DOmNION DAY. ^l 
 
 STANLEY STREET CHURCH, 
 
 The District Staff, and Memuers of the No. i Tjioop 
 
 vvi\k^4-. *^^ Cavalry and the Montreal 
 
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DOMINION DAY. 
 
 A SEliMON 
 
 PKEACHEH IN 
 
 STANLEY STREET CHURCH, 
 
 l!V THK 
 
 REV. JOHN C. BAXTER, 
 
 liKFOKK 
 
 The District Staff, and Mkmhrrs of the No, i TRoor 
 
 OF Cavalry and the Montreal Field 
 
 Battery of Artillery, 
 
 
 \ ' .' HUSLISHED BY ^F^EQUECT. 
 
 MONTREAL : 
 WM. DRYSDALE & CO., BOOKSELLERS, 232 ST. JAMES STREET 
 
 1877- ,; -i; J 
 
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 B. Q. R. 
 
MoNTRKAL, July 2, 1877. 
 
 RiiV. AND Dkar Sir : 
 
 The luiflersitjnecl most resi)cctfully re(|ucst that you will 
 have the gocxhiess to furnish us (with a view to puhlication), the 
 manuscript of the a(hnirable and eh)quent sermon, preached hy you 
 yesterday, before tlie District Staff, and members of the No, I Troop 
 of Cavahy and tlie Montreal Field Mattery of Artillery. 
 
 I'V-elin^ confident that the loyal and patriotic sentiments it c(m- 
 tains, will ])rove of much benefit to the cor.ununity i^^enerally, we 
 trust you will experience no difficulty in c(Jmplying with this request, 
 thereby obliging 
 
 Your most obedient servants, 
 
 JOHN DYDE, Coloml, 
 
 JOHN FLETCHKR, U.-Col., 
 
 n. A. G. No. s. 
 
 THOMAS HACON, U.-CoL, 
 
 Jh-ii^adt- Major. 
 
 A. A. STEVENSON, Lt.-Col., 
 
 Conmuinding M. F. B. of A. 
 
 W. McGlUHON, Lt.-Col., 
 
 M.F. B.of A. 
 Rev. John C. Baxter, 
 
 Montreal. 
 
 Montreal, July 3, 1877. 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 I have pleasure in complying with your kind request, and en- 
 close the manuscript ; though, at the same time, it may be right to 
 say that the sermon was not written with any view to publication. 
 
 Yours cordially, 
 
 JOHN C. BAXTER. 
 To Col. Dyde, 
 
 Lieut. -Col. Fletcher, &c., &c. 
 
 51655 
 
DOMINION DAY. 
 
 " This day shall he unto yon Jor a memorial'" — ExoDUS X 11, 14. 
 
 A crisis had conic in the career of Israel. Transferred 
 from Canaan to I'^gypt, tlie seed of Jacob lived under a 
 king "which knew not Jo.sei)h." (killed by the cruel 
 yoke, the o))])ressed aliens awaited promised deliverance. 
 "I'he groans of the prisoners " entered into the ears of the 
 Lord of Sabaoth." 'I'heir hour of redemption drew nigh. 
 Moses announced the dawn of freedom. W^onders were 
 wrought to force proud Pharaoh to loose their chains : and 
 here, at the date of sacred record, with the j)assover, 
 as a prophecy of speedy ransom, the once enthralled 
 hosts stood on the verge of a road that raised them to the 
 rank of an independent nation. 
 
 Right, therefore, was it for the liberated tribes to mark 
 through latest pges the birth-time of national existence. 
 The event was well worthy of observance. It told how 
 mindful of His covenant Jehovah had been : it stirred 
 hopes of enlarged favour while they were staunch in His 
 statutes : and long as they kept the revealed rule, " This 
 day snail be utito you for a meniorialy" so long did their 
 path prosper ; (qualifying the Jews to be the most pro- 
 gressive of Asiatic peoples, and proving their religious 
 economy, when viewed in the light of Gospel prepara- 
 tion, to be the main propelling agency of modern civi- 
 lisation. 
 
