Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-07
God and the Nation.

Elp-t dt4'lti)t tfttt tiitittt. NPN ii- 'i'''' ~
ali their worl, they might realize that God
has always been on the side of this nation.
Text. H. Kings vi. Il. And the Lord
opened tie eyes Of the young man, and
he saw. and. behold. the mountain was
full Of horses and chariots OF fire round
about Elisha"
The American Congress is assembling.
Arriving or already arrived are the repre-
scniatives of all sections of this beloved
land. Let US welcome them with prayers
and bentdictions. y nO!,ler group of men
never entered Washington than those
who will tomorrow take their places Ill
the Senate chamber and the House of
Representatives. Whether they come
alone or leave their families at the home
stead far away, may the blessing OF the
Eternal God be upon them, We invite
them To our churches, and together. they
in political spheres and we in religious
circles. will give the coming months TO
consideration of the best interests of this
country. which God has blessed much
in the past that | propose 10 show you
and show them, so far as | may now
reach thoir ear or tomorrow their eye
through The printing press. that God Will
be with them To help them rs in the text
Elisha.
=, il coSt England many regiments
aud S1ocO.oOo a year To keep safely Il
trcut,es0me captive ut ST. Helena. so the
I<n- OF SYRIA sends out u whole army TO
capture one minister of perhaps
5G.G1 men to take Elisha During the
night the army Of Syr;ans came around
the village of Dothan. where the prophet
WIS staying At early daybreak the man
servant Of Elisha rushed in and said
''W hat shall we do: There is Il whole
army come 10 destroy YOU. We must die,
W. must die" But Elisha was not
sea red bit. for he looked up and saw
the mountains all around full Of super
natural forces. and he knew that If there
were JO.EH Syri9nS against him there
were 10000 angels for him. and in an
s5Ver 70 The prophets prayer in behalf of
his afirighted man-Seryant the young
man saw il. too. Horses of fire harnessed
to chari0tS oi fire. and drivers of fire pull
in- reins of iire on bits OF fire, and war
riors of fire with brandished swords of
fire. and The bTiliance Of that morning
surr;.sc WAS eel. DSed by the galloping splen-
dors of the celestial cavalcade. And
the Lord opened the eyes of the young
man. and he saw. and. behold. the noun
tain was full of horses and chariots of
fire round about Elisha" | speak of the
upper forces of the text that are TO fight
on our side Il, a nation. If all the low
levels are filed with armed threats, |
have To tell you that the mountains of our
hope anu courage and faith are full of the
horses ani chaIiots of divine rescue.
The Divin.. EguipaCe.
You II notice that the divine equipage
l. always represented as chariot of fire.
Ezekiel and isaiah and John. when they
come - describe the divine cQuipage, al
ways represent il rs wheeled. harness
ed. az upholstered coniiagr; ton. 1t is
not a chariot IKE kings and conquercrs of
earth mount. but an organized and COM
pressed fire That meFns purity. justice.
chastsemen;. deliyerance through burn
ing ESCAPES. Chariot of rescue: Yes
but Il chariot OF fire. All our national
observation-disclosures have been through
scorc!nug a-on;es ard red disasters.
Through tri5uaticn the individual rises.
Chariots of rescue, but chariots of fire
But how do know that this divine equip
ace is o. the side of our institutions? |
know il by the history of the last 10
years. The American revolution started
from the pen of John Hancock in indie
pcndeGce Hall. in 1116. The colonies,
without ships without ammunition, with
out guns. .sithout trained warriors, with
out money, without prestige. On the
other side, the Inightiest nation of the
earth, the largest armies. the grandest
nayies and the most distinguished COM
mandcrs and resources ineXhaustble and
nearly all nations ready TO back them up
in the fight. Nothing as against i'm
mensity
The cause Of the American colonies.
which started at zero. dropped still lower
through the quarreling OF the generals.
ana through the jealousies at small sue
cesscs. aud through the winters which
surpassed all predecessors in depth of
snow aud horrors of congealment. Elisha
surrounded by the whole Syrian army did
rot seem to be worse off than did the
thirten colonies encompassed and over
thad0vcd by foreign assault What de-
sided the contest in our favor? The up-
per forces. the upper armies. The Green
and White mountains of New England.
the highlands along the Hudson. The
mountains of Virginia. all the Appnlach-
ian rsGges were full of re-enforcemcnts
which the Young man Washington saw
by faith. and his men endured the frozen
feet. and the gangrcned wounds, and the
exhauetinG hunger, and the long march.
because the Lord opened the eyes of the
young man and he saw. and. behold. the
mountain was full of horses and clariots
of ire round about Elisha" Washington
himself was a miracle. What Joshua
was IL sacred history the first American
President was in secular history. A
thousand aiher men excelled him i'm diff
ferent things. but be excelled them all in
roundness and completeness of character.
The world never SAW HIS like, and prob
ably never will see his like again. beca use
there probably na-er will be another such
! exigency. He was let down divine in
terpositiOn. lie was from God direct.
Gods Chariot To the Rescue.
i do not know how many can read the
F history Of those times without adnittin.
the contest was decided BY The upper
forces. Then. in 1861, when our civil war
opened many ut the North and ut the
Il South pronounced it national suicide 1t
was not courage against cowardice; it was
not wealth against poverty: 1t was hero
ism against heroism; it was the resources
of many generations against the resources
of generations: it was the prayer of the