The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-12-16

Praying for the Union.
The efficacy OF prayer has been admitted by
- many genera iors and IN so many different
,leeds that il would be work Of supereroga-
Gon TO deny it at this late day. II is, however,
a curious ii CT that TIE cruelty of nation in
creases in tie exact ratio Of its piety. Pro-
b. bly, tie hardest praying people that the
wol Id las ever seen are the Hlndoo Brahmins
and tie Arab SLeiks The time which they do
no occupy in tier devotons, or in the ordi
ma affairs of every day life is taken up for
tie devising Of plans for the cutting off of
hcrct cs and iIGdels. The Christian church
pres ents us with vast amount of evidence.
poIg 10 low Il at, however effective the Pc
,itors or people who account themselves
among Il elcc may be with the Throne of
Glace, they most certainly have a tendency to
harden tie Learis OF the petitioners. When
tie Spanish inquisitors put poor trembling
we oh NJ on the rack, ares and poiers without
number were thrown in fee Of charge That
Queen Of England known a sBloody Mary"
,aitly way from her oratory, and James
IL Second was as pious as he was mean, which
il saying great deal! Nor were the Dissenters
much better. Cromwell never prayed that the
ictr's OF tie cavaliers might be turned from
NJ cr'o Of their ways, but he asked that the
aims Of tie Covenanters might be strengthened
80 lat they could smte the friends of the man
Stuart, even as the children of Israel over
threw the Nidiani'es
This fanatical spirit seems to have been
transmitted in the blood of the Purtans, and
d =, minated throughout New England and
one parts Of the North. With few honorable
exceptions the Northern clergy has laborcd yea
lousiy to draw down Divine vengeance upon the
Souti,. In every New England village sermons
have been preached against the sins" of the
South. The success Of men like Parker. Beecher
and Kirk has turned the heads Of hundreds of
divinity students, who have been induced TO
believe that by preaching and praying against
the South they would be sure of loud calls and
tendency of the pulpit has aided greatly in the
aboltionizipg Of the North The people of New
England are naturally pious, God-fearing,
praying and preaching race. They have. both in
State and church, bad way Of jumping at
the conclusion that they are right, and every
body else necessarily wrong; and, therefore
We are not surprised to fnd them in the atti-
tude Of utter hostility to the South. By-and-
by, after the mischief is done, We see signs OF
revulsion in public opinion Boston rises
against an abolition meeting. and defeats the
republican candidate for the ". orally Boston
also, TO get up a prayer meeting
for The Union, and succeeds in part. 1t appears
that the Boston Young Mems Chris an Associa-
ton have held special meeting for PRAYER
10 Almighty God that he will override the pre-
cent troubles OF our beloved country for her best
interest and the advancement, of Christs king
dom" The Episcopal Bishop Of Massachu-
.eits took the chair, and read selections
.r,m the common prayer book mot an abol-
ton documcnt), also quoting from Joel, second
chapter. commencing al the twelfth verse. The
Bishop then made n few remarks. carefully
avoiding tn matters in dispute. ana ending
with an exhoriaIion for "iervcnt prayers that
this day Of trouble may pass away" The Epis-
copal church Is emnantly conservative. AMI
the Bishop kept thai fac, in BIZ. mind Tndis.
criminate praying then commenced A brother.
whose name Is not given, remarked, very sen
sihly, that something el.c besides praying was
to be done; he prayed, however, that persons
in authority might not compromise the Chris
tian religion" Mr.. +. W. kimball believed ,ha
the people might be prayed on, OF their diff
Guilty, and proceeded TO do his part of tn
work. A colored brother, named Jones. prayed
that God will redeem us from The cursed in
Of slavery" A white brother was
much exercised about the people Of the South
and prs "a that they nigh, be endowed with
prudence" and that our rulers might abe
blessed with wisdom" Of winch they verify
stand in sore need Mr.. Rckrr made few re-
marks, embodying tho very pertinent sugges
ton that they were there not merely to pray
for others but for themselves, and for the cur
Ing Of their own sins He had suffered every.
thing but death from that institution" slavery,
but had taken II easy. A colored man, named
Byas, believed that Chrisss hand was in the
work OF the anuslavcry party, and there would
be no peace until there was change. H
(Byas) would "meet them on the morning of
the resurrection and tell them all about it,
The Rev. Mr.. Kirk put the finishing
touch to this remarkable meeting. Mr.. Kirk
had hesitated abou, coming to the meeting for
fear that he might disagree with some of