Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-08-27

cruelty ana hatred that have been
Matched in that adder's nest--the
Sublime Porte The blood of the
great company of Christian martyrs,
including the Americans, will con-
tinue to cry to God from the Turk
|, ish ground until he avenges them.
J Austria, the bully of the Balkan
} States-Austria intended to crush
!. the government of little Servia and
: take possessions of the country. Now
Austria is being decimated in popu-
: lation and reduced to feebleness.
: France? She has not yet atoned
, for all her sins-the massacre of
st. Bartholomew, the expulsion of
the Huguenots, the awful blood
: shed and devastation she caused in
: Europe under the. lead Of Napoleon.
1t is told that when the monument
: to Napoleon was being dedicated in
: the Place Vendome, in Paris, when
the exercises had ended poor wo-
| man was seen to advance and paste
! piece of paper to the base of the
shaft. On the paper was found
these words: Hideous monster, if
| all the blood which you have caused
to be shed were to flow past this
place the volume would rise so high
that you would not have to stoop
, from your giddy height to drink"
Who shall say that these nations
8 are guiltless in the sight of God ?
The extent of their SHINING Only
God knows. But just as certainly
as Jehovah used one nation as his
. instrument to punish another sinful
nation in the days of Isaiah, so is he
making the wrath of man to work
out his own purposes to-day. This
terrible war was brought on by the
selfish ambition of rulers, the jeal-
, ousies and suspicious Of diplomats;
and is being carried forward by
race prejudice and national hatred.
But when it is ended it will be
found that in this furnace of shot
and shell God has been at work. Out
of that furnace nations will come
: forth purified and subdued in passion
:, and with new sense of their depend
ence on God. The Church has been
emphasizing Gods love and tender
ness in these last years. She would
do we'll now to lay the stress on
Gods holiness and righteousness,
{ and declare that he will in no wise
. clear the guilty. Our God is
{ consuming fire."
= THE LESSON FOR AMERICA.
And what is the lesson for our
own nation? Is it that this is the
golden opportunity for our people
to increase their foreign trade
Shall Nero fiddle while Rome
burns. and the United States
cheerfully gather the spoils while
: the nations of Europe are writhing
in the agonies of the war? Be
assured, God marks the nation that
, feels no pity and shows no compass
sion for the woes Of sister nations,
but seeks to fatten on their misfor-
tunes.
This is time for the examination
of own national characteristics, the
weighing of national motives and
the estimating of national ideals.
AS nation are we righteous in the
sight of God ? Consider for a little:
Is not Mammon served more faith
. fully in our country tn an GCd? Is
-, not commercial prosperity more of
national idea than social righteous
!. ness Are not the people much
, more concerned in the pursuit of
! pleasure than in the attainment of
= holiness Do not sin and selfshness
- and cruelty dwell in the homes of the
), rich and poor alike? Is there not a
shameful neglect of public worship,
family religion and private prayer :?
- Is not Sunday being desecrated all
= over the land?
The lesson for US to learn is that
=, the same God who punished the ma
- tions of old for their sins is scourg-
10 ing sinful peoples to-day, and ex-
-, cept we as a nation sincerely re-
Il pent of our sins and humble our
- selves before God our country will, in
: due time, be visited by some terrible
=, calamity. Let us pray that God
l. may give the people the spirit of
repentance. Let us seek a new
&c vision of God that shall make US a
" force in the establishment of his
kingdom on earth.