The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-12-02

that he would find our fleet at morning
worship. He little knew that an Ameri-
can feet worshipped God with one eye
open. There were too many Fighting
Bobs'' to be caught mapping on their
knees.
When nation wages war from disin-
terested motives for the sake of enslaved
humanity, God is always at the helm.
Whenever there is battle-cry for free
dom, the Almighty is there to lead the
van. Whenever and wherever there is
an oppressor, God is there to grind
the powder. Why the story of our
war with Spain and the wonderful victo-
ries read very much like one of the great
battles of old when Joshua was the lead
er, leading magnificent army across the
Jordan. The same has been true in our
national history. Our civil fathers were
men fired by worldwide purpose which
came from the very heart of God And
tonight the memory of Washington, Lin
coin, Grant, Sheridan, Sherman and Gus
ter, Farragut, Perry, Paul Jones, Dewey,
| Schley, Shafter and Hobson, and thous
ands of patriotic men of the army and
navy, lifts itself like mighty dome over
| this great republic.
Some men are not made by the emer-
gency but made for it. Emergencies do
not make men. God makes men for
emergencies. God always has the COM
ing man when the clock strikes twelve
| for the man to come. When Crosier
! Seminary was started, the president was
asked by another seminary president,
how many young men they had? The
president replied, eve do not count our
boys, we weigh them" Will you be s,
kind as to weigh the men of our army
and navy? God was on the side of the
American host, and so weighed down
against the host of Spain.
| / know that there are those who go in
to rapture over the love, mercy and ten
derness of God. /, too; like to revel in
the thought-it should be the theme of
the pulpit worldwide. But there is an
other doctrine just as precious in the af-
| fairs of state and nation the business
and righteousness of the Divine Com
mander. There are thousands of matters
that Kingdoms cannot arbitrate, police
and civil courts cannot adjust Thous-
| ands go down to their graves every day
with broken hearts and unrequited hopes.
The great qoestion is: Who will make it
right? Can man? Can nations? No
vengeance is MINE: will repay, saith
the Lord of hosts ~ And God spoke
The time came in the economy of God
when He must speak with no uncertain
sound: 80 Spain, thus far shalt thou go
and no further" The hour came for
him to break the letters of the bondsmeh
and make them free men. You may
vote out God in this past conflict with
81 ain, If you please; you may chain down
the Bible, if you wish, and come down to
the plain word, chance, but there is a
Providence just the same.
How the nations have stood amazed at
the reports of our battles. Not one killed
| with Dewey at Manila; only one killed
with Schley at Santiago. What mean
such things in this nineteenth century OF
genius, when invention is brought into
play and armies and navies may be
swept down by needle guns and torpedol
If those marvellous deeds had been record
ed in the Bible every infidel in the world
would have doubted it. God was at the
battle of Manila; God was in the battle
of Santiago harbor. God was in the
fields OF Santiago through the consecra-
ton and obedience of the officers and
men, under the development of the Chris
tian ideal in human sovereignty to a
/, higher plane Of achievement than was
seen before in war. That is what this
Monumental Day means.
One of the great blessings that has
come to us as nation and that without
seeking-is united country. Whatever
of treasure may have deem wasted and
precious blood spilled in this war, it will
not have been wasted and spilled in vain.
| Unifcation is ours. Sectionalism is for
gotten. The east and the west have been
drawn together; the pale-faced boy of
the east marches side by side with the
rough rider from the western plains.
The north and the south, thank God, are
one. More than all arguments, more
than all memorial addresses, more than
all forced fellowships, has this war
drawn together.
Tonight / see different future for
America. Intelligence, culture, plus
christianity. Her natural scenery, her
intelligent refinement, her aspiring gen.
ius, blended with practical christianity,
places her in the van of Christendom.
Never was there fairer land than this
never land so fair. Never mountain
ranges so grand, never rivers so majestic,
nor lakes so ocean like, nor soil so rich
and varied. From the Atlantic to the
l Pacific, from the lakes to the gulf-what