Milford chronicle., 1896-05-15
WORDS TO CONGRESS-.
REV pn. TALMAeE ON "BEFoRE THEY
ADJOURN


He Wants some Things Done and Some
More Undone-A Grand and Hopeful
Sermon Of Interest to National Legisla-
tors.
WASHINGTON, May 10.-Never was a
timelicr or more appropriate sermon than
that preached by Rev. DR.. Talmago this
morning. The subject was, Before They
Adjourn, " having reference to the early
dissolution Of congress, and the text Sc
lccted was Psalms CIV, -, "And teach his
senator's wisdom"
Senators in this text stand for lawmak-
rs. Joseph was the lord treasurer of the
Egyptian government, and, among other
great things which he did according to
nv text. was 10 teach his senators wisdom,
and If any mon on earth ought to be en-
dowed " it'll wisdom it is senators, whether
they stand I'm congresses, parliaments or
reiehstaes or assemblies or legislatures.
Ry their decisions nations 60 up or down.
Lawmakers are sometimes so tempted by
prejudices by sectional preferences, by OPP
portunity Of personal advancement, and
sometimes what is best TO do is so doubtful
that thoy ought to be prayed for and en-
couraged in every possible way, instead of
severely criticised and blamed and exec
rated, as is much of the time the case.
Our public men are so often the target to
be shot at, merely because they obtain en-
inence which other men wanted, but could
not reach, tlltt more injusticcs are hurled
at our national legislature than the people
Of the United states can possibly imagine.
The wholesale belying Of our public men
is simply damnablo.
BY residenoe in Washington / have come
to find out that many of our public men
are persistently nisrepresented, and some
of the best of them, the purest in their
lives and most faithful in the discharge OF
their duties, are the worst detained. Some
day l want to preach a sermon from the
text in ii Peter: "They arc not afraid to
speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels,
which are greater in power and might,
bring not railing accusation against them
before the Lord. But these, as natural
brute beasts, made to DO taken and de-
stroyed, speak evil of the things that they
understand not" So constant and malig-
pant is this work of depreciation and scan
dalization in regard to our public men
that all over the land there are those who
suppose that the city of Washington Is the
center Of all corruption, while, what with
its parks, and its equestrian statuary, and
its wide streets, and its architectural
symmetries, and its lovely homes, 1t is not
only the most beautiful city under the sun,
but has tie highest tylo Of citizenship.
have seen but one intoxicated man in the
more than six months Of my residence,
and do not think any man can give sim
liar testimony of any other city on the
American continent.
God In the Constitution.
The gavels of our two houses Of national
legislature will soon fall, and adjourn
ment Of two bodies Of men MS talented, as
upright, and as patriotic as ever graoed
the capitol will take place. The two or
three unfortunate outbreaks which you
have noticed only make more conspicuous
the dignity, the fraternity, the eloquence,
the fidelity, which have characterized those
two bodi, during all the long months of
important and anxious elaboration. We
put halo around great men Of the past
because they were so rare in their time.
Our senate and house of representatives
have five such men where once they had
one. But it will not be until after they are
dead that they will get appreciated. The
world finds it safer to praise he dead than
the living, because the departed, having
heavy pile of marble above them, may not
rise to become rivals.
But before the gavels of adjournment
drop and the doors of Capitol hill shut
there are one OF two things that ought to
be done, and let us pray God that they may
be accomplished More forcibly than ever
hne nN-
knowledge God in our constitution. The
Methodist church, church that is always
doing glorious things, has in its recent
Wilmington conference requested our con-
grcss to amend the immortal document,
which has been the foundation and wall
and dome Of our United States govern
ment. by inserting the words, Trusting
I'm Almighty Cod If that amendment
is made, it will not only please all the good
people Of the country, but will please the
heavens. 1t was only an oversight or IA
mental accident that the fathers who made
the constitution did not insert a divinely
worshipful sentence. They all, SO far as
thew amounted to anything, believed in
God. the Father Almighty, the Maker Of
heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his
only begotten Son" The constitution
for the divine interference. The members
of the convention could agree Op nothing
until. in response to Benjamin Franklin's
request that tho meetings be opened by
PRAYER. the Lord God was called on to in
terfere and help, and then the way was
cleared. and all the states signed the doou-
ment, a historical fact that all the rat ter
riers of modern infidelity cannot bark out
L.
exception TO the fact that the prominent
men of those times were good men. Tom
Paine. a libertine and a sot, did not be-
lieve in anything good until hewas dying,
and then he shrieked out io- Gods mercy.
And Ethan Allen, from one of whose de-
scendnnts / have received within few
days confirmation of the incident men
toned in a recent sermon, as saying to his
dying daughter that she had better take
her mothers Christian religion than his
own intidolity
Tho article sent me says: The story
has been denied by some Of the Allen fam
ily. but the Bronson family, some of whom
were with the dying girl, affirm that It Is
substantially true. In such matter one
confirmation is worth more than many
denials." So says the article sent me.
There is no doubt that Ethan Allen was
The yulgarest sort of an infidel, for, sitting
in a Presbyterian church, his admirers
say he struck the pew in front OF him and
swore out lord so as to disturb the meet
ing, and no gentleman would do that. l
do not wonder that some Of his descend
ants are ashamed of him, but Of course
they could not help 1t and are not to blame.
But all the decent men Of the Revolution
believed in God, and our American con-
gress, now assembled, will only echo the
sentiments of the fathers when they en-
throne the name Of God in the constitu-
ton. We have now more reason for insert
ing that acknowledgment of divinity than
than our fathers had. Since then the con-