Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-05-28

al was dumb With silence held my peace event from
good; and my sorrow stirred. Ny heart was hot
within mel while was musing the fire burned then
spake with my tongue. i-Psdim xxx; 2, g.
This passage may be considered the natural
history OF private and personal grief at public
wrong. II is supposed to be descriptive, not of
pous emotons,so much as of the ordinary feelings
ana experiences of man who sees some great
lnlquity transacted be ore his eyes, and who is at
hrst astonished and well nigh stupefed who then
reflects upon it silently and the more he medi.
tates, the more does his heart swell with lust in
dignatlon; his thoughts within him become
heated and intensified, until he can hold his
peace no longer; hi; inward grief, instead of be.
ing soothed by his determination to suppress it,
is only ,sed, excited and exasperated The
less he says the more he feels, until at length he
is all on fire His inward musings now break
forth IN utterance, while language clear, vigor-
Gus, indignant, and sternly denunciatJry falls
IRON his lips
confess to personal experience within the
last forty eight hours, very similar to this OF the
Psalmist. A hurried sketch of the late brutal
transactions in the Senate of the United States,
was borne to us over he wires some two days
since 1t came with startling effect. We could
not believe at hrst, the words that the telegra phi
spelled out to us We were stunned, almost as
much as ii oar heads had been heaten and broken
with a gutta- percha club. We knew not what to
say and tor period were dumb with silence"
There Is certainly some mistake about it. This
cannot be-and in the Senate Chamber, too We
are not savageS. We will even hold our peace,
until the next message comes to tell US that it
was magnetic blunder, and no reality But the
news is confirmed and all the revolving particu
lars are added to the first announcement And
now our g sorrow is stirred - for we have l0Ued
that brave and noble spirited man His utter
ances have often been sublime, in naked truth
and eternal principles, yet beautiful with all the
drapery of poetry, and rich in all the stores of
learning. The music of his voice had but just
died away, and the manly sentiments he uttered,
are now flying on ten thousand paper wings, to
millions of readers in both hemispheres. And
when thought of him, the beloved of Massa.
chusetts, the apple of our eye, bleeding at the
repeated strokes of cowardly rufian, and stain
ing the carpet and furniture of our National Par.
lament with the richest blood of our Common.
wealth, verify our "heart was hot within us"
and unused thereon, the fire of honest in
dgnation burned, high and yet higher, till we
could contain our speech no more.
There are times when speech is out of place,
and silence is golden; but those times are not,
when to be silent, is to partake of the crime -
Guilty completely with the offence, or at least
cold indifference respecting it. might properly
enough be charged upon one who utters no in
dlgnant remonstrance against the commission of
such cold blooded and murderous outrage
against all the privileges Of official station, the
cOurtesies of social and civilized life, and the
sanctities of the Supreme Power.
For myself, l AN not made of that material
that will not kinde under such a provocation-
And, therefore, am disposed to give you, my
hearers, some of those meditatlons that this new
atrociry has suggested
l have not decided to do so, without carefully
weighing this question wa At do ana goodl l
would bring no theme to this sacred place, that
does not promise to do some one good. Many
things that are true, might here be uttered, that
would be OF no benefit to any one; how will it be
with this do not know 1t may do good, or
it may not and respecting this, the usual risk
must be run. One thing is clear-a clerg, man
uuty Is not faithfully done, aatieSS he acts up0R
public opinion as powerfully as possible. He
stands at iountain-head OF influence, and ne
would be false, both to his position and to HIM
self did he not do all that lies in his power to
mould the opinions of his fellow men, on all i'm
portant questions of belief and practice He can
do no less than this, and he must choose the best
methods of accomplishing it. For this is he sent
of God. For this is he anointed to the ministry
of the gospel.
And this being so, it will be seen that he may
secure double advantage by watching for favor
able opportunities. He who makes hay while the
sun Shines and he who strikes when the iron is
hot Is no wiser than he who jumps at favorable
OCCASIONS and strives to impress very deeply
truth, concerning which the minds OF men are
especially excited at the time. We must take the
tide at the food We cannot afford to lose so
much of our labor as we do, in laundering into
the ears OF the deaf, and holding up shapes of
Oedut1 belOTe Lle eyes OF the OltnQ. Ana Wlen
once men begin to see and feel on any important
subject, our words of prompt illustration, and
ready encouragement, may make them see the
more clearly, and feel the more keenly.
And besides. the pulpit should, l think, be
emnently PRACTICAL and alive TO the great issues
OF the day. This institution is not huge fossil,
set up for exhibition, like an exhumed mummy,
fast-bound in the grave-clothes of antiquity and
Journalism. This church edifice is nearly one
hundred years old, but its minister is not nor are
So cf,tl 10,
ing. We profess to have our eye open to all that
the world Is doing, and propose to have person.
al share in its various deeds. We have something
to DO with every sect, every party, every govern
meni, and every interest, the face of the
earth. Liy ng not to ourselves, and meaning not
to die to ourselves, looking every man not on his
own things, but on the things OF others, we pro
pose to be universal meddlers, and to have stake
in every venture that affects the interests of cur
common humanity
Depend upon it, this pulpit will not be one to
ignore attempts TO stlhe liberty of Speech 1t will
not be one to raise no no.e of warning, when this
GEAR privilege OF treemen is cuTtaied by violence
and cIoyen down BY tyranny and malignity. No
sieve is here shaken on Sundays, which is OF such
weird construction as TO let mOnstrous oppres-
sions, and great daring crimes, fall through the
wires, while they carefully retain all the fine. spun
cobwebs OF theology, all the sharp splinters of
excited controversy, and the curiosities OF bald
sectarianlsm. The strong meat of Christian doc
trlnes will here be given forth, together with the
strong meat of Christian duty; and it will be no
fault OF ours, if the people do not feed on both.
Great principles will be illustrated by current
events, while we attempt to cast a weekly horo.
scope both OF the heavens and the earth and
seriousl, strive to answer to the serious question:
once in seven days, the anxious inquiry - n atch-
man, what of the night?" My regular hearers
Will bear me witness, moreover, that it is prIn-
clple with me, to make the sanctions and obga.
tons of religion touch every interest, duty, and
relation of man, well as every fact and event
OF daily life A shame on this attempted divorce
OF Christianity from the common life of man =.
Are we not commanded to do every thing, with
out exception, to the glory of God? Whatever
is thus done, even if it be to eat and drink, is
done relIgIously. Whatever is not thus done,
religion must condemn. There is then o limit
to the gospel. Its reach is infinite. 1t goes
everywhere. 1t traverses the whole domain of
responsible life Your secrets and bounds cannot
keep it from entering. 1t overleaps them. 1t
has no peace for the wicked, and no compassion
for sin. The reform of Christianity is a most
searching and resolute reform 1t follows the
offender through the din oil business, the slough
Of politics, the cayerns of crime, and the hidden
retreats of pleasure. 1t pursues him with a whip
Of scorpions in hand, aud, like the ayengGr of
blood, ready to slay- remorselessly, every ini-
qulty, for which no city OF refuge has been pro
vlded.
All other means inferior to the gospel all
others are temporary and ephemeral There is
one, and but one antdote tor sin. 1t is the
eternal Truth of God, revealed by his word and
his spirit. Nothing else can exercise the demon
When the law of Christianity is laid upon any
iniquity, it is then outawed its eve is put out
its snews are cut, its yigor is departed its soepre
is lost. 1t may live awhile longer, but not above
ground. 1t can no more be called honorable and
M rtnKr aa.,I IL