 Now, on the basis of such facts, the principle which 
 underlies the text, may be of value in our own special 
 
G 
 
 circumstances. Not that betwixt I lebrcws and Canadians 
 a i)erfect parallel can be drawn. 1 )irrerencesare nianilbld 
 and manifest. 'J'hey had been slaves — wc 'were never in 
 bondage to any man.' 7//a' had been endangered in 
 belief by conta( t with abon)inable idolatries — wc were 
 never threatened in our holy faith by the dead weight of 
 an overwhelming heathendom. TJuy had been released 
 through the medium of direct miracle — wc were never as- 
 sisted with the out-stretched arm of supernatural interven- 
 tion. Yet whatever may sever them from us, their course 
 is suggestive of lessons for our case : and at present gath- 
 ered to note another anniversary of Colonial Confederation 
 — linking the recurrence of the period with more than 
 wonted seriousness, because its tenth return falls on a 
 Sabbath — what more seemly than some tribute, whereby 
 Dominion Day shall be unto us for a memorial, in a sanc- 
 tuary dedicated to the worshi[) of jesus, who is * head over 
 all things to the Church' — of Him. at whose name * every 
 knee should bow and every tongue should confess that He 
 is Lord, to the glory of God the Father ? ' 
 
 Little reference is retjuired to the history that rendered 
 needful or expedient the important constitutional change, 
 of which this day is unto us for a memorial : and if a 
 cursory glance be cast on affairs prior to 1867, it is less for 
 the sake of imparting information to those who hear, than 
 simply to recall details with which a majority of the au- 
 dience may be familiar. Previous to that era, British 
 America was a disjointed region. The scattered settlers 
 might swear allegiance to the same sovereign; prejjonderat- 
 ingnumbersof them might have kinship in ancestral lineage : 
 on questions of creed, fundamental harmony might prevail. 
 
But the dislocitcd districts from sea board to bac k-country, 
 or from ocean to ocean, were sui)|)osed to have rival in- 
 terests ; and often when traders and leaders of tiie terri- 
 tories met, their sectional jealousies appeared to trample 
 on the advice, * see that ye fall not out by the way.' Su( h 
 irritations were socially sui( idal, wasting the strength that 
 should have been husbanded for mutual profit, playing 
 into the hands of enemies watchful to pounce on a self- 
 weakened i)rey ; and the growing risks which unfraternal 
 actions or agitations spread through our borders, constrain- 
 ed the more patriotic of citizens to yearn after some plan 
 for the burial of all conflict. At length, a measure was 
 proposed, discussed, confirmed, to bind the various pro- 
 vinces together in the cords of common government, 
 without infringing on their peculiar privileges. And while 
 not presuming to judge minutely of il.s merits ; while neither 
 asserting its acce[)tableness to every class, nor alleging that 
 improvement of items is improbable, we count the Alliance 
 an accomplished fact — a league which has abolished certain 
 artificial lines, which spurs us to concentrate our energy 
 on compacted aims, which knits us by ties of common weal 
 to guard our new position against possible foes, and which, 
 nerving us for still nobler deeds, may lay the corner-stone 
 of a mighty Empire on our allotted heritage of the Ameri- 
 can Continent. Doubtless, the head, and heart, and hand 
 of fellow-men are traceable in the welcome result. Thanks 
 to them for the foresight with which they devised, the la- 
 bour with which they pursued, the patience with which they 
 achieved the coveted end. By no means would we 
 blot from our memorial the worth of pure-souled benefac- 
 tors who helped the consummation. But beyond the mere 
 instruments, we look to the Ruler over all, and seek to 
 recognise His decree in the arrangement. The document 
 
*8 
 
 which proclaimed the decision may resemble the book of 
 Esther in this feature,, that it is a register of God's provi- 
 dence, without explicit mention of His sacred name : yet 
 from first to last, discerning through its clauses the supreme 
 will of the Rlesski) Only Potkntatk, we desire to use its j^ 
 
 advantages for His praise, as in this place to day, we grave 
 on our altar of remembrance the gratefully devout inscrip- 
 tion — " Kbenezer, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." 
 
