But thou shall remember the
Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,
that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers,
as it is this day.
I told you before that the book of Deuteronomy was the foundation of
all sound politics--as one would expect it to be, if its author were
Moses, the greatest lawgiver whom the world ever saw. But here, in
this lesson, is a proof of the truth of what I said. For here, in
the text, is Moses' answer to the first great question in politics,
What makes a nation prosperous?
To that wise men have always answered, as Moses answered, 'Good
government; government according to the laws of God.' That alone
makes a nation prosperous.
But the multitude--who are not wise men, nor likely to be for some
time to come--give a different answer. They say, 'What makes a
nation prosperous is its wealth. If Britain be only RICH, then she
must be safe and right.'
To which Moses, being a wise lawgiver, and having, moreover, in him
the Spirit of the Lord who knoweth what is in man, makes a
reasonable, liberal, humane answer.
Moses does not deny that wealth is a good thing.
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