The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-05

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 this immortal document, l see in it the evidence of God-given courage. There are a solemnity and a neroIsm In its ut terances which come only from faith in God and dependence upon him. The men who signed this paper were brave men. The last few words which Thomas Jeff ferson wrote at the end of the last page indicate their courage. And for the support of this declaration we mutually pledge to each other our lives. our for tunes and our sacred honor. They pledged their lives. Each man knew that the signing of this document which few hours later was publicly read by John Nixon from the balcony of the statehouse made each one of the signers a traitor in the eyes of England and a fit subject for the gibbet and Tower hill. Yet when John Hancock knew that he might be signing his own death warrant, he picked up his pen and wrote in large, bold letters his name, John Hancock then as he put down his pen he remark ed, there is my name Is letters so large that King George will be able to read them without spectaclesn'
 Faith Justified.
 The sgners pledged their fortunes as well as their lives. Had the insurrec- tion been a failure their personal proper ty would have been confscated. When the millionaire, Charles Carroll, signed the Declaration, a bystander fiippantly remarked, There goes few million of dollars if the cause Is unsuccessful" Yet so dead in earnest was Charles Carroll to pledge his life, his fortune and his sa- cred honor to the cause of American liberty that lest his name should be con- fused with that of another Charles Car roll, he specified and individualized his name as he signed 1t, Charles Carroll of Carrolton."
 But while the members of the Contin- ental congress of 1776 were brave men they were also, as a class praying men. True courage and conseeration are brothers. They were men who believed in God. They were men who, down upon their knees, reyerently and earnestly and intensely sought divine light In the famous historical picture the members of the Second Continental congress are shown on their knees in prayer. To the Christian American student that picture ought to be the most impressive histori- cal painting ever hung in legislative hall or in foreign or domestic art gallery. I have seen the noted war pictures of Ber- lin and Dresden. I have seen the form of Emperor William l in many scenes. fianked by Von Moltke and the nation builder, Prince Bismarck. In Paris I have seen the Napoleonic pictures and in London the war pictures of Waterloo, where the pale-faced Wellington im- movably sits his horse. watching the de- struction of the French grenadiers. But in all the art galleries of the world there is no historical picture so significant, so full of inspiration as that historic picture of the Continental congress in prayer.
 Most of the members of that congress came from praying Christian homes. They assembled in the spring and sum- mer of 1776 to ta.e the most momentous step which the citizens of any country can take. It was no light or trivial act to renounce allegiance to King George and to defy the power of the British government. These men well knew the consequences involved in such a step and realized the necessity of having divine guidance. One of the members arose and moved that a prominent Episcopa- Han minister of Philadelphia should be sent for and asked to lead the members in prayer to God. Samuel Adams, I think 1t was, seconded that motion. He said in substance: T am not an Episco- palian, but I am not a bigot. I feel that Gods hand must lead us in this na- tonal crisis second the motion" The motion was carried. The next day this Episcopalian minister came 70 the legis- lative hall. He came In full canonical robes All the members knelt I can well believe that all must have joined In the prayer that the God of the armies of Moses and Joshua would lead and guide them. How on any other assump. tion can we explain their dauntless cour- age? It would have been sheer temerity for those men to sign that declaration unless they had believed that God would be with them in the struggle that must ensue. And their faith was justified by the result. The God who heard the pleading of the Israelites Tn the wilder ness. heard the prayers of the Continen- tai congress In his providence. England was not left free to use her strength in crushing the Infant nation. The life and death struggle in which she had to en- gage nearer home curtailed her power and to that fact, due to the everything mercy of God our forefathers owed their success. Oh, my fellow countrymen, let US on this anniversary exercise the faith that our fathers had in the God of na- tions May we continue to pray as our ancestors prayed in 1776 and in 1872 and in 1861. May we feel as a nation that our God Is a prayer answering God and that he will listen to our petitions, whether lifted in church pulpit or in the legisla- tive hall.
 Thus, on this glorious national holiday I want you to take the Declaration of Independence, which is our birth cer- tificate, and place it between the leaves of your Bible. There 1t may speak to us as Christian citizens and individuals. While 1t reminds us of the patriotism and sublime herosm of our fathers may it also remind us of the obligation de- volving upon us to redeem our beloved land from the plague of sin and to pro- mote as far as in us lies. the righteous ness which alone exalteth a nation. And as individuals may 1t not remind us of our high privileges as citizens in the kingdom of God? When assailed by temptation and by the evil that would subiugate us let us remember the Decar- ation of Independence which Christ sign