 '*'>! 
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 f?" 
 
 Duly alive to our debt for mercies bestowed, we cannot ^ 
 
 fail to regard the memorial of this day as " a shadow of ) 
 
 good things to come." The architects of our national f 
 
 fabric, with all the wisdom of their scheme, or all the 
 thoroughness of their toil, were ' building better than they 
 knew;' and though aware that no mortal, however saga- 
 cious or laborious, can forecast the future of a country, we 
 are safe in predicting bright issues for the land, if in a spirit i 
 
 of dei)endence on Divine law, its occupants walk Circum- ' 
 
 spectly. For a season darkness has rested upon our 
 borders, nor can we tell when the gloom may be ui)lifted. 
 Yet out from the thickest cloud w expect a voice of the ,' 
 
 Most High, summoning to ascend the Mount : and then • 
 
 called to closer communion with Heaven, after temporary [ 
 
 reverses, may we not anticipate that, like Moses, when he ' 
 
 left the cliffe of Sinai for the tents of Israel again, Canada 1 
 
 shall be seen with a lustre on her face, to dazzle the nation, " 
 
 and with tablets in her grasjo, to show the people the road • 
 
 of rectitude ? A lofty ideal this ! How shall we discover • 
 
 the steps which conduct us to it ? 
 
 We begin our answer at what some may rate, the lowest 
 
9 
 
 point: and urge on all capable persons TfrE Formation of 
 Industrious Hap.its for Matfrial Suhsistenci:. Our 
 bodies demand support, — nourishment for their appetite, 
 raiment for their exposure, shelter from wintry wind and 
 sultry sun. Prompted by such wants, we have agriculture 
 and manufactures, freighted ships and busy stores : and 
 when the breadth of our fields or the de[)th of our mines, 
 — the vastness of our woods or the extent of our waters, is 
 considered, there is valid reason for prizing the realm as an 
 ample sphere of honest diligence. Not that 'a man's life 
 consisteth in the abundance of the things which he possess- 
 eth.' There are treasures greater flir than i^roductive 
 acres or invested stocks : and we must take heed lest the 
 cares of this world tempt us to forget eternal interests. 
 Alas ! that the worship of mammon beguiles so many 
 votaries in these times ! Alas ! that even among groups 
 of those who wish for ' the good part which shall not be 
 taken away,' there is much eagerness to make gold their 
 hope, and fine gold their confidence ! Tiiis is a sore evil, 
 against which a loud protest should be sounded. If any- 
 where the caution tells with emphasis, it is in a young com- 
 munity like our own ; because here, unfettered by customs 
 of older date, we strive for gains as though * money an- 
 swereth all things.' Beware, therefore, /of covetousness, 
 which is idolatry. Beware of the grievous error, that 'to be 
 a good man is nothing, to be a skilled man is something, 
 to be a rich man is everything.' Beware of treading in 
 the wake of myriads who yield to 'foolish and fleshly lusts' 
 which sink their starved souls in the most disastrous of 
 bankrui)tcy. And anxious to avoid the unremunerative vo- 
 cation of " heaping up treasures for ourselves," which can 
 only be a " treasuring of wrath against the day of wrath," let 
 us practise the maxim : ' get all we can, save all we can, 
 
10 
 
 give all we can." Then proi)erty will prove t^ friend of 
 piety. Along with outward bounties we shall have the un- 
 speakal)le ac([uisition of a consc ience ai)proved unto God : 
 and (juickened in enterj)rises of industry by the laudable 
 ambition to stand well in His eye, the tenor of our earth- 
 bound labour will echo the strain touched in " the ('hristian 
 Year." 
 
