORK and New Jersey, OF the Hugenois
10 New Rochelle, to the Valley of the
James and the Cooper rivers; of the
Scotch Irish to Pennsylvania and the
Valley Of Virginia, together with Ger !
mans, Bohemians and Swiss scattered
along the Atlantic coast The men OF
these different nationaties, speaking
different tongues and developed under
different inttitutions when thus strange
Iy co-mingled and in this land were fused
together by the memory OF com
non sniferings for conscience sake
md their common love for civil and re-
igi0us liberty. Therefore, when the con
litt with the mother country began, with
me concert they espouse ed the cause Of
American independence, and pledged |
ife, fortune and sacred honor in the De.
erminaiion to secure II.
l. ttnt. T. !
4 independence was framed presents a
most interesting study The circum-
tsnces attending its adoption were
imple and unpretending indeed COM
jared with the splendid accessories
Ebich had accompanied the great char- .
ers Of right achieved by patriots in other
ges. Five hundred wears before that
eclarstion was framed, King John met
Is bar0ns In the meadows OF Runny I
lede surrounded by his mobiles and the
nvoy of the papal court to whom he had
lst made submission, srrayed in all the +,
omp and state OF royal show
Ihich he loved. Confronting him ,
lere the sturdy barons representing the :
Intelligence, the wealth and the patriot.
m Of the realm, The polished helmets Of +
he knights reflected back the sunlight of ,
hat June morning, banners huttered in
le air and the shrill notes of bugles y
irrred the blood with snimsting strains. I
was with such surroundings as these Il
lat Magma CLarta, at once the basis aud I
,e guardian of English liberty, wss h
lus wrested from the King, and the scene o
one which brilliantly illumines the Il
Ie historic page which records it. b
Four hundred years later another G
eat charter OF freedom was won. 1t n
as the Petition of Right" clled a pc 4
ton, but demanded by the British Par G
iment from Charles the First, then
urping King, The scene was one Of n
rpassing mpressiveness. On the one h
lie the King in regal state, on the g,
her the Parliament digniied by the ii
essence OF such men as Went. f.
orth, at tha, time the champion "a
popular right, and Pym with 81
) patriotic fervor, and Hampden, firm as al
e oak that deties the tempest and gentle IL
the tender leaves when spring decks th
c oak, and Sir John Elliott. orator and iii
stesmen, and Coke, full of years and hi
Il of bonors, and the learned Seidep, h,
d last but not least, the silent youth
,ndipg In the background saying W
tie but keeping up deal of thinking, al
iser Cromwell by name. When the as
mands of petition of right in
re acknowledged by the King, ii.
d when what was called the petition II
IS translated into law constituting an oil
her defense Of popular liberty, the be