Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-07-04

ess a4ssts =
God Is the head Of the ma .
ton; He has chosen America as :
his inheritance The century .
and more which intervened be- :
tween its discovery and settle- ,
ment shows that he did not >
want It to be given to the
Bishop Of Rome. The boys in .
the Spanish-American war went
out in a holy war. We have no
right to defend the policy of >
non-interference in national af-
fairs.
Prefaced by Invocation in which
divine pity was implored upon the
stat of Nevada in this time of her
shame on account Of the thousands
gathered at Reno, Rev w. II. Sell
geck, OF the First Methodist church
preached to a large audience yester-
day morning on Americas Divine
Vocation in which the speaker
drew copiously from history and
statistics to prove not only that
America is to be at the head of the
council of the nation in the mission
of peace, but that upon her PECULIAR
Hy rests the responsibility for the
conversion of the world.
blessed is the nation whose God
is the Lord and the people whom
ne hath chosen for his own inherI-
tance. Psalm 33:12.
Though admitting that these
words had primary reference to the
Jewish theocracy in time of David
the speaker expressed it as his posi-
tive conviction that It might be
equally well applied to America,
whose subsequent history, he de-
Tlared, was ag providential as her
birth.
Unlike Canada, Germany, France
and many other countries, America
has a definite birthday. We date
our national existence from the
signing Of that immortal document
concerning which the English
statesman, Pitt, said that any peo-
pie that can write a document like
that ought to be free; and who, from
that time on, was a staunch friend
of the Colonists. This was soon fol-
lowed by the adoption of the con-
stitution. declared by Gladstone to
be the greatest document the world
has ever produced. N
Historical reference was then
made to the condition of Europe
( prior to the discovery of Columbus,
how that the Musselman invaders be-
ing driven out OF Europe, had Amer
aca been discovered two years soon
er, this continent might have been
the refuge of Mohammedans instead
of Christians.
But another century and more
goes by ere divine providence allows
America 70 be settled. Europe was
at that time too much dominated by
the papacy and God didn't want
America to be Roman Catholic He
ddn't want 1t given to the Bishop of
g Rome, but instead wanted IL given
to a free and enlightened Protestant
ism. In the meantime the Spanish
armada had gone down. Intellectual
lief had been quickened by Shakes
peare, who gave to the world It's best
literature. But most of all, Luther
and a reformation had been pre-
pared. Religious liberty and the
key 70 knowledge had been wrested
from the Church of Rome, and now
God SAYS Everything is ready"
For Christ and the Church" was
on the first banner sailing westward.
Having been tested In the fires OF
prosecution, they came to the inhos-
pitable shores of New England seek.
Ing liberty, no less religious than
civil Later came William Penn and
his followers seeking where they
might worship God according to the
dictates of their own conscience. We
find that many of the colonial docu-
ments were prefaced and closed
with In the name of God, amen
America In its origin Is Christian. |
And we can never be anything elsel
Ia Gods plan but Christian nation,
I stand in no terror of the hordos
of immigrants coming 10 our shores. !
A good man Is good immigrant. |
an one generation of time this nation
can asslmllate him and make him