 Laijj[ely Tliou ^'ivest, j^r.icious Lord, 
 Lfirgely I'liy gifts sliould he restored ; 
 Freely Thou givest. and 'I'hy word 
 
 Is, "Freely Give." 
 lie only, \vh(j forgets to hoard, 
 
 Has learn'd to live. 
 
 Further : when contemplating the formation of solid 
 character in society, we urge the Culturk of Sterling 
 Principle relative to its Public Affairs. The charac- 
 ter of a country is a plant of slow, steady growth. Those 
 who eat of its all manner of fruit, or lodge securely beneath 
 the cover of its blooming branches, should feel a patriotic 
 pleasure in contributing to its fertility and stability. What 
 forefathers did in sowing the seed : what legacy of com- 
 ])arative develojjment in the tree of freedom they have 
 bequeathed : what benefits of order and discipline and 
 l)rosi)ect they have transmitted to their successors — for 
 these we owe an offering of filial reverence. But let not 
 our homage dwindle into vapouring talk or boastful parade. 
 The truer our estimate of their services, the more zealous 
 will be our endeavour tO complete what they commenced. 
 If without self-laudation, yet with proper self-respect, it is 
 a glory, that through their heroic hardihood we dwell where 
 under the even canopy of heaven, an equal platform for 
 the exercise of talent and the increase of virtue hg,s been 
 
11 
 
 set, let us ai)preciatc the advantages by determining each 
 in se[)arate ahiHly, or allincombined resi)onsibihty, to main- 
 tain and mature that Righteousness which exaheth a nation, 
 ])rags on popular j^rosperity we dare not be, if we would 
 quit us hke men. Idlers at our respective posts we must 
 not be, if we would serve our generation according to the 
 will of God. And let intkience be large or little, the chief 
 concern of loyal hearts should be to promote in some de- 
 gree the public-spiritedness which has made us what we 
 are. 
 
 What then ? May we take part in politics ? Yes : but 
 let us rise above the level of political partizanship. Par- 
 ties are inevitable, where law is our ruler, and speech is 
 our teacher. We regard them as socially healthful within 
 due limits : and can scarcely conceive of their expulsion 
 from our midst, except at a sacrifice which the alternative 
 of dull uniformity could never repay. Choose some side, 
 therefore, we must, if our minds are turned to current 
 debateable (juestions : and when for success of legislation 
 it is necessary to move in concert, we entail no blame, be- 
 cause conviction leads us to join with a party. But a 
 mere party man — one who moves, machine-like, by the 
 beck of a master — ^one who pants for the patronage of 
 office-holders, when conscience forbids any mean sale of 
 his suffrage — one who scales the slopes or sucks the sweets 
 of power, by decrying the designs, or maligning the motives 
 of opponents— if such is the picture of a party-man, then, 
 among men who thirst for the title of parliamentary or 
 municipal representatives, he is the most pitiable speci- 
 men. To be of this type : or to abet the too frecjuent 
 examples of it, what (lod-fearing man will dare ? And if 
 an aspirant for public service in city or ccxmtry would do 
 credit to his station, let him show before all witnesses the 
 
12 
 
 more excellent way. Holding opinions, he is not ashamed 
 to express them courteously, or defend them courageously. 
 When those with whom he generally agrees do what vio- 
 lates the right, he refuses to commit wrong for the sake of 
 pre.serving a superficial consistency. When those from 
 whom he commonly differs do what deserves approval, 
 he resolves unhesitatingly to evidence his view, even 
 though for sturdy straight-forwardness he may have to 
 confront the charge of being a traitor or a turn-coat. 
 With him it is a very small thing that he should be judged 
 of man's judgment. To have his heart fixed by trusting 
 in the Lord, is the Key of his conduct : and as in private 
 he follows the instruction of Truth, so in Senate-hall or 
 Council-room does he shai)e his deeds by the solemn 
 thought — " Thou God seest me." Give us such public 
 men -men who fear nothing but sin — men who are ready 
 to be martyrs, rather than degrade themselves by consent- 
 ing to aught that draggles their country's flag in the dust 
 — give us such men for our rulers, whether provincial or 
 imperial : then with our officers peace and our exactors 
 righteousness, the land should be spared the canker of 
 internal corruption ; and the measure of its destined sta. 
 ture be proportionately hastened. " Happy people, that 
 is in such a case : yea, happy is that people whose God is 
 the Lord." 
 
