The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-02-24
SERMON TO p. o. s. OF AMERICA.
Preached by Rev. Adam Stengle in
Union NJ. Il. Church Sunday, Feb
ruary 22d, 1891,

Preached by Rev. Adam stengie in
Union NJ. Il. Church Sunday, Feb
ruary 2ed, 1891.
An audience that packed the church
from pulpit to door assembled on
Sunday morning last in Union NJ. e.
Church to hear the pastor, Rev. Adam
Stengle preach upon True Patriot
ISM"
Text, st. Matthew, 18th chapter, 18th
verse: Every plant which my Heaven
ly Father hath not planted shall be
rooted up, l appreciate the privilege
of being allowed the responsibility OF
addressing the order present this
morning. pray that the Lord may
guide US in all our utteranees this
morning, and that they may be sup
ported by the Divine Spirit.
The Jews had written law of God,
andSbesldes this they claimed also an
oral law, which they kept and trans
mitted from generation too@eneIation
by tradition. To the time of Christ
that tradition had not yet been put in
writing, but soon after they were.
These writings were called apostolic,
in two parts.
Though these traditions were of
purely human invention their require
ments were imperative in their Ian
guage, and which at least many of
them regarded equal authority with
the written word, and placed as high
esteem upon the tradition as they did
the written word.
In the contest they charged Christ
and his disciples with disrespect and
violation of these traditions. What
had they done? VINO had they wrong
ed2 Nobody, They had simply eaten
bread without washing their hands,
but these Pharisees We're great sticklcrs
regarding the traditions. They strain.
ed at a gnat and swallowed a camel. >"
His answer to this was severe ex-
posture of their sinfulness. He told
them that their traditions transgressed
the law of God, and then rebuked their
hypocrisy in scathlng language: ''Ye
hypocrites; well did Esaias prophesy of
you, saying: This people draweth
nigh unto me with their lips, but their
heart is far from me-
Turning TO the multitude, he showed
them the absurdity OF eating without
washing the hands, and showed them
that 1t is not that which goeth into the
mouth, but that which cometh out of
the mouth that deiiles a man, then
answered in the language Of the text,
Every plant which my Heavenly
Father hath not planted shall be
rooted up" There is but one in
ference from that, which Is that
these traditions were plants which
the Father had not planted, and which
were therefore to be rooted up. The
text, OF course, is a ilgurative state
ment, and suggests three propositions
First, 1t implies that this world is
Gods plantation; second, that in this
world there are plants which God has
not planted; and thirdly, that those
plants which God had not planted
shall be rooted up. Now, along the
line of these three statements / desire
to direct our thoughts for little
while. Ii implies in tho first place that
this world is the plantation.
A plant implies planter. To plant
implies a plantation or field in
which to plant those plants. Evident
~ this world is the plantation to which
the text refers; secondly, that God Is
the planter; he has planted in this field
various plants. The text refers figurn-
lively TO immoral religious plants, or
rather the systems of immoral religious
truths or religious errors. God has
planted in this world four systems Of
religion: The Adamatic, Abrahamic,
Mosaic and Christian. This latter
religion is the plant that is to cover
the world, and implies the whole Held
OF humanity. Everything that is not
In harmony with the Christian religion
shall be rooted up as the plant i'll the
plantation, A plantation ltas great
fields; SO i'll Gods plantation theirs are
various fields or nations. Our field,
these glorious United States, are the
best aud fairest fields in the whole
plantation OF our God. To-day we
observe as the birthday of George
Washington, the leader of the Ameri-
az .
of the foreign yoke, and establish in
dependence. lie Is the man through
whom God planted this American Re
public, this glorious country, good1y
heritage, in which there Is room for
all liberty-loving people.
A government mild and pacific: the
best l believe, on the face OF the earth,
because it is Republican in form. 4
government "of the people, for the
people and by tho people A gov
eminent In which all are free,
and all are imbued with equal
rights. A government which oDens
the gates to fortune and fame
for all; to the mechanic in the
shop; to the cobbler Oh the bench: to
the tailor on the table: to the mule
driver ON the towpath. 1t is Christian
in form. 1t does not, is true, require
anybody to become Christian il does
not require anybody to support the
church; but he must recognizes the
Bible and our blessed SABBATH day.
We haze a State and church, but,
thank God. We have not State church
and VIC never will. In this glorious
country every man shall have u right
to choose his own church, Or no
church, as he pleases. We often hear
of the liberties enjoyed by English
men, but of one thing we may rest as
sured, lie will be taxed to support the
established church.
In this coHn.ry we have no such
rule. Every man is here endowed with
the liberty to choose his own religion
and follow the dictates OF his own
conscience. A goodly heritage this.
We do not object TO immigration
but we object to the kind OF i'm
migration that comes. We have
plenty OF room for every man