The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-22 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL _HUMILIATION.

Yesterday being set aside for prayer and humiliation
to the Divine Majesty, and imploring his blessing and
assistance on our arms for the restoration of peace to
her Majesty and her dominions, it was observed in Lou.
don with much respect. All the Government establish-
ments,were
closed, R oy Royal
dthe Exchange,entire
eLbluoys
business
s doofcktah, banks, &o.,
e
with very few exceptions, was suspended. All the lead-
ing railways out of London limit id their trains to those
metropolis,
running on Sui,days.
At half-past eleven the Lord Chancellor, attired in
his robes, preceded by the officers of the House of Lords,
the mace, and seal, went from the House of Lords to
Westmix ter Abbey. His lordship was accompanied by
a number of peers. Amongst them were the Earl
Granville, Earl Grey, Lord Redesdale, Earl Walde-
grave, Marquis of Anglesey, and several of the bishops
in full canonica's. The Bishop of Salisbury preached
the sermon, taking his text from the 18th chapter of St.
Luke, 13th versa—" God be merciful to me a sinner."
At twelve o'clock the members of the House of Corn-
mons proceeded on Foot to St. Margaret's Church. The
Speaker, who was robed, was attended by a large circle
of members. Amongst them we observed Lord Pal-
merst in, Sir George Grey, Mr. Disraeli, Mr. Vernon
Smith, Sir B. Hall, Sir J. W. Hogg, Lord A. Paget,
Mr. T. Hankey, Lord Ebrington, ke. A most eloquent
discourse was delivered by the Rev. Mr. Melvill. Both
the Abbey and church were inconveniently crowded, and
a large comourseassembled in Parliament-street to view
the procession from the two houses.
In the afternoon the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, and Cor-
poration attended divine service at St. Paul's Cathe-
dral, the sermon being preached by the Bishop of London.
Collections were made at most of the churches, which
were all thronged.

The following reports give a fair idea of the various
sermons which were preached upon this solemn oc-

casion :

WESTMINSTER ABBEY.
Long before the hour appointed for the commencement
of divine service every part of the Abbey was densely
Bishop
spw' e
ofr
ae
sdt hot
g.e
rALa
vso
aor
pd, hto :nue, cßeßli lsoohdroo, Edoaaf Earle,
SL David's
Lord
crowded. Amongst the members of the Upper House pre.
p
The sermon was preached by the Lord Blailsß'ehOrEp.knaceorr.fls'GSartlehiyse:
Salis-
bury, from Luke xviii., part of verse 13, " God be merci-
ful to me a sinner." The subjoined is the principal portion
of the right rev. prelate's discourse :
The judgment that the war is a just and necessary one
is very unanimous, and, on the whole, correct ; and I put
this remark on the very front of this discourse, because a
different judgment would introduce into the subject of
humiliation on this day other elements than those which
now belong to it. One effect of such a judgment should be
to increase, quicken, and confirm our endeavours to obtain
success, and secure the restoration of peace. Whatever
skill and genius, and prudence and forethought, and manly
energy can do, should be done; but perhaps my office to-
day is not so much to deal with these secondary causes as
to bring you to that point in the chain of causation when
we come into the presence of the ordaining will of God,
and to remind you that the most powerful instruments we
can use when in that presence are prayer and fasting, and
resolutions of amendment of life and almsgiving. Now,
there are various metaphysical difficulties about prayer ;
but the promises about it in Scripture, the examples of
oieegleca enjoyedvenodboubt that prayer is y God's children of
successful prayer, and the doctrine of our Lord's inter-
cession,
intercedingand
fortheh
lt3rvrisl,
a means of obtaining blessings of pardon and grace,
and all other gifts of God ; and the Church has ever mani-
fested in its life its firm conviction that this is so. But,
besides this testimony of God in his word, and in the prac-
tice of His Church, you may catechise God's people on this
subject, whatever be their condition—be they martyrs, or
rich men and yet poor in spirit, or the most destitute in
oar alleys and byways, and they will tell you what has
been in their case the happy issue of reaching forth their
hands in prayer towards the mercy-seat of their God. But
as this means of grace may be used well or ill—in the spirit
: that we present ourselves
of the publican or in the spirit of the Pharisee—we must
take care
ocrd ieohtohiev
sWaOmegarbengage
and
in
itharacter in which we have
commonly appeared before Ilis all-seeing eye. We should
confess the plague-spots which mark our present condition
as a nation, and which are, for example, such as these :
the great want of provision of the ordinances of our holy
religion for our increasing population, and the scanty main-
tenance given in new endowments for those who minister
God's word and sacraments ; the neglect of education, and
of reforming criminals, and of reclaiming Magdalenes ; the
imperfect condition of our hospitals, as places where not
only bodily but spiritual diseases may be healed ; the wide-
spread indulgence in the lusts of the flest ; the unbridled
licence of the tongue for which wo are remarkable ; our
boastful and contemptuous temper ; our love of money,
4 and all its attendant Inas; cur put couislougi in our