 Let no one accuse us of travelling beyond a ministerial 
 commission in alluding to those aspects of citizenship. 
 'Preach the Word,' that is our vocation : and we are not 
 forgetful to herald with distinctive clearness the glad tid- 
 ings of salvation. But of that Word, which embraces all 
 human interests within its scope, we must keep back neither 
 jot nor tittle that l)ears on the world's welfare. We would 
 press on every listener the comprehensive code, — 'do justly, 
 
13 
 
 love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God.' If, then, mat- 
 ters of public moment come under so wide a precept, why 
 should not Gospel messengers attend to the problems ? 
 Our incompetency to deal with tliem is a freciuent verdict 
 of populace and press : we are advised, sometimes by 
 sapient multitudes, sometmies by sarcastic editors, to shun 
 an arena, for entrance into which our ui)l)ringings totally 
 unfit us. How shall we. receive the condescending sug- 
 gestion ? Thus — that while not avowing intimacy with 
 the devious tracks over which the car of politics is driven 
 by prominent managers, we surely do know the royal road 
 on which it should be run, if we have education enough 
 to apprehend the Scripture : and granting our aptness to 
 declare what the Lord's mind prescribes, we are not neces- 
 sarily vain babblers or rash intruders, when, clothed with 
 the spirit of Him who uttered the Sermon on the Mount, 
 we unfold and apply the infallible Truth for guidance in 
 the life that now is, as the avenue of glory in the higher 
 life to come. 
 
 Nor, breathing a similar spirit, may we omit the ser- 
 vice of citizen soldiers in an enumeration of aids toward 
 the consolidating of a country's character. War is, even 
 at the best, a dire scourge. Horribly heart-rending are 
 the tales of misery which start from the battle-grounds of 
 antiquity. Not less revolting are the accounts of atroci- 
 ties, or the stories of struggles in Danubian Valley and on 
 Armenian hill-side, with which the papers are filled. 
 Mournful, too, that ere long the divers nationalities of 
 Europe may be trapped in the snare of sanguinary strife : 
 and by gamients rolled in blood deny almost their nomi- 
 nal subjection to the Prince of Peace ! Yet let our detes- 
 
14 
 
 tation of ui^gresswe armies be unstinted, we have other 
 estimate of defensive forces. The commands of our 
 Hible tally with the instincts of our nature, when a people 
 are held in repute for contending earnestly to save or 
 guard beloved homesteads : and if at the root of the 
 volunteer tnovement this purpose abides, with what a 
 dignity it insj)ires- -with what a panoply It invests — all 
 members of the corps ! Not for iJomi)Ous parade— not 
 for silly sentiment, are they enlisted. They engage to pro- 
 tect their kinsfolk when adversaries assail — to unsheathe 
 the sword for justice when no blunter wea])on will suffice 
 to gain the victory and should life itself have to lie spent 
 in the combat, they will not shirk death as the seal of fide- 
 lity. That is the standard. Let nothing short of it 
 satisfy. Animated by such an impulse, those who raise 
 the l)anner or don the attire of martial troops will receive 
 the blessing of neighbours whose bulwark they prove : and 
 distant though the hour may be when occasion shall test 
 their valour, yet // n<er it does stri/^e, let us pray for them 
 that they be strong to con(|uer : till by each stride of 
 triumph, they become pioneers of the day when ' they 
 shall beat their swords into i)loughshares, and their spears 
 into pruning-hooks' — when ' nation shall not lift up sword 
 against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.' 
 
