Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-02-13


They are showing us how to get rid
of n curse that is cnslavng the souls
of thousands of our citizens. When
the north sees the south prospecting
without the saloon, growing In afllu-
ence and happiness, It, too, will nwak.
en-, ana one community after another
will declare for abolition Of the traf-
flc until we become sober rs well
as free people. There are to come
constitutional amendments in refer.
ence to our divorce laws and consti-
tutional amendments in reference to
our Interstate businesses. Gradually
and vet surely the work of constitution
al development Is going to continue rs
IL has in the past under divine guild
ance been continued. Moses did his
difficult work well and faithfully.
Joshua succeeded him and completed
1t. Thus God bids us 10 complete the
work which our ancestors have begun
in the constitution of the United States,
ms our children and childrcn's children
must continue our work after we are
gone.
A Nation Under Protection.
Oh, that we would plead as much for
the divine protection in the develop
mcnt of our government rs our ances-
tors pleaded FOR that grace before we
were born. We cannot in too many
ways honor that divine guidance. Some
time ago the president Of the United
States had stricken off one Of our ma
tional coins the famous motto first put
there by Salmon T.. ChAsc-"In God
We Trust" Our president is devout
man whose moJivoS are above fuspi
cion. lie removed ihc words, he e1-
planned. because they were made sub
.ect Of riGiculc. But many Of us re-
greet the act The motto was appro-
pirate for n nation with such history
as ours. As | looked at those words
| could see the Mayilower pilgrims
crossing the Atlantic TO Plymouth rock.
| could picture the strange and Won
dcrful movements which led mp to the
Revolutionary war. | could see our
fo~cfathers standing with the Declara-
ton Of independence in ono hand and
with the constitution of the United
States in the other. i could see Wash
inGton on his knees ut Valley Forge.
and John Marshall and Alexander
Hamilton doing their work. and Thorn
as jefferson and Livingston and Mar
Gus Whitman doing their work. and
Abraha Lincoln on his knees in the
White House. Each generation had Il
worl; for n Moses TO do. May we a.
true patriotic Joshucs trust him ana
continue to trust him in our hearts and
lives though the words "In God We
Trust" be obliteratCd from every coin
| turned out from our national minis.
| God has blessed our national life in
the past. "Aul Joshua left nothing
undonc of all that the Lord command
ed Moses
Eut when thinking of the great law
eivcrs Of our political life my mind
naturally turned to the great leaders
Of our theological life. Some of you
know tina j has been asserted that the
| form of the United States government
was copied from the form Of the Pres
hvtorian church of old Scotland James
G. Blaine in one Of his speeches claim
ed this fact to he true: but. whether it
is true or not. one fact is certain--nO
TEMPORAL government is better than the
prevailing spiritual creed. If people
have cruel, malformcd. bcstial
idea Of divine truth, the government
Of that people is sure to he a debased
government, and there is no exception
to the rule. so back Of the movers Of
the amendments Of the constitution OF
the United states. back of the Signers
of the Declaration Of Independence,
back Of Samuel Adams and Harrison
Gray Otis. we must find our John Eli
OTIS, and Roger N'illiamscs. and La
sales. and John Knoyes, and I.atmers,
and Ridleys and Luthers. and C1lvins,
and SavOnarolas, and all who have
tried to represent God TO the world rs
a God of love. You could no more have
plymouth rock without .Narston Moor
or the Declaration OF Independence
without Hannockburn than you could
have Il physical body move and cat and
drink and walk without breath in the
nostrils. Our temporal governments
are only the echoes of our spiritual be-
llefs The church or the mosque or
the temple always stands above the
/ Legislative hall more potent than the
throne room, and there is no exception
/ to the rule,
A Broader Cetholcity.
AS the mighty lawgivers of religious
reformation have done their work,
have they not left us some OF their
/ unfinished labor to complete: Shall
/ We not today get broa der catholcity,
Il wider sweep Of Christ's true purpose :,
/ What is the use of having all these DIFF
/ fcrcnt Christian denominations work
ing in many senses against each other,
instead Of all the different members Of
the different Protestant churches wor.
slipping side by side? "Do you know
why gospel missions have made such
wonderful progress in Egypt" asked
Roy Dr. Smlthcrs in my presence Il
short time ago ut Is because the
United Presbyterian church has prac-
ticaly the whole Christian work of
that country. And If | could would a.
/ lot TO each sectaran church country.
| would give China to the MethodistS,
India 10 the CongreGa tionalists, Syria
/ to the Lutherans, Japan to the Episco-
palians. And when one Christian de,
/ domination enters a country | would
make the other Christian denominations
stay out. The curse of missions is that