..%. ci3ATx% IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4 / O {./ L seeui toolish that the enlightened, progressive and highly eulogized present should take lessons, from the conservative and ignorant past. And yet we may possibly find that modern changes in society and departures from eld ways ot thinking and living, are not all praiseworthy, and that whatever real ioAprovement and advance- ment has been made, is due to the labors institutions and principles, undergone, maintained and assurted by our ancestors in days gone by. The remark of Emerson, «that while society has acquired new arts, it has lost its old instincts," is literally true of the present, as contrasted with the past. THB rORMlB DATS. We do not say that in everything the 0^ ./<) former days were better than these. We are not pessimists. We recognise with gratitade the onward march ot civili- sation and caltnre that the nineteenth centary boaste of, and the sarnests of a still better futare for onr land and for the world. We do not claim for onr forefathers a mon- opoly of wisdom, or prudence, or virture, or religion. They were fallible as we are. They had imperfections, and follies, and mistakes in judgment. We do not take them for onr guides in solving many intri- cate questions that were not agitated in their day, and are the outcome ot a differ- ent state of society than that in which their lot was cast. Nor need we slavishly follow them in manners and cui^toms, which are but the accidents of existence. But be- lieving that in the main they endeavored to conform their lives to the requisitions of a sound morality, and were thus prospered in their endeavors to found systems ot civil and religious polity that continue to be the admiration of the world, it is surely the part of wisdom to study their character, the principles which directed them, and tiie paths in which they walked. If it is the duty of the indi- Tidnal to scan the ieesons of the past, so it is of the nation. Toung in years compared with the old world, and that empire from which many of us have sprung, it is well to know how in circumstances far more unpro- pitioos than onrs,and in spite of persecution ando ppo8ition,they acquired such a goodly '\ heritage, as they have beqneathed to their descendants. M^ith us it is but the bti^in- Ding of an empirv, destined we londly hope to occupy no mean place, in tbe iulfllmont of God's grand designs with humanity at large. Without being over sanguine, every true patriot can say: — **I hear the tread of pioneers. Of iiations yet to be; Tbe first low wash of waves, where soon Shall full a human sea. The rudiments of empire here, Are pJastio jet and warm; The chaos ol a mighty world, Is rouniing into form ** TBI OLD PATHS. Tbe phrase *'old paths,'' m'^'^ns methods ot living, maxims approved, truths be- lieved, and principles adopted. The language gives us a hint of the primitive modes of travel in Palefitine, where there were, and still are but few roads, and where communication between distant' tribes was difficult and tedious. Then by an easy and natural transition, it is used for the habits, manners and dispositions of men, or the fixed methods of legislation and government either in churoh or state. We know from Scripture, what Israel was in the days when faithful to her law-giver, and observant ot his testimonies, she en- joyed his favour and protection. We know also, why Qod visited her with judgment and dimmed her glory. In the text, the prophet exhorts the Jews to cease from backsliding and diyisive courses, that have bren 80 pernicious aad proJuotive of ovll. 'TbUH Baith the Lord, stand ve in the ways and 8ee and ask for tiie old paths, where is the {^ood wayr,and walt£ therein.and ye shall ti.id rest for your souls." Thifl evening as appropriate to the occasion, we use the text as an exhortation to study the history of that land whence our fathers caine, that wo U)uy copy those virtuet) aud exoellencii-s tnat made her so conspicuous and so hon* or^ble in tbe eyes of other nations. TUB FAlTa AND PtlAOTICB 07 OUH rORBFATHIUS. Enquiring into the doctrines and prac- tice of our fathers in days gone by, we find : - I. Uamistikeable belief in a living God ; in an overruling providence ; in a rovela- tioQ from the Almightv to the soul of every man, and in a coming day ot judgment. Details as to creeds and confessions, which tbey at times perhaps unduly magnified, and held too obstinately, need not be refer- red to. But in regard to those great funda- mental actions that are inseparable from any (system of religion worthy of the name, they gave forth no uncettain sound. 