Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-06-14
a. g.
RphaIar
HtlPfGN
~SS5SS=S=S5S=SS=s5SS=SS

By Rev. Percy T. olton

MORE FAITH NEEDED.
By Rev. Percy T. O1ton.
And it shall be, if thou do at all for
get the Lord thy God and walk after
other gods and serve them and worship
them, l testify against you this day
that We shall surely perish.-Deuteron
omy viii. 10.
The occasional of Moses on the day
of his nations joy and exultation Is
this eighth chapter of the Book OF
Deuteronomy. With prophetic vision be
sees the glorious future awaiting his
people. While this vision is passing
before him there comes another. He
ses his people given over unto ease and
pleasure, drunk with the lust for power,
corrupt with the idolatrous practices of
the heather, forgetful of God and His
commandments, bringing upon them
selves utter destruction.
The splendor of the first vision fades
away: he sees nothing but the terrible
danger which will come with this
boundless prosperity. Before he can
break forth in the song of joy and vic
tory he must sound the note Of solemn
warming: ooh, Israel. Beware lest
thou forget the Lord, thy God, which
brought thee forth out of the land of
Egypt, from the house of bondage"
This American nation was founded
on righteousness and established in
truth and justice. The men who first
setted on this continent of North Amer
lea and the men who began the life of
this nation were men who held that the
fear of the Lord and a clear conscience
were better than all that money or
power could give. The stern and rugged
virtues which form the backbone of all
civilization were dominant in these
men, and it is because Of the clean,
strong, God-fearing lives of the past
generations that the United States
stands where it does to-day.
Our nation stand on the threshold
Of new experience. The restraining
hand of adversely and privation which
has been felt in its past history has
been removed and there is imminent
danger of the prosperity and ease of
the new life duling the moral sense of
the people.
There is always more danger for the
individual or the nation in the time Of
prosperity than in that of adversely.
Dark days and hard times draw out
the best that is in the life of man or
nation and bind hearts closer in the
bonds of sympathy and helpfulness.
But when the gamers are full the heart
of man is lifted up with pride, and
there is the inclination to say: my
power and the might Of my hand hath
gotten me this wealth"
On this Memorial Sunday, while we
do honor to those who gave their lives
for us, let us remember that the work
of the nations salvation has been COM
mitted to us, and that the future of
this great republic depends upon the
manner in which we fulfill our duty.
There are battles to be fought, new
dangers have arisen; let us face them
as the heroes whose memory we are
honoring to-day faced the danger that
threatened the life of the nation. The
danger Of the present is different from
that of the past, but it is just as real
aod far more terrible.
The fate which Moses declared await
ed Israel's disobedienc awaits this ma
ton if it allows material prosperity to
crush out all sense Of duty to God and
tn right. 1t is righteousness alone
that exalteth a nation.
History emphasizes the truth that as
soon as the moral fiber of a nation is
destroyed the end is not far off. How
ever great may be the power or wealth
or intellectual advancement Of that ma
tion as soon as it's citizens place these
things above the fear of God, AS soon
as they regard these things more to
be desired than the cultivation of char
acter, &C soon will that nation begin to
crumble and fall apart until its place
is no longer to be found.
Ours Is the task to declare this truth
by word and deed. May God give Us
grace to do our part as faithfully az
those who fought the nations battles
in other crises Of it's history.