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No. 0.
Faith in God a nicokssity to human sooikty,
105
creeping things. Their civilization, which
grew in power and grandeur under the in
spirations ot faith in tlio trim God, faded
and hecamo corrupted, until Egypt sank
to the level of the lowest of kingdoms.
One more department moved north
ward and eastward, and developed Gre
cian and Roman civilization. A clear
knowledge of God inspired both. Ilesiod,
Homer and Socrates hold exalted ideas of
the supreme Being. Plato, a later philos
opher in whom the intellect of Greece
culminated, by his sublime sentiments
concerning God, gives us assurance that
that which made Greece illustrious was
inspired by faith in Him.
It was a noble conception of the true
God that made Cicero the master mind of
Rome. A clear revelation of .lehovah to
Abraham and (lie repose of his faith in
that revelation changed him from an or-
dinary herdsman into the Patriarch,
whose life Hashes out of the shadowy
histcry of earlier times bright and peer
less. Faith made him the friend of the
Infinite, and intimate associations with
such a friend ennobled his nature, shed
lug upon it it lusturo which has bright
ened with the lapse uf three thousand
years. It was walking witli God that
placed him at the head of the highest civ
ilization of ancient limes, which centered
at Jerusalem and Irom thence radiated
over the civilized world.
Two hundred years ago our territory
was a wilderness. Now it is a compara
tive garden. It is a home for forty mil
lions of the most prosperous people on
the globe. Its transformation has no par
allel in the world's history. The chris
tian faith has been the main impelling
force which has leveled the forests, plant
ed the prairies, built the cities and rail
roads, scattered the villages, dotted the
fields with cottages, and decked the
whole land with temples of industry.
The hum of remunerative toil rises from
the whole land and its rumble is heard in
the bowels of the mountains, oxhatistlcss
treasures, laid up by the all-provident
fore-sight of the infinite Father, arc be
ing opened by men who believe in Him.
The intellectual achievements and cul
ture which make the nation, young as it
is, illustrious, have been inspired by the
same mighty faith. This faith is the cd.
ucatoi of our land. It presents the
grandest poets, and mightiest problems,
and opens immeasurable perspectives and
throws its light buck along the processes
of creation to the beginning
Look at our families, with all that is
hallowed, lovely and divine about them.
Go round about our myriad homes; sec
the towers and bulwarks which make
them safer than Jerusalem or Babylon or
Rome in the days of their might and glo
ry ; mark well the solaces, the joys, the re
fincnicnts, the noble discipline which
beautify and adorn them. Faith in God
has '' set the solitary in families."
Behold the temples of religion which
rise in symctry and strength monuments
of the highest architectural skill in all
our centers of population, to educate
the tastes of all the people. Consider our
hucrcd Sabbaths which come as soothing
angels, hushing the fever of secular ex
citement and the din of secular toil; ton
ing down the eager pursuits of temporal
interests; giving release from office, shop
and field : lettingHhe strained nerves relax ;
restoring the man of business and the
sons of toil to their families for rest.
Millions wash away the dust gathered by
the day's activity, and change their soiled
garments for clean and fresh raiment.
The unspeakable contrast between the
condition of the most brutal tribe of men
to be found on earth, and this mighty na
tion, has all resulted from the faiili in God
which has characterized our fathers foi
generations, steadily lifting ihem heaven
ward and which blesses us as a genera
lion. Ifwchad time to map all varia
tions of mankind lying between these ex
trcmes, wo should find that all are on the
plane of their apprehension of God and
their faith in him.
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