XVI. THREE SUMMERS OF WAR: THE REVOLUTION AND THE REBELLION.

"Whose are the fathers." —Romans ix. 5.

ARGUMENT. — Comparing the Revolution and Rebellion at the end of three years. 1. Military. How the Revolution stood; its disasters and depressions. Our position; its superiority. 2. Moral. Attempt to seduce the leaders to return to the British crown. Its failure. Our progress in Liberty and Union. 3. Financial. The downfall of Continental paper. Extravagance of the people. 4. Other troubles. Mutiny. Sectional prejudices. Feuds among the officers. Our superiority in all these respects. The likeness of the causes for which we are contending.

XVII. THE CRISIS HOUR.

Delivered in Boston, on the National Fast, August 4, 1864, .

421

“Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"- Ezekiel xxxiii. 11.

ARGUMENT. — The length and bloodiness of the war. The same number of combatants as of slaves. The refusal of Congress and the President to confess the national sin. 1. Our perils. We may fail. Because we are false to Christ as a people. The national impiety. Because we are false to our Democratic pretensions, in despising our fellow-men. 2. Our duties. Prayer. Conformity of our acts with our professions. Support the church and nation. 3. Encouragements. Slavery practically dead. The despised slave wonderfully uplifted. Our future success certain.

XVIII. THE WORLD WAR: ARISTOCRACY AND DEMOC

RACY.

Delivered in Boston, on the occasion of the Annual State Fast,
April 4, 1864,

439

"Behold, this One is set for the fall and the rising again of many.” - Luke ii. 34.

ARGUMENT. — America at war with Europe from the beginning of her Revolution. Inconsistency in exposting sympathy and aid from England and France. I. Three ideas born into human society with the American nation. 1. A successful

revolution in favor of human rights. All other successful revolutions only con-

cerned the people that accomplished them. America felt that she was fighting for

the world. 2. Formation of colonies into separate and semi-sovereign States.

3. Organizing of States into a Federal Union. II. The effect of this work on Eu-

rope. It brought forth the French Revolution, and awakened like spírit every-
where. III. Why it failed. Because of the hostility of the priesthood, the alliance
of kings, offensive and defensive, and our Neutrality: the last was the chief cause
of its failure. The error of Washington. Its results; developed slavery, caused
indifference to European struggles, and created foreign Neutrality against our-
selves. IV. The march of our Ideas. How Britain preserved her institutions
against them: by war with France; by suppressing freedom of speech. V. The
present state of the war. Alliance against America. England's leadership in
it. Wherefore. VI. Future of Europe. Democratic uprisings. Poland, Italy,
and Grecce assuming the American form; equal rights for all, Free States, and
Federal Union. Conflicts preliminary to its success. VII. Impediments being
removed. European Democrats making common cause. The Church beginning to
coöperate. America must remove the last obstacle, and openly befriend their
struggling nationalities.

XIX. THE END NEAR.

Delivered in Boston, September 11, 1864, on the occasion of the

Capture of Atlanta,

"The morning cometh."-Isaiah xxi. 12.

473

Through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Day-spring from

on high hath visited us." - Luke i. 78.

ARGUMENT. The waning condition of "the Confederacy." Analogy of a like
prostration of the North. Our duty; to stand firmly; to support the government in
the present national Presidential struggle at the polls; to preach and practice the
whole truth involved in this conflict.

XX. THE WONDERFUL YEAR.

Delivered in Boston, January 1, 1865, .

489

"The year of the right hand of the Most High." - Ps. lxxiii. 11.

ARGUMENT. ·England's Annus Mirabilis, just two hundred years ago save one.

The superiority of America's. I. Our military progress during the year. II. Our
Political Contrast of this election and that of 1864. 1. In the circumstances under
which it was fought. (1.) Slavery a unit and universal in the South then; ceased
now. No sale of men and women. No separation. Milder treatment. (2.) Ir the
freedom of the election. 3.) In the advanced principles for which it fought. No

extension of slavery its motto then; no existence of it now. 2. It established
three essential ideas: Union; how mightily this sentiment has grown and pre-
vailed. 3. Liberty, its progress more vital and more marvellous. Democracy, or
the equality of the rights of all men. The Supreme Court then and now. 4. Con-
sequences. Liberation of Europe. Fraternization of America. 5. Duties. Aboli-
tion of all prejudices. Granting to all, civil equality and fraternity. The church
should grow in this grace. The summons and blessing of God.

XXI. THE VIAL POURED OUT ON THE SEAT OF THE BEAST.

Delivered in Boston, March 5, 1865, on the occasion of the Fall of

Charleston,

517

"And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast;

and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues

for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sores, and

repented not of their deeds." Revelation xvi. 10, 11.

ARGUMENT. — Extreme contrasts in the calls of the government and the war to
the sanctuary; sorrowful, joyful. The character of this summons. Draw near to
this burning and consider. I. The Sin. Why the Seat of the Beast. How far its
atrocities exceeded those of any other spot in Christendom. Paris, London, Rome.
The condition of the majority of the people of Charleston. Chief in this sin because
she supported it by law, society, and religion; because she saw first and sought
most the destruction of Abolitionism. II. Her Punishment. The Vial poured out.
Compared with New Orleans, Nashville, Savannah, all other cities. Even Richmond
suffers less. III. The instrument by which her punishment is effected. Her own
hand and her own slaves. The soldiers burned her, her slaves rule her. IV. Les-
sons. 1. No greatness aught against God. 2. The earth to be regenerated.
Charleston to be renewed in righteousness. 3. God Impartial. If He spares not
them, not us. Unless we repent we shall all likewise perish. V. Future duties.
beckon us. This victory but a beacon. Will we follow ?