 Much as the methods already sketched may assist, they 
 cannot perfect the structure of national character, unless all 
 our effort wears a wreath of vital godliness. '• Re- 
 ligion of some kind is indispensable to the welfare of a State, 
 and he is an unwise prince who permits his subjects to do 
 without it." So spoke Frederick the (Ireat of Prussia : and 
 seeptic-scorner though he was, his sentence contains a 
 
15 
 
 profound truth. lUit more than a, form of reverence is rc- 
 (|uisite : the reality of worsliij) sliould pervade the inmost 
 life of a country — leading all its citizens along their 
 march, and pointing to a blessed end in the rest 
 above. For such a pilgrimage with its ultimate rewards, 
 we reckon the means of divine grace worthy of all accep- 
 tation. 'I'he word of (lod with its enlightening beams: 
 the day of (lod with its refreshing re])Ose : the house of 
 (iod with its elevating influences : the throne of (lod 
 with its satisfying comfort — these are precious to those 
 who have tried them : and if in the deepest sense we 
 adopt the axiom of iMigland's present Premier — " that all 
 nations wither who reject the cross," then should we 
 cherish dearly every ordinance of which the religion of 
 the Crucified is the Alpha and Omega. Woe to our coun- 
 try if we set at naught the line upon line of His love ! 
 Better to lose harvests and fortunes and estates around, than 
 the sunshine of His smile. Retain it, and in their absence 
 we are not paui)crs — while with their presence we are pros- 
 perous indeed : remembering that He whose we are, 
 claims our existence as a reasonable service, and persua- 
 ded that the more such worshij) is offered on His altar, 
 the more liberal recompense from His treasury will attend 
 our pursuits. " Jloliucss io the Lofui.'' i.et that be the 
 motto stamped first on our souls. Next on all brain-work 
 and hand-work proceeding from that sanctified shrine, let 
 
 the same letters be legible : till on bale and balance : on 
 plough and platform : on desk of the merchant and deck 
 of the mariner : on floor of the jnipil and chair of the 
 tutor : on seat of the law-maker and bench of the law- 
 keeper : on literature in every sha^ie and activity of every 
 name : on ctll \v<tK ^vhich wt <^aft:be'busie^:and bettered 
 
 
10 
 
 — till on all such, the inscri[)ti()n he visihlc — '* they are 
 the Lord's." 
 
 W hether any of us may have toiled after so commenda- 
 ble a fashion, (lod and our consciences know. Jf we have 
 helped His jiian wlio has appointed our iiabitalion, let 
 Jliin receive tlie praise. If ind(jlent hitherto, let the time 
 past suffice for sloth, and the future find us vigorously vi- 
 gilant. To this retrospect on one hand, to that resolution 
 on the other, may the Memorial of this day prove a stimu- 
 lus : and whether our years be many or few, when they ter- 
 mmate below, i)erhaps survivors shall venerate our names. 
 To earn their gratitude will be to us a joy. Hut to receive 
 the Well Done of the Omniscient Judge to possess the 
 immunities of the Celestial region — to jjartake there of 
 communion with the bestof every clime and expect in their 
 endless fellowship a ceaseless addition to our bliss — to em- 
 ploy our increased delights for the honour of Him who is 
 the hountain of life, and to cast our fairest crowns as 
 troj)hies of redeeming mercy at Kmmanuel's feet — that will 
 be the sum of pleasure ! For this we look. Nearer to the 
 goal would each step bend : and not lost will this domin- 
 ion DAY prove to us or our kinsmen if it lead brothers in 
 position to be brethren in prosi)ect — as all take up the 
 pilgrim's language : " Wc are journeying to the place of 
 which the Lord hath said, I wnll give it you. Come thou 
 with us, and we will do thee good : for the Lord hath 
 spoken good concerning Israel." 
 
 
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