The Somerset reporter., 1895-05-02
Fast Day Service.

AhiOi ltiiBiOuS sti Hts NtTt HtIu NJ
High street church, Thursday. at 10 30
A. NJ. with Il sermon by Rev. l.. II. Cope
land, pastor of the First Baptist church.
Rev. {. Y. Hanson. Rev. ". &. Mann
and Key. I. q. Moses, assisted in tie
service. The singing WAS by the audi
ence, Mrs. Moses presiding at the organ
The discourse was upon the subject.
The preservation of our National lnst-
tutions' and we give brief digest of it.
The origin of the day of Fasting aud
Prayer grew out of great National dis
tress. Doubtless its origin was with the
Hebrews. We learn from the Old Tesii-
ment that when great ealamities came
upon Israel a national fast was proclaim
ed. This was true of the Hebrews
after their deliyeranee from Egyptian
bondage and with the Jews during their
Babylon captivity. The same idea pre-
vailed with the primative church, Many
churches now have special days of fast
ing and prayer. The observance OF
special day of fasting and prayer was
invoked by President Lincoln during tie
great struggle of the late civil war.
There comes up before a this day the
noble patriot, the savior of our country.
What unflinehing loyalty to principle.
What goodness and purity of motive was
his who lived and died to emancipate a
race from the shaekles of slavery. Up
on that principle which inspired Abra-
ham Lincoln rests the blessings and
prosperity of our nation. He was a man
of PRAYER. and realized that God ruled
the nations of the earth. If our country
is to be preserved with her great institute
tions of learning. with their hallowed
influence il will be by that same spirit of
loyalty which was characteristic of the
Nations greatest leader. That nation
which has honored God, God has hornor-
ed.
We are not without our perils. There
are mighty forces stealthily at work
seeking to cripple and destroy our pros.
perity. Questions of vital import, social
and religious, mighty, organized, cor
rupt forces; corrupt legislation in city
aud state; corrupt legislation growing
out of false aspirations. Wealth seems
to be the god of inspiration. But we
would not, however, be too pessimistc
There are mighty forces in the world for
the uplifting of men. The old world
powers of evil have come and gone. hut
God has raised up AN empire of righte-
business. The church of God is march
ing on against all the armies of evil to
victory. The time will come when all
nations will bow 10 the scepter of Jesus
Christ. Many of our peris will work
out their own destruction as did the
empires of old. Intemperance will be-
come inebriated with her own poison;
capitalists will satiate their own thirst
the laboring man will see the fatality of
anarchism and communism, and the
church of Christ seeing the vasntness of
her responsibility and the greatness of
power will reach down beneath the
seething corruptions of the age. will find
the hidden gem of truth and build anew
her foundations.
There can be no prosperity without
purity of motive. Over against unrght-
eous standards we place Gods stan
dards, character, manhood, righteous
ness. These are the fundamental ele-
ments which assure success both to indi-
viduals and to the State. Ii is noticeable
as we follow the trend and the
development of nations how cod has
chosen his men to Iule over Kingdoms
Such was Abraham, David Washington.
Lincoln. God not only chose these men
but inspired them with prophetic vision.
Let us fast and pray, let us also have
the spirit of the great conqueror of sin
Let us feel the great weight of RESPONSE
bility heavily upon US. This is the only
way to avoid the perils which threaten
our institutions, the only way we can
put down sin. Let us be true to God,
to his word and to his church. There is
a tendency on the part of modern civil
cation to put too much stress upon
human effort Men forget the source of
their power aud suffer the penalty of
their folly. Thousands of Israels' hosts
lost sight of God and persisted in the
wilderness. Where is Gods church, and
how does Gods church manifests its
power? Answer these questions and
you have the solution of all the great
questions of the age and future ages