in one of the world’s oldest republics,
and the spectre of democracy
is allowed to raise its head
for one intense and momentous day.
The Revolution
swept away the bulwarks of monarchy
with all its powerful magic,
never to let it again steal the voice
of the people,
but perpetuating and extending
that voice from sea to shining sea
and to the ends of the earth
till the end of time.
Glorious in aspect,
and fearful, now the will of the people
would be the same as the will of God
—as long as the people were under God,
who alone is their King.
This was the vision,
a first enfleshening of the promise
that God will live among men.
‘And the Word became flesh,
and pitched His tent among us.’
The powerful magic
of monarchs, which let one rule
in the name of God
to the good or ill of the people, is gone.
Now we have
no one but ourselves to praise or to blame
if we set up princes
to rule us in their own names,
who give not the honor and glory
back to the One who alone
sits on the Throne.
Democracy,
even for a moment,
can be a dreadful thing,
or a blessing.
Pray, brethren,
that what our people conceive this night
is not the child of lawlessness, born of adultery.
Pray that the fruit of our tree will be good fruit,
because a tree can be known by its fruit.
Pray that we are still found
to be a good tree bearing good fruit.
‘Yes, even now the ax is laid to the roots
of the trees, so that any tree
which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down
and thrown on the fire.’
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