Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-10-22
THE INTERESTS OF
THIS REPUBLIC.

II recent sermon the Rev. T. A,
McCurdy, D. D., pastor OF Central
Presbyterian Church, made some per.
tinent observations concerning the in.
terests Of this republic. He said In
part:
A great difficulty is, our nation ia
becoming corrupted by process OF de.
grading immigration, and by legislation
catering to the un-Christian and un.
American theories and demands Of tha
goddess immigrant masses. II tha
worlds heathenism, and the worla's
anarchy, and communism, and socialism
all feathers from the same bird--are to
pour in upon us, we will be compelled
to bring all missionary effort from
the foreign field and concentrate them
upon the home field lest our nation be
destroyed. AS Christian patriots we
owe it to our Lord and Saviour, and
to our flag stained with the blood Of
beroes and martyrs to demand that this
heathenizing process, stop, until the
masses now here are assimilated into
safe citizenship. Already the burden
is too great, and the ignorance too
dense, and the superstition too enslav-
ing, and the anarchy too rampant, and
the socialism too demanding, and the
communism too threatening for us to
bear much longer in safety, or honor TO
the government and to God.
THE Lord shall sit as refiner of
silyer." He is the refiner and the fire.
Contact with God works marvellous
changes upon us. We know it. What
has it been to US individually? Down
upon some sick bed, or out into some
financial misfortune, or into some
pameless sorrow, we went; but when
we came hack, we bad different hearts
and purposes. The green of earth, the
air, the SKY. home, friends. church de-
yotion, had each the very image of
God upon it. and We praised Him for
His goodness thanked Him for deliver
ance, aud worshipped Him with CRATE
full love.
What has it been to us nationality
Down into the rivers of blood, up amid
fortresses. dashing at cavalry speed,
marching to the laundering cannon,
charging with fixed bayonets, rocking
on the deep amid the howl Of the dogs
of war, lying among the slain and the
wounded, groaning in the hospitals,
night and 10 the light Ut day, bivouack.
ihS ahtoh oiopShihk thihuB anu
| ing above the clouds-this in epitome,
is one era, chapter, of our national life.
The Lord sat as refiner of silver; He,
| refiner and FIRE; He, commander and
army; He. general and soldier. We
came out of the furnace, wiser, stronger.
better, happier.
The Lord still sits as a refiner OF
silver--refiner and fire. Into the fur
mace the nation goes. We boast of in
telligence, OF government, of resources,
OF benevolence, OF national stand
ing, of immense territories, and
| of being Christian nation.
The furnace grows hotter. and the
dross OF intelligence without God ; of
government with disobedience of God |;
of resources Independent of God; of
beneyolence not towards God, and OF a.
Christianity which compromises God
this is the metal which is cast into the
fire, and its drosh will be consumed.
| On Calvary we stand, and some one
asks, lis not the cross failure?n
And many answer, mo" Why? Too
much blood has been shed, too much
| efficacious blood-too much holy blood
has been shed for God and all heaven
to permit failure" to be written under
Pilates inscription.
Is our government failure? "No"
Why? Too much blood has been shed.
The recurrence Of each Anniversary of
our Independence gets its enth usiasm
from the blood sacrifice Of our freedom
from the more recent blood sacrifice of
its maintenance. Is our government a
failurep No. Is it being tried?
Yes. Is the Reflner close by it, and
in the fire? Yes, He is both Refiner
and Fire.
Our national troubles are not over.
We have ceased to walk in the light.
| National prosperity has had it's wings
folded up, and our eagle has not scared
upwards for three long years. Men cry
for labor; children for bread; homes
for comfort; hearts for cheer; business
for trade; commerce for ships; and the
answer comes back to each and to all,
mot yet" and that mot yet" in
creasea despair by Its every utterance.
We are under the shadow. in the fur
mace, and the absence of sunlight, and
the presence OF increasing hot air put
anxiety in the balance, and down the
scales go, and there we lie. We are
looking for some political hand to reach
up to the upper balance and pull 1t
down to an even level, or to put anxiety
out of the balance altogether, and let
hope realized fill both balances.
Let us look to God. ITO your tents,
o Israeli" and take with you an en-
lightened and God fearing conscience,
and be honest with God, with your
selves, and with the nation.
1 am no alarmist, and certainly,
am no partisan, Of which you will be
convinced when you know me better
but am a patriot, and do hold that
no man can afford to be other than a
patriot in these times of distrust and
fear lest worse things come upon us
l have been in position where had
opportunity to know and understand
tbs Endorsements Of this national con
test; and do assure You that under
meath all this agitation over gold and
silver there are other issues which
sooner or later will comeTto the surface
and shake the very foundations of this
; government itself. We are being sunk
below the guards by the weight of an
I'M Americanized, and un- Christianized
population. What is dutyP National
honor, conscience. honesty, first, with
faith in God, who is both Refiner and
Fire. Lift up your eyes to the hills
whence cometh your help.