The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-05-01


strength given to the weak.
Nation That Fears God Blessed.
The God-fearing nation is blessed,
because God is a God of righteous
ness; and the nation that makes its
people happy must be righteous ma
ton. Men become more and more
like the objects of their worship. To
worship beast means to become
beastly; to worship a serpent means
to have a Shiny character. But God
is a God of righteousness and holiness
perfect Being, and no one can wor-
ship Him without being led 10 higher
things. He may never become perfect
in this life, but his faith In Jehovah
will max chin day by day better
man
blessed fa the nation whose God
is Jehovah" In the beginning OF our
own country. God was acknowledged,
and the founders of our republic felt
that the hand Of Jehovah was with
them in making, in the new world,
a land of freedom and of hope. But
there are among us those today who
are ENJOYING a freedom made possible
only through the triumph Of Christian
principles, who would have this nation
deny Christ and rule God out OF the
national life.
OF course, the union of Church and
state is not to be thought Of for mo-
ment; but there should always be a
union of religion and state, indepen-
dent of legislative action. and far
deeper than any such action could
bring about; and in both private and
public affairs, the principles OF our
Lord Jesus Christ should he the rule
and guide of conduct Take God out
of our nation. and you destroy its
very foundations, and seal its doom.
The wicked shall be turned into hell,
and all the nations that forget God"
/ What of the Future?
/ Some one has well said that the
. future of nations Is not in armies and
inavies or commercial enterprises"
The nation should acknowledge God.
"In ell thy WAYS acknowledge Him
and He will direct thy paths is true
of nations as well as individuals.
] There are those who are blind enough
! to deny that there is any relation be-
! tween the God fearing sentiments of
the people and the strngth of the gov
+ eminent: but many a ship of state
has been splintered upon the rock of
goddess thinking and acting. Let this
nation of ours forget God, and with
accelerated motion 1t will start upon
the down grade
There are many THINGS that would
undermine our government and de-
stroy It. The name of the forces of
evil Is legion Prominent among these
forces are the dissertation OF the Sab
I bath-the breaking down of the line
that marks this a day OF rest, and
set apart for the worship of God;
! trreverenCe for the name of God and
disrespect for parental authority, set
ting at naught the third and NTH
commandments; and the neglect of
the house of God. an appalling men
ace TO the religious life OF the people,
unreCognized by many, even by many
who profess to worship Jehovah. as
evidenced by their irregular and in
different attendance upon the Sane
tuary.
! Individual Help.
But the practical question comes
What can do? l am only one in a
hundred million. You can sweeten
the life about YOU You can make
your own community better.
see n humble mechanic, rising
( perhaps before the light of day, to
| lake his place, on time. among the
great army Of industrial workers OF
! his city; hut ere he steps into the
street he bows with his faithful help
meet. and together they ask the pro-
/ lection and guidance Of Jehovah for
their family and their nation; and AT
! night. when the days work is done
ana ne mas crossed again MS own
threshold. he gathers his little family
= tUgrrrer- ~fte-e-. tee-fetsF- saf-eat4tlng,
and lifts his voice in praise and sup
/ plication. And that humble work
man is perhaps accomplishing more
+ for the protection and preservation
of his country than the arrogant
statesman depending upon hts own
! keen judgment and willy devices.
Let the living God be the God OF
our homes. and the God Of our in
J d'vidual lives. and then He will be
he God of the nation. Blessed is
the nation whose God is jehovah"