11. Gegarding' the word of God as in- spired and profitable for doctrine, rep i oof, correction and instruction in rit^hteousness, they made it a daily stuJy in their homes, and in their schools, and endeavored to regul&te, not only their individual conduct, but the nation in its corporate capacity, by -•v M \ -•«>>. hi \ its demande, Tbe condact of rulern, br well as ruled, was judged by its standard of iutegrlty and honor. What was wron^ in fi 6 humblest was ref^arded as a greater wrong in tbe highest citizen. Frauds per- petrated in higb places were considered more dangerous to morals than breaches of tbe law )n private life. With unsparing and impartial juptlce, luing and cottager, prince and peasant, were arraigued before th& bar of public opinion and the courts ot law regardless of consequences. III. This stern administration of tbe higher law brought with it inic family and social life a rigor and severity that cannot be understood, and is often most ignorantly and unreasonably vilified. Tbe fact that tbe oMer members ol the family were en- titled to the respfict and obedience of tbe younger, that their commands were to be peremptorily obeyed, that parents were the sole und supreme arbiters in cases of dis- pnte, were matters universally recognlied as right and proper, and never called in question The prompt and impressive in- fliction of punishment for wrong domflr may at times have been excessive, and may have hindered the full flow of that mutaal love which secures confidence and attracts the young to the old, but it was infinitely superior to that total disregard of law and order which prevails in the great aoa- jority of Canadian homes. The Sabbath in such homes was literally a day of rest. The hoDse of Ood was the meeting place wmmr 8 for nil ages. The Biblo ard the cateobism, nnd the works of old Paritan and covt'oautin^ fathers, wer<^ the books read and pondered. These were the monldmff and dlsctpliniD^i: agen- cies of the 1 'St century, and the sabjectt of dificourse in school and by cottage flresid e "The nroud pro eminence of eyery Scotch- man, was not only tbat be conld read his Bible, bat knew its meaning word tor word and lovelier still, and infinitely dearer to God, multitadtfs of redeemed souls, and hearts purified by faith, singing his praise in grave sweet mel dies." lY In tbe common relations of life they valued men for what they were, and not for what they had. Mind and morals were esteemed ot vastly greater import- ance than wealth associated with wicked- ness. Tbe standard of true nobility was that of the poet when he says: ** Worth makes the man, the want of it the fellow." A man's immoralities were not shielded or excused by his social standing, acciden- tal or acquired. No bribe could change tbe verdict of the populace or the bar. For* giveness there might be but condemna- tion none the l<-k(B. Grimes which to>day It *• .( i ti .•*>cr II are palliated and psBBed ovtr, if not indeed regarded as virtues, wern branded with the heated indignation of public opio- ion. T))e PwintHer who by sharp practice robs the widow and orphan, and embezzler the funds of public institutions, but never- theless wa^ks proudly at liberty, whilo the petty th'ef is sent to the penitentiary, would have farr^d diflferently in these by- gone days It was not the clothing of the outward man that gave a passport to homes of refinement, but the character that he bore for purity of thought, chastity of con- ver ation and sincerity of deed. The Christian sentiment of the age regarded the great brotherbood of humanity as strong«ist of all tine, and blended aatagor- istio and divtrse elements into one. And so it should ever be : "The riches of the commonwealth Are free, ntrong m^nds, and hearts of healtli: And more to her than gold or grain. The cunning hand and cultured brain.'' In the parish schools the rich man's son and the poor man's son sat side by side, and independent of tbe acci- dent of birth, were treated alike. Position did not excuse stupidity, nor did poverty prevent the attainment ot high- est honors. Those whom the world yen- erates to-day and holds in high esteem, owe the grandeur of their lives to the tremen- dous diflBculties which they encountered and overcome. The hard rocks which they quarried are engraven with their names, which are now immartal. r 12 NATIOHAL LIFI AHO H0BAL8, PiDall7, into