The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1889-11-29
Delivered by Dr.. Thompson
last Sunday Morning.
HONOR THE PURITANs.
Liberty the Child of the Bible
Free America Originated from
the ScripturaI Teachings.

Last Sunday being the one preceding
Thanksgiving, Rev. E. J. Thompson
delivered very interesting and IN
structive discourse, at the morning ser
vice, upon the subject of "Christianity
IT'S an Element i'll our National Life.
Below is a synopsis of the sermon
The text is taken from Isaiah 9:7:
sOf the increase of his government there shall be
no end
These words refer to the extended and
triumphant reign of Jesus Christ. No truel
prophecy was ever uttered "His kingdom
is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion
is from sea to sea.
There is cartoon in the Pantheon at
Paris i'll which French artist has portrayed
the beginning of Christianity undermining
the pagan empire of Rome and in the-upp
zone of the vast picture you behold a scene
of light and gorgeous pomp-a Caesar enter
ing the capital in triumph with hi:
splendid leglons, his captured enemies, his
golden and jeweled spoils, and his colossal
elephants. But in-the lower zone of the
picture in a darkness just visible you be
hold the early Christians praying in the
catacombs, whose long galleries seem to be
the sepulchre into which the Roman en-
| pre- above must soon fall.
And so it was and thus also has it eve
| been with the national spirit in the European
states. 1t has been forced to hide under
| ground, crushed by imperial power, but it
| resurrection came i'll the shaking of thrones,
| the ribhing out of old and artificial lines OIL
| the map of the continent and the. regather
| ing of Europe around the national idea.
| Truly as has been said there is a God ir
| history and his lessons are written In un
mlstakable lines on the map of the world
| I believe this land represents the sentiment
| and Christianity and future of mankind
! Its unity and independence appear engraved
by the hand of the Almighty ON the paths
| of these grand rivers. the trend of our fas
| reaching coast ranges and the extendef
COURSES of our majestic mountain ranges
| Here is a continental republic which, as Mr.
| Gladstone has prophesied, is to contain
within century 500, 100000 of peopl
| speaking the language of Milton and Wash
| ington. The English historian Greene ha
stated that before the power and prosperit
of this nation, the proudest people of tn
| old world will sink into significance, ant
| believe it is true.
We must not hood-wink ourselves to ou
national life and destiny destiny whicl
the French historian saw embodied in th
| first Puritan who landed on these shores,
| a destiny interviewer with the cause Q
| Christian faith, and the extension in al
lands of the dominion of the cross.
There on that rock-bound coast, unde
strange but sunny skies, in a land of fores
wilderness and savage life, our pilgrlr
fathers raised the glad song of Thanksgivin.
and praise to Almighty God and struck tn
notes of faith in His abounding fatherhoo
and obedience to His laws. The echoes Q
that anthem of Joy have filed all our year
| and awaken newer gratitude every succeed
ing year for countless blessings and boun
ties.
This nation was not born in PhiIadeIphi
| or cratsIed in Yorktown. Of older ineag
and nobler parentage is this great republic
| We are to look back of all these. Libert
is the child of the Bible and we may sa
| in truth that free America was born of tn
Bible. From the Bible came the stronges
principles that entered into our colonia
life From the Bible have come the simple
forms of self-government in town an
church which have followed our civilizatio
| in its westward march. Hence we have tn
observance of the Lords day, the bulwarl
| of our freedom, and hence the teachin
| of Biblical truth to the young. which Wet
ster declared has done more to preserve ou
| liberties than grave statesmen and arme
| soldiers. Hence came our public schools
the pride and protection of a free people
and with them the long line of Christia
| colleges stretching across the coEtinen
from north to south and from east to west
| Thomas Jefferson sounded the notes of tht
Bible in the great declaration. The mora
| forces that carried our feeble colonie
| through the revolution came from tn
Bible and with them we have withstood tn
wastings of corruption and rebellion in late
| years. The fountain-head of the grand re
public is far up among the shining hills c
| God
am reminded as I note the admission c
new states into the Union, that we are re
newing every year the experiment of GU
early history; and the greatest need OF thi
generation-the most important respons
bility resting upon the church to-day ha
| regard to the evanqilization of this; rapid
opening empire of the far west. The Chris
tian forces which. shaped our-primitive an
formative life along the Atlantic shores ar
needed to control the greater national hf
springing up i'll our new western states.
the gospel was essential in the hearts Z
those who gathered about the camp-fires c
the Pilgrims, if into the constitution an
| laws of those eastern and southern states
was necessary to put God and HIS immuts
Bile truths, how much more needful it
1 among the communities in Colorado. Cal
fornia, Oregon, Washington, and Montana
| In every village of these new states almost
score of nationalities are represented an
our greatest peril is from the unchristia
and ungodly masses coming and settling /
our borders. The great thrush of popul;
tion should deepen in the minds of til
church living sense of Ihe inheritance ,