XXII. JEFFERSON DAVIS AND PHARAOH.

Delivered in Boston, April 9, 1865, on the occasion of the Flight of

Jefferson Davis from Richmond,

529

“ In very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee

My power; and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth.”

Ex. ix. 16.

ARGUMENT. — Historic paralls. Plutarch's: Napoleon and Cæsar. Propriety
of considering this analogy. The victory ours. Proper study of the war from the

side of God, that is from the side of the slave. Thus we study the Hebrew eman-

cipation; thus will the future this. What stood in the way of emancipation ?

1. The words and construction of the Constitution. 2. Aversion of the North to

Abolitionism. 3. The purpose of the South to prevent it. The first two over-

come by allowing the last to become strong. This strengthened itself in the char-

acter of Jefferson Davis. I. Resemblance between him and Pharaoh. 1. In free-

dom of action. No compulsion on either. 2. In character. (1.) Clear perception

of the effect of any concession. (2.) Steadiness of purpose. Resistance of begin-

nings to submission. (3.) Power to develop like strength in others. 3. In work.

(1.) Pharaoh only known from his connection with emancipation, so will Davis

only be known. (2.) How each resisted in every step of the conflict. 4. In fate,
Pharaoh perished in power if not in life; so will Davis sink into weakness and
obscurity. II. Why did God raise him up? 1. To release enslaved millions. 2. To
give them especial honor. 3. To unite all mankind in one.

XXIII. THE UNITER AND LIBERATOR OF AMERICA.

Delivered in Boston, April 23, 1865, on the occasion of the Death of

Abraham Lincoln,

"Thy gentleness hath made me great."— Ps. xviii. 35.

"He saved others, himself he cannot save." Matt. xxvii. 42.

“All nations shall call him blessed.”

Ps. lxxii. 17.

551

ARGUMENT. -National agony of sorrow. I. The character of Abraham Lincoln.
1. Honesty. 2. Guilelessness. 3. Impartiality of judgment. 4. No step back-
ward. 5. Playfulness. 6. Integrity. 7. Love. Repose of the nation in his love.
This causes the present anguish of heart. II. Iis career. Two obstacles to be
overcome, Disunion and Slavery. The war of the elements. His fitness for uniting
the North. His conciliatory nature and policy prevented Northern disruption,
and divided the border. His great act. His murderer not Booth, not Lee; a
greater criminal than both, Slavery. How shall his death be avenged? By greater
faithfulness to the cause for which he died. His growing faithfulness. His dying
words and deeds. Last inaugural. Entry into Richmond. His work done. Ours
before us. Obedience to highest duties the only imitation of him. Will we thus
lament and follow him?

XXIV. PEACE: HER GIFTS AND DEMANDS.

Delivered in Boston, July 9, 1865,

66

They are dead that sought the young Child's life.”

. 581

Matthew ii. 20.

"The Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that He sware

unto their fathers; and there stood not a man of all their enemies before
them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed
not aught of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house
of Israel; all came to pass.” —- Joshua xxi. 43–45.

ARGUMENT.

The first Fourth of July after the Revolution and this; analogy.
The national joy. I. Blessings of this peace. 1. Peace itself. Horrors of war; on
the field; to the maimed soldiers; to the bereaved. 2. It restores the supremacy
of the law. 3. Bestows liberty. Might have been without liberty. Contrast with
the last five anniversaries of Independence. II. Demands. The abolition of social
and political slavery. The outer fetters fallen. What those were. Extract from
auction bills of the Slave Mart of Charleston. Just punishment of God. Past prog-
ress assures the future unity of the race. All lands coming to America. All here
may be regenerated.

XXV. AMERICA'S PAST AND FUTURE.

Delivered on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1868, at Medford,
Massachusetts, on the occasion of the Election of President
Grant, .

. . 603

"To-morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant."
Isaiah lvi. 12.

ARGUMENT.— The conflict of Chaos and the calm of Creation. I. Antiquity of
Slavery. The woman the slave to her husband; the other children to the first-born.
Its prevalence. Judea the only Free State when Christ came. Her fall. The
deliverance of Europe from it, through the Church. II. Its prevalence outside her
territory and faith. Rise of African slavery. How it reached and spread in America.
Error of Columbus, and all that followed him, of every language and religion.
III. God's controversy with it. Corruption of Church and State. Slow renova-
tion. Instruments by which it was wrought out. Culmination of the work in
war. IV. General Grant; his foresight of the greatness of the struggle; his ob-
scurity; his military genius; the cause he served; saving the nation and destroy-
ing slavery. Advantage over all other generals in that respect. V. Meaning of the
election. Order; Safety; Progress, and Perfection in political and social liberty.
Aversion to color must change to love. Amalgamation God's work, act, and
decree. Signs of its advent. Happy results to all the world from the fraternity of
man in America. Other reforms. Temperance. Woman's ballot. The glowing
future. Christ over all, God blessed forever.