The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-01
OUR NATION AND CHRISTIANITY.
"A Patriotic Sermon at the VI. T.. Tab
ernacle by Rev. Geo. w. Anderson.

Rev. George W. Anderson, in his sermon
| at the Tabernacle, Olneyville, Sunday
| night, improved the annual anniversary
of our natal holiday by preaching a
| patriotic sermon. The large audience was
greatly interested, and almost at the point
| OF applause several times.
The preacher took for text the SOth
| Psalm, Sth TO 18th verses. He showed that
| the sap, nourishing our national vine was
Christian from the beginning. He traced
the struggle for free manhood from the
times of the Egyptians, Persians Grecians
and Romans, through the eras of feudalism
the German principalities, the struggle
Tor Magma Charta, down to the epoch
OF the revolutionary war. The elements
OF Christian faith, and Christian ethics
constantly appear, guiding the conflict
and shaping the issues. As unfaith made
the French revolution failure as GER
tainly faith made the American revolution
success. Webster, Ademus, and
Others had insisted that this nation could
not have existed, but for the Christian
inspiration of the "Pilgrim Fathers, "even
though they have earned the caricature of
"Hanging cat on Monday. for killing
mouse on Sunday" Still they were
truly and deeply religious. Mr.. Anderson
proved his position from the historic
facts, for example, that the first act OF the
first Congress was an act to open the ses-
sions with prayer; the appointment of
chaplainss; the laws prohibiting BIAS
phemy; the laws enforcing some obsery-
ance of the Lords day; the law making
the Sabbath dies non in banking and
governmental institutions; and the act
OF Congress, in 1852, ordering publication
of the Bible, and in 1889, calling on the
people 70 promote piety as the foundation
of public liberty and domestic happiness.
The preacher then showed how fruitful
the vine had become, our population since
that Fourth of July, 1776, increasing
from some 3,000,0 900 to 63, 600, 000 Our
wealth is far in excess of that of any
nation, our debt smaller than any. The
63, 900, 600, 900 of our wealth would give
every man, woman and child $1,000. We
are better housed, better clothed and bet
ter fed than any nation on the globe
He showed that while the growth
OF population had been 11-fold, that
of the churches had been 40-fold.
The denominations built eight church
es for every working day Of the
year at value of s20, 900, 900. OF the
400 colleges, 300 were founded by and are
under the care of the churches. The great
educators of our land are Christian men
and women. Christianity Is not behind
the times; it leads them. Let us believe
we have the grandest country the sun
shines on. Let us, with co-mingling
nationalities, have the spirit OF the Irish
orator: ~ love old Ireland as ] love my
mother; love America as love my wife. .
In closing, the preacher spoke OF the
boar out of the wood socialism, nihil-
ism, Jesuitism, alcoholism-ready to de-
stroy the vine. He declared that he plead
for Christian faith and ethics to be DOM
inant not as a church big, but as n
patriot. The best disciple of the Christ is
the best citizen. Noble republicl We
love thee. Thou hast organized the
yearnings OF the race for liberty; hast
built n monument to mans freedom,
equality and power of self-government,
whose pinnacle kisses the skies; thy |
eulogy is the gratitude of disenthralled
millions; thy poems sound in the bene-
dictions of multitudes. God make our
land the center of power among the |
nations; make her TO lead i'm the van
guard of nations TO conquer the world to |
Messiah; the banner nation OF the re- |
deemed throng that shall deploy into the
fields OF millenial glory.