The North-Carolina standard., 1850-04-17
new. mr.. Butler. Funeral Discourse

Rev. Mr.. Buffers Funeral Discourse.
We copy from the Washington Republic the fol-
lowing discourse of the Rev. Nh. Butler, delivered
over the remains of Mr.. CALHOUN, in the Senate
chamber, on Tuesday:
al have said ye gods, and all of you children
Of the Most High hut shall die like and fall like
one of the prince.."-Ps. lxxxii, v. and 7.
One of the princes is fallen! prince in intel
lect; prince in his sway over human hearts and
minds: prince in the wealth of his own generous
affections, and in the rich of admring love
noured into his heart prince in the dignity of his
demeanor This prince has fallen-fallen!
And We ALL his friends and peers, illustrous states
men. orators and warriors, {" have said ye gods,
and all of you are children of the Most High but
ye shall die like men, and fall like this one OF tho
princes" >,
The praises of the honored dead have been, here and
elsewhere, fitly spoken. The beautifully blended
benigny, dignity. simplicity, and purity OF the hus-
band the father and the friend the integrity, sagac-
ity, and energy of the statesman; the hgh-wronght
vigor. the compressed intenseness, the~direct and
rapd logic of the oator-all these have been vividy
nortrayed by those who illustrate what they describe
There seem to linger still around this hall echoes of
the voices which have faithfully skeched the life,
SO happily Disseminated the powers, SO
" eulogzed the virtues of the departed, that the
Muse of History will note down the words as the
outline of the future lofty narrative, her nice analysis,
and her glowing praise.
But the echo Of those eulogies dies away. All
that was mortal of their honored object lies here, un-
conscious in the theatre OF his glory; Lord OF The
lion heart and eagle eye, there he les-that strong
heart still that bright eye DIM Another voice
claims your ear The minister of God standing over
the dead, is sent to say, said ye are gods and all
of YOU are the children of the Most High; but ye
shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes"
He is sent to remind you that there those here,
not visible the eye Of sense, who are greater than
the greatest-even DEATH AND DEATH's LORD AND
MASTER!
Death is here see him stand over his PROSTATE
victim, and grimly smile, and shake his unsated
spear, and bid Us all attend this day on him. He is
king to-day and leads all captive in his train, to
swell his triumph, and proclaim his power. And
there visiant that can stand before the soul OF
man with such claims his awed, INTENT and teach
able attention. When, as day and in scene
like this, he holds US in his presence, and bids us
hear hm, who can dare disregard his mandate! Oh
there ia no thought fact, having reference to this
brief scene of things however it come with port
and tone of dignity and power, which does notd win
die into meanness in the presence OF that great 1aet
that great thought which has entered into the Capitol
,o-day-death To be made to see that, By law
perfectly inevitable and irresistible, soul and body
are soon to separate that this busy scene of earth is
to be suddenly and forever left that this human soul
is to break through the circle of warm. congenal,
familiar and kindred sympathies and associations,
and put off all alone into the silent dark-ths is
the message to US of death. And as, this message
is spoken to a soul which is conscious OF sin,
which knows that it has not in itself resources for
sefpuri6cation and selfsustaning joy and peace,
which realizes retributon eternal, moral law,
comes fraught with the unrest which causes it to
be dismissed, or which lodges it in the sou-a visi-
whose first coming is gloom. but whose contin-
ued presence shall be glory. Then the spirit, peer
ing with intense earnesness into the dark unknown
may in vain question earth OF the destiny OF the soo
beyond the grave, and lift to Heaven the passionate
invocation
"Answer me, burning stars Of night
Where hath the spirit gone,
Which passed the reach of mortal sight,
Fen 4 a breeze hath flown!
And the stars answer him, We roll
In pomp and power on high,
But of the pever-dying soul
Ask things that cannot die ~
fittings that cannot die - God only can tell US
Of the sprit-word He assures US, by his Son, that
death is the child of sin. He tells what is the power
of this king of terrors. He shows that in Adam
all die" He declares to Us that, sinful by nature
and by practice, condemned to death; that We
are unfit for Heaven; that We consigned to wo;
that the destiny Of the soul which remains thus
demned and unchanged far drearer and more dread
full beyond than this side the grave No wonder that
men shrink from the thought Of death, for all his
messages are woful and appalling.
But, thanks be to God though death be here, 50
also is Deaths Lord and Master. ''As in Adam all
die, so in Christ shall all be made alive" That
SdVlOur, ChIlSt. assures 0S all VINO repent
forsake their sins, who believe in Him and live to
Him, shall rise to life glorious and eternal with Him
and His in Heaven. He tells that if We are His,
those sharp shafts which death rattes in ear to-
day shall but ransfx and but for season, the gar
ment of our mortality and that the emancPated spir-
Its of the righteous shall be borne angel wings to
that peaceful Paradise where they shall enjoy pepet-
ual rest and felicity. Then it need not be voice of
gloom which announces to us to-day. Ye shall die
as men, and fall one of the princes; for it tells
US that the humblest of men may be- made equal to
the angels, and that earth's princes may become
"kings and priests unto God.
In the presence of these simplest, yet grandest
truths with these thoughts of death and the conquer
or of death and, above all, with this splendid
ply of his power, proudly held up by death
to-day, need utter to you no commonplace on the
vanity Of life, the inevitableness of DEATH and the
solemni,ies of our after-being. Here, and now, on
this theme, the silent dead 10 preaching to you more
impressivey than could the eloquent Of the liv-
Ing. You feel it now, in your inmost hearts, that
that great upper range of things with which you !,
are connected as immortals; that moral admnistra-
ton of God which stretches over the infinite of exis
'ence that magnificent system of ordered govern
ments, to whose lower range we now belong which
consists of thrones, dominions, principaties and I
powers, which rise, t'sFe - : t7gy /
"Orb DER orb, and height DER height"
20 20 The enthroned Supreme you feel that this, your
nlgh relation to the Infinite and Eternai makes poor
ana a. low the most august and imposing scenes and t
olsnnes OF earth, which fit like shadows, through
yoot tnree-score years and ten. Oh! happy if the
'S'o sentiment Of the hour shall become the actual.