The Penn's Grove record., 1899-06-02
ROVE, N. j., FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1899.

word of 1t. 1t proposes to take the conso.
lation from the broken hearted md the
soothing pillow from the dying. 1nfdelity
proposes to swear In the President of the
United States and the supreme court and
the Governors of States and the witnesses
in the courtroom with their right hand on
Phtne's "Age OF Reason OF yoltaire's
philosophy OF History" It proposes to
take away from this county the book that
makes the difference between the United
States and the kingdom of Dhhomey, be-
tween American civilization and Bornesian
cahhibalism. II ih1delity could destroy
the Scriptures, 1t would In 200 years turn
the civilized nations back to semibarbarismi,
and then from standardization into mid
night savagery until the morals Of a menag-
erie of tigers, rattlesnakes and chimpan=
ices would be better than the morals OF tho
shlpwrecked human race. .
The only impulse in the right direction
that this world has ever had has come
from the Bible. 1t was the mother Of
Roman law and of beautiful Jurisprudence.
That book has been the mother of all re-
forms and all charities-mother of Eng
lish magn eharta and American Declara-
tion OF Independence. Benjamin Franklin,
holding that Holy Book In his hand, stood
before an infldel club In Paris and read to
them out OF the prophecies of H~abakkuk,
and the ih1dels, not knowing what book
It was, declared that 1t was the best poetry
I uHY DHU tNtT utHIuB IDul bUuk bIOubnb
@ gorge Washington down on his knees In
the snow at Valley Forge and led the dyA
ing Prince Albert to ask seme one to sing
"Rock Of Ages,
/ tell you that the worst attempted GRIND
Of the century ID the attempt to destroy
this book. Yet inldelity, loathsoIhe; stencil.
full, leprous, pestiferous; rotten monster
stretches out its hand, lchorous with the
| second death, to take the hand OF this re-
public. 1t stretches it out through seduc-
tive magazines, and through lyceum lee.
tures and through caricatures of religion.
1t asks for all that part of the continent al.
ready fully settled, and the two-thirds not
yet occupied. 1t says: "Give me all east
of the Mississippi, with the keys OF the
church and with the Christian printing
presses-then give me Wyoming, give me
Alaska, give me Montana, give me Colo
RADIO, give me all the States west Of the
Mississippi, and / will take those places and
keep them by right of possession long be-
fore the gospel can be fully intrenched."
But there is another sutton that presents
his claim for the hand of this republic. He
Is mentioned In the verse following my
text where 1t says. CAS- the bridegroom re-
joiceth over the bride, so shall thy God re-
joice over thee" Before Columbus and his
100 men embarked on the Santa Maria, the
Pinta, and the Nina, for their wonderful
voyage, what was the last thing they did?
They sat down and took the holy sacrament
OF the Lord Jesus Christ. After they caught
the first glimse of this country and the gun
OF one ship had announced it to the other
vessels that land had been discovered, what
was the song thst went up from all the
three decks9 "Gloria in excelsis." After
Columbus and his 100 men had stepped
from the ships deck to the solid ground,
what did they do2 They all knelt and con-
secrated the new world to God What did
the Huguenots do after they landed in the
Carolinas? What did the Holland refugees
do after they had landed In New York;
What did the pilgrim fathers do after they
landed In New England With bended knee
and tplifted face and heaven besieginS
prayer, they took possession of this CONT.
nent for God. How was the first American
Congress opened2 By prayer; in the name
OF Jesus Christ. From its birth this nation
was pledged for holy marriage with Christ.
And then see how good God has been to
usl Just open the map of the continent
and see how 1t is shaped for undesirable
properties. NavIgable rivers, more in
number and greater than OF any other land,
rolling down on all sides to the sea, prophe-
sying large manufactures and easy COM
merce. Look at the great ranges Of noun
taing timbered with wealth on the top and
sides, metaled with wealth underneath.
One hundred and eighty thousand square
miles of coal. One hundred and eighty
thousand quare miles of iron. The land
so contoured hat extreme weather hardly
ever lasts more than three days-eXtreme
heat or extreme cold. Climate for the
most part bracing and favorable for Drawn
and brain. All fruits, all minerals,
all harvests. Scenery displaying an
autumnal pageantry that no land
on earth pretends to rival. No
South American earthquake. No Scotch
mists. No London Fogs. No Egyptian
plaques. No Germanio divisions. The
narIa - fba ITnfta1 Gtntaa ora honripr
than any people on earth. 1t is the testi-
mony OF every man that has Travelled
abroad. For the poor moro sympathy,
for the Industrious more opportunity.
on, how good God was to our fathers, and
how good He has been to us and our chill
dren. To Him, blessed be His mighty
name-to Him of cross and triumph, to
Him who still remembers the prayer OF the
H~uguenots and Holland refugees and the
pilgrim fathers, to Him shall this land be
married. Oh, you Christian patriots, by
your contributions and your prayers,
hasten on the fulhllment of the text.
While some people may stand at the
gates OF the city, saving, Stay backl' to
foreign populations, | press out as far be-
yond those gates as l can press out beyond
them and beckon to foreign nations, say
ing, "Como, come, all yo people who are
honest and Industrious and God lovingi"
But say you, 81 am so afraid that they
Will DTluR Ln5lE DTtJiu1ctS lOI lOItlSH BON-
ernments n plant them here" Absurd.
They are sick OF the governments that
have oppressed them and they want free
Americal Give them the great gospel of
welcome. Throw around them all Chris
tim inequalities. They will add their in
dustry and hard earned wages to this
country, and then we will dedicate all
to Christ and ''thy land shall be married."
But where shall the marriage altar be?
Let 1t be the Rocky Mountains, when,
through artificial and mighty irrigation,
all their tops shall be covered, as they
will be, with vineyards and orchards and
gralnflelds. Then let the Bostons and the
New Yorks and the Charlestons Of the
Pacific coast come to the marriage altar
on one side, and then let the Bostons and
the New Yorks and the Charlestons Of
the Atlantic coast come to the marriage
altar on the other side. and there be-
tween them let this bride of nations kneel,
and Their II tho organ of the loudest
thunders that ever shook the Sierra
Nevadas on tho one side or moved the
foundations of the ~Alleghanies on the
other side should open full diapason OF
wedding march that organ OF thunders
could not drown the voice of him who
would take the hand of this bride Of nations,
saying, LAS a bridegroom reioieeth over u
bride, so thy God rejoiceth over thee" At
that marriage banquet the platters shall
be Of Nevada silver, and the chalices of
California gold and the fruits of northern
orchards, and the spices of southern
groves, and the tapestry of American manu-
t~ac.ure, and the congratulations from all
the free nations of earth and from all the
triumphant armies of heaven, And so thy
land shall be married"
THE SUNDAY-scHooL UNION.