The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1899-08-25

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had ever heard. That book brought
George Washington down on his knee,
IN the snow at Valley Forge, and led
The dying Prince Albert TO ask some
one 60 sing Rock OF Ages"
tell you that the worst attempted
crime Of the century is the attempt 70
destroy this book Yet infdelity. loath-
some. stenchful. leprous. pestiferous,
rotten monster, stretches out its hand,
ichorous with the second death. 20 take
the hand Of this republic II stretches
80 out through seductive magazines,
and through lyceum lectures. and
through caricatures of religion. II asks
for all that part of the continent al
ready fully settled and the two-thirds
not yet occupied II says: Give me
an east Of the Mississippi, with the
keys of the church and with the Chris
tian printing presses. Then give me
+ Wyoming give me Alaska. give me
/ Montana. give me Colorado. give me all
the states west OF the Mississippi and
win take those places and keep them by
hight OF possession long before the Cos
pei can be fully intrenched.
And this suitor presses his case sp-
pallingly. Shall the banns of that mar
rage be proclaimed2 "Nol" say the
home missionaries OF the west, a mar
tyr band Of whom the world is not
worthy. toiling amid fatigues and ma
,aria and starvation. NO, not II we
can help II. BY what we and our chill
dren have suffered we forbid the banns
Of that marriagel" "Nol" say all patri-
oto voices Our institutions were
bought NJ too dear price and were de-
Tended al too great a sacrifice 10 be 50
cheaply surrendered" "No!" says the
God Of Bunker Hill and Independence
hall and Gettysburg. 81 did not start
this nation for such a farce" moi"
crv 10000 voices. "To infdelty this
land shan not be married."
But there Is another suitor that pre-
sents his claim for the hand Of this re-
public. He Is mentioned in the verse
following my text where il SAYS: "As
the bridegroom reioiceth over the bride,
so shall thy God rejoice over thee" II
Is not my figure. It is the figure Of the
Bible. Christ is so desirous TO have this
world love Him that lie stops az no hui
initiation Of simile. He compares HIS
grace 10 spittle on the eyes of the blind
man. He compares Himself 10 a hen
gathering the chickens, and In my text
lie compares Himself 70 a suitOr beg
ging a hand in marriage Does this
Christ. 'he King. deserve this land? Be-
hold Pilates hall and the insulting ex-
pectoration on the face Of Christ. Be
hold the Calvarean massacre and the
awful hemorrhage Of five wounds. ia
cob served "A years for Rachel, but
Christ. my Lord, the King. suffered In
torture 80 years 10 win the love Of this
world As often princesses at their very
birth are pledged in treaty of marriage
70 princes or kings of earth, so this ma
ton az its birth was pledged TO Christ
for Divine marriage.
Before Columbus and his l2O men en-
barked on the Santa Maria, the Pinta
and the Nina for their wonderful vow
age, what was the last thing they did?
They sat down and took the holy sac
rament Of the Lord Jesus Christ After
they caught the first sight Of this coun-
try and the gun Of one ship had an
nounced it TO the other vessels that land
had been discovered, what was the song
that went up from all the three decks?
Gloria in Excelsis." After Columbus
and his l20 men had stepped from the
ships deck TO the solid ground, what
did they do? They all knelt and con-
sCcrated the new world TO God. What /
did the Huguenots do after they landed /
In the Carolinas? What did the Hol- |
land refugees do after they landed in 4
New York? What did the pilgrim /
fathers 10 after they landed in New
England? With bended knee and up
lifted face and Heaven besieging prayer,
,hey took possession of this continent
for God. How was the first American
congress opened? BY prayer, in the
nHlHN va uNouN NhA ioAs Il ibh us bll III
This nation was pledged for holy mar
rage with Christ.
And then see how good God has been
10 us. Just open the map Of the con-
.inent and see how il is shared for i'm
measurable properties Nayigable
'iyers, more in number and greater
han any other land. rolling down on
Nd sides into the sea. prophesying large
and easy commerce
look at the great ranges of mountains
imbered with wealth on the top and
Iides, metaled with wealth underneath.
Due hundred and eighty thousand
quare miles of coal. One hundred and
.ighty thousand square miles Of iron.
The land so contoured that extreme
weather. hardly ever lasts more than
hree days-extreme heat or extreme
old. Climate for the most part brac-
ng and favorable for Drawn and brain.
IN fruits all minerals, all harvests.
scenery displaying an autumnal pa
eantry that no land on earth pretends
o rival. No South American earth
uakes. No Scotch mists. No London
ogs. No Egyptian plagues. No Ger
manic divisions. The people of the
nited States are happier than any peo-
lie on earth. II is the testimony of
very man that has Travelled abroad.
or the poor, more sympathy; for the
Industries. more opportunity. Oh, how
God God was TO our fathers, and how
ood he has been 10 us and 10 our chill
rem. To Him-blessed be His mighty
ame-to Him of cross and triumph. to
linn who still remembers the prayer of