the broader fields of nation- al aflfaifB they carried those^principles that inflaenced them a4 Individaaia. Politics, as now understood and made merchandise of, they despised. They argaed that what was srood for the unit, was good for the mass ; that an intelligent people were the source of all lawful authority, and had a right to decide what the national taith and iife should be. Herein lies the grand differ ence between the Puritans of Eugiand and the Uovenanters of Scotlan'i . The Puritan claimed individual liberty, but the Coven- anter was not satisfied until he secured the same privileges for his country. The Puritan exiles crossed the sea to enjoy liberty of con- science and freedom of worship without the oppressive enactments of human law ; but the Covenanters stood firm on their native soil and fought and gained against over* whelming numbers the battle of the faith. The idea that the word of God should have no recognition in the legislative halls of the n8 ion is a modern and monstroas theory. Oor fathers believed that in elevat- ing men to civic honors, regard should be had to morals and Christian principle more than to party and politics. In our day we pla3e partyism and political creed above character, in those chiys both were taken into account, and no man deemed worthy of responsible office, whose private life did i i n 13 not stand the honest, candid, bnt charitable scrutiny of his fellowmen . TBI 800TLAND OF TO- DAT. Thus tar 1 have been speakinji^ of what Scotland was a century ago, and subsequent to the Treaty of Union, which did much to raise her commercially, socially, and po- litically in the scale of nations. I am not speaking of what she is now. In com- merce, in wealth, in the increased comforts of the middle classes, in the more general diffusion of secular knowledge, and in many details of social life, she has made substantial progress. But in what consti- tutes the higher and nobler elements of national greatness, I bardly think she has improved, if indeed she has equalled the past. It is greatly to be feared that in later years Scotland has not maintained the faith and virtues of the fathers . In solid learning she has never excelled the scholar- ship of the past, though in superficial and ingenious criticisms of long estab- lished and accepted beliefs she is at the present day singularly advanced. In piety and devotion she has sadly retrograd- ed since the days of Samuel Buttierford, al- though in modes of Tr:;r''hip, she has made radical changes, and possibly some im« proyements. In morals, (speaking of the impression made upon a casual visitor) she has sensibly declined, in spite of all the ac- tivity of the churches, and the countless agencies at work for the elevation of the H masses. Id her cro^^ded cities eppeclally, there is littlQ to enc^urafi^o the hope that drunkennesB, immoralitf and wretched- iie.98 are lessenins:, ander the combined ef- forts of national educition and awakened religious lile. And yH, with all these drawbeclis and blemi>he8, she will even now rear favorable comparison with the new world, and iu some thiiiKS be tound worthy of imitation . THB DOMrNI^N OF CANADA, 't Onr land is indeed a goodly laud. No conntrv on the face of the earth gives IKreater promise ot a mascr^ificent fotare. Its vast extent ot territory ; its fertile 'ooil ; its agricultural and mining resources ; its bracing atmosphere; its constitutional government; its tqual rights and privileges, and its so far peaceful Hab baths, make it indeed the prospective home for millions of free, independent, prosperous, law abiding subjects. The c hinges and mar- vellous progress of the past fifty year9 cannot indeed be unduly magnified A8,*rom some mount of vision, we look back and see how the Lord has led us, and hopefully survey the future, have we not good reason to say : "Wbat change I throucih pathle s 9wilds no more, The fierce and naked savage roams : Sweet praise along the cultured shore. Breaks from ten thousand happy nomes. 15 ■-■ri' I I- Law«!, freedom, truth and faith in Oo !, Came with our fath«rHO*er the waves ; And where their pilgrim feet have trod, The God t ey trusted guards their srav^i. And here Thy name 0,Qod of love, Their children's children shall adore; Till these eternal hills remove, And spring adorns the earth no more.