The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-11-30

|. Frederick, pastor OF the u. l.. churcn.
Then followed tho reading of the scrip
ture, by Rev. C. L. Manchester, pastor
of the First NJ. f. church, and prayer
by Rev. O. B. Milligan. 90,
The Thanksgiving sermon was de-
livered by Rev c. A. Hill. the eloquent
pastor of the First Christian church,
whose theme was, "A Nations For
tress."
Rev. c. A. Hill selected his text from
Psalm 1912: blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord; and the peo-
pie whom he hath chosen for his own
Inheritance" Proverb 14-34: Right
eousness exalteth a nation, but sin
is a reproach to any people,
"A nations perpetuity, he said, de-
pends upon its relationship and har-
mony with Him who was, and is, and
ever shall be. As we traverse the high-
way of the worlds history our vision
is constantly attracted to monuments
II memory of nations once living but
now dead. We search in vain to find
where we might truthfully afiix to
their epitaph the words of John, when
he said. Blessed are the dead that die
in the Lord OF the many mighty ma
tions that have fallen. destruction
came not to one when it could be said
Of them, Their God is the Lord
The nation that was Gods own
chosen people give a most striking ex
ample of what God can do for a nation
when it serves Him and follows His
divine guidance; or, what overwhelrn-
ing disasters come upon 1t when 1t gives
itself over to worldly lust and unholy
ambitions One moment exalted by
God 8 hand to fame. glory and power.
the Queen of the South travels many
weary miles TO see such splendor. She
exclaims. the half was not told me-
blessed be the Lord thy God, which
delighteth in thee. to set thee on the
throne of Israel But alas. in the
shadow of the very temple where God
manifests his presence to Israel are the
temples for heather wives to worship
other gods. The very first command
meut is broken and a nations power is
broken with it. Glory fades, a nation
mourns, the song of liberty is drowned
by the clanking chains of slavery.
Gods mercy yet holds out until he
sends the Lord to save Israel an1
gather other sheep into the 'one fold
but when He came unto His
own His own received Him not.
Then did the generations Of
nation was no more. Truly, we can
is the Lord
II wish now to make an application
of these words that perhaps will in
crease our interest in the theme be-
fore US l know i shall touch a re-
sponsiye cord in every heart when /
say that believe that America is Gods
Israel today. America does and of right
ought to belong to Gol.
1T was a religious thought that in
spired Columbus to undertake his west
ern voyage. He sought a passage to the
Indies for the purpose of rescuing Jer-
usalem and the Holy Sepulcher from
the Turks. When he landed on
strange shore. of which he had not
even dreamed. he kneeling with his
companions in the sand. prayed, Lord
God Eternal and Omnipotent. who by
Thy sacred word has created the sky
and the earth and the sea- we bless and
glorify Thy name, we praise Thy Maj
esty. How honored are we. Thy hum
BILE servants, that through us Thy
name may be known, and Thy Gospel
preached in this, the uttermost part of
the earth'
THE same religious sentiment seemed
to actuate nearly all the early ex-
plorers and founders of our country.
Virginia. the first of the original
thirteen, will bear testimony in such
~.
step brother, Sir Walter Raleigh. Gill
bert, who lost his life on his return
voyage in shipwreck, shouted as his
last cheering message to his compan-
ions. We are as near to heaven by sea
as by land
New York was settled first by mem
bers of the Dutch Reform church.
The Catholics, seeking to offset the
losses sustained through the reforma-
ton of Luther and Calvin, sent their
explorers along the Great Lakes and
the Mississippi river and settled the
colony of Maryland.
Massachusetts was settled by the
Pilgrim Fathers, Connecticut by the
Puritans, Rhode Island by the Baptists,
Pennsylvania and Delaware by the
Quakers, New Jersey by Covenanters,
the Carolinas by French Huguenots.
Georgia was a BENEVOLENT asylum for
the oppressed of every nation, kindred
and tongue.
I'm the moment of English oppres-
sion there was one common thought
that bound the colonies together for a
decisive struggle for liberty. 1t was
the Fatherhood of God and the brother
hood Of man. God heard their cry
and delivered them out of their dis
tresses. It was such men as George
Washington who. on bended knees,
in the snow at Valley Forge. besought
the God of armies to assist an OPP
pressed people. To them we owe much
gratitude of greatful remembrance.
BLESSED is that nation whose God
is the Lord
James e. Murdoch, who was a guest
at the White House at the time of the
second battle of Bull Run, was SO rest
less he could not sleep, and being up
after midnight he heard low tones