*' But with onr advancement in material and social comforts, there is I fear little attachment to fundamental truths, and. less regard to the practice of every day virtut'S tliat constitute real and abiding national growth Among the moie prominent evils, which every true patriot laments let me mention . First : THB BKBPTIOIBM OF TBI AOB. A large number laugh to scorn tbose *'old paths" in wtiich the fathers walked. They cannot see in them either solid hap- piness to the individual or stability to the nation The spirit ot the age is in revolt against the pa^t Discoveries in art and science, speculations in philosophy and theology, appliances and adaptations and conveniences to meet the demandd ot ex- tended commerce and increased facilities for the exchange of thought and good-feU lowship among the different peoples of the earth, generate the idea that we had better ignore the experience and gains of the past and follow an entirely different line of conduct. Never was there a period when the spirit of unrest, distrust, doubt and dis belief was so prevaieut, when men cared i6 lees for fixed laws of condart in the busi- nesg of everyday life and the administratioii ot justice. Wbat are called liberty of con- »ci«>Dce, of thrugbt and belief, are tending towards the complete re- nunciation ot settled b liefs, which in olien times were entwined in the moral sense, and are essential to right living. M relity itself is in some quarters regarded as a matter of expediency, and religions restraint caist aside as beneath the notice of full groivn men. In this whirlpool of nrxertainty, many promising yooths are bot simply giving up old for new faiths, but are in danger o! giving up ail faith in the primary verities of < xistence here and hereafter. Nations also are re- nouncing old established beliefs and cus- toms for novel and untried theories of gov- ernment, which must inevitably tend to d*rcay and disintegration. It is s»id that the Legislature of Connecticut, when they first got together before the Revolution, re- solved that the colony should be governed by the laws of God in the Old Testament, until they had time to make better. I do not know that either as a colony of Great Britain or a state of the Bepnblio, it has ever yet made better ones. Nor can any nation improve upon the theocratic teach- fogs ot the Old Testament or the Christian othica of the new. The details of goverr- ment and the customs of the Orient may change, but the ten commandments and the 17 lermoD on tbe Moant are of universe I and continuone application. Secoodly— I mention THS BAOI fOR BIOHIS. Another cbaraoteristio of onr age, i« ti e mad and feveiisb desire to accnmalate wealth, repardlers of tbe means emplovcd« Half a century ago« tbere were deb men and millionain 8, as tbere ate now, bat as a rule, capital wati gained by plodding per- Bciverance, and not as at the present day by norfgbteouB Hpecolati n, and daogerons venture 8, that patt-tke more ot the nature ot gambling, than honest business transao* tions. Toung men are not sfttiefled with salaries, lar t>eyond what their fathers start- ed with in lite. They affect a atyle of liT- ing and apf^ume an air ot importaoce, that is seldom justified by tbeir means, and ultimately ends in bankruptcy or criminal disgrace Nor is this tendency confined to young men . Tbe your g women ot to* day, are not guiltless in the matter. To gratify the extravagant whims ot fashion, and the senseless demand for rank anci social pcsi- tion, that has become a mania with certain women, homes once bappy are ruined, and their peace and contentment destroyed. Riches need not be despised but they may be, and arp, over valued. Lives are wrecked to possess what after all confers but a nominal advantage. Ici wfcat is an Astor, or a Uould, or a Yanderbilt, or a Rothschild, better than the honest work- ingman, who renders ten hours toil from i8 day to day 7 Indeod the mechanic or aver- age basioeBS man, who has just enont^h for his day's wants, ought to be ttir happier than the man who with his immense estates and IncreafiuK wealth, paspes sleepless nights in worriment about his investments, and in peril Irst sudden revulsion in the money market may rob him of his m^ans. He has no dread of robbers to waylay h^m by nit?ht, or snatch his body from the grave when dead. He has none oftuevezati. ous annoyances of law suits, that drive some rich men mad. Contented ^ith such things RS he has and assured of the fulfilment of the promise, that the righteous shall not be forsaken, nor his seed begging bread, ho seeks DO more than his Father sees tit to give : ♦•rolling, rejolo ng,sorrowing unwdrd taroujfh life he goes : Each morning sees some tas<<. begin Each evening sees it close ; &ometning aitempted. something done* Has earned a night's repose," When will men cease worsbippicg the golden calf, under the delusion that riches increase happiness ? Happiness only in- creases with a man's earnirgs up to a certain point, the point nec^issary to secure the comforts of life. All bevond this is superfluous, and productive ot no good whfttever. The richer the roan the greatr er is the probability that his sons will live on billiards, and horse racing, and aie in the inebriate Asylum. Witli a moderate income and contentment of soul, a man I 29 may he happier ^hau a prince. Without ronttntmeDt he is mifierablei even thougtt his weultb equal Ud the rent roll ot a Oroesuii Thirdly— I mention : PRODIOALITT ANDPROFLIOA.(T. As a result ot the increased we 1th otour (lay, these eviln are alarmiofitly preval«iut. I name them trtretber, for they are almost invariaMv associated. Whether the miser or the spendthrift is the more neeleBs to the commonwealth, is immaterial, bat cer* tainly at the i resent day, the latter class far exceeds the former. Riches seem to be sooght aftei, not for the opportunities they afford of doing good, but simply for the gratification of the senses. Thousands are squandered in adorning the body and pam- periog the appetite, that would g<» tar to reliew the claimant necessities of the poor. Anyone who is acquainted with the paltry sums glTen f>y t^ e rich men and so called <*fashiorable churches" for the support of the gospel .and benevolent purposes, in contrast with the amount expended upon amusements and pleasures (not always moral or elevating) cannot fail to mark the tendencies of the age. "Loveis of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of gcdline«s, bat denying the power thereof — whOFe god is their belly, and who mind earthly things/' is as fitting a description of our age, as ot Greece and Borne In days of unbridled voliiptaoasness. Mm BWW 20 8aoh a style of living is moral ruin to any land. The iceberirfl ot Greeuiand are safer tban the luxuriant foliage of a Bouth Atneri- an forest where death lurkH ; and the hard fare of a century ago was better tban Ibe pampered life ot the present. Foutthly^I mention TBI ABBOOAMOIOr TOUTH. The premature development ot so-called '( men*' on the American continent is re- marked by every foreigner. Long before they art out ot their te^ns our youth are in- troduced to society, and fond mothers are anzioQHly looking round for « suitable set- tlements '' for their children. Before our young men can construe a sentence gram- matically, or can repeat the books of the Bible, or have read (he history of their own land, far less that of the old world, they are candidates for political honors, and an- nounce tbeir opinions with nn air and authority that is amusing to older men, and long before their fathers thou r think itr«Mf bigger and wiser than an ox, but if it be a reasonablr calf, modest and free from prejudice, it Is well aware that the foints it will yield after its demise will be yery different from those of the stately and well consolidated ox, which Tuminatea m the pasture near it. But the human boy (we may change it to the Canadian boy) thinks he is a man, and even more than a man. He fancies that his mental stature is as big and solid as it will eyer become, and that his mental pro- dttotions are just what they ought always to be. If spared in the world, and if be be one of those whom years make wiser, he will look back with affiaieihenti if not with shame, upon the crude productions of his youth.'' Were I addressing tonight aoompany of yonng meh instead of older ones, I should say to theaii in someHilng 22 o( the same Rtrain that in editor 0000 preached a setmon to cer'ain college f^raiiiatea : ''Bemi mber tbat thn world if) older than you are by several years, and tbat for thousands of years i* has been fuli of hmrirter and better young men tban you, and that when the o)d globe went whirling on, nc t one man in ten millions went to their funeral, 1 or even h* ard of their death. B ' as Hmart an you can ; know us much as you can ; shed the light ot your wisdom abroad in the world, but don't imagtoe a thing is so simply because you say It is, and don't be too sorry for your father, be- cause he bnows 80 much less than you The . world has gruat need ot young men, but no greater need than young men have of it. Tour clothes ti* you better than your father's fit him and cost more money ; and your whole appearance is more stylish ; but his homely, scrambling signature on the buftine^s end of a cheque will draw more money out of the bank in five minutes than you could get out with a ream of paper and a copper-plate signature in six mo'tths. Do not be afraid that your merits will not bv discovered. If worth finding you will be tound. A diamond is not so easily found aa a quartz pebble, but people seacch for it all the more intensely. Fifthly and finally I mention. siLneBNsss. The spirit of selfishuefs, which takes no interest in the welfare of others, if personal . I II 23 ends are served, &ud olasR dititinctiuriB or what is familiarly IvQOwn as (*ca8te," are fn prevalf nt in the new world as in the old. The iuteTestM of the irioh and the poor roan have little in comm -n. Capital and labor Btaod apart and fro«n at each other. Op- preshiou and LeartleNS dealirg vu the part of the cne, and ini-ubordination and insur- rection ou the part of the other are iu%Ui(- orating a state of thii gM that make ihonttht- ful mrti tremble lest the infidel communism of the old world njay become comm n lu the new In bygone days, Ohris:ian feelitg and fiee iutercourde between master aod 8'^rvanlB made tht^m one: At) Macaaiay sayis : *'The Komans were like brothers In the brave days of old." While we cannot at once remove the cause for suuh unseemly strife, let us woik and pray for the good time coming, when on the pait of large employees there shall be greater consid* ration shown for the feelings, the health, and the social and moral welfare of their servants; and when workmen shall reasonably judge for them- selves fki: t ) their rights and obliga'ions without the inflammatory haranguts of demogagucs, and shall co-operate with their masters in what is best for their mutual interests. ^*Giv6 me/' says a Ohilslian philanthropist, "workshops filled with Christian men, and then confidence in the character of such wo.kers will take the place of BUfpicioii| and consideration of the m wmmmmt «p 24 roast'^r's difficulties, will have a placo iu the workman's thonghts. Work parifled from eye service will then be rendered for wages received, and quietly and gradually, but surely, Bweetnes(>, humanity and justice will come up into the important rdlationehip between masters and men "In our church- es we shall also see a better state of things. It is true that the ticK and poor meet here trgethei, but that is all They keep apart. 1'be richer members have no knowledge and but little sympathy with the claimant neceesiti< s of the poor, and the poor aie afraid to touch the garments of the rich, lest they should be rudely lepulsed. And yet these are * 'Brethren in Ghristl" They belong to the commuoion and household of saints: they are members ot the same spirit- ual family aud have the same Father and elder brotbei! what a mockerv ot religion? How different from apostolic days, when the members ot the early church had all things in common, and parted with their possessions as every man hud need. **Bltss- ed l«.^ he that considereth the poor: th^ Lord will delivar him in troa>'le, and he shall be blessed upon the earth.'' THB RIMIDT FOB SUCI WRONGS. Brethren of the Saint Andrew's Society, theiia growing evils in the body politic are not beyond cure. To you and all patriotic citizens is commuted the task of rectifving what is wroQg, extirpating what is bad,and pcopagatiag what is pure and virtnons, so mm^m that of all Britain's colonial posaeBsions Canada may become the laireBt and the best. '* We croRS the pralrte as of old, Our fathers crossed the sea ; To make the West, as they the East, Tne homestead of the free !" It is If individnal eftort that great re- forms are effected and nations elevated. Let your lives be spent *' In pulses stirred to geDero8!t7, In deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn For miserable aims that end with self,'' and then when the battle is over, you shall pass away, if not amid the lamenta- tions and walliuprs of the land yon have loved, at least with the feeling that you have befriended your brother man, and made the world your debtor. And then as was lately done to one of Scotia's sons, they shall put upon your cofiSn a St. Andrew's cross of lilies to speak of Scot- land and charity : a palm leaf emblematic of victory ; a sheaf of wheat to tell of a lite firuitful and ripe, and a pillctw ot immortelles to speak of rest and immor- tality. May a life so beautiful and an end so happy be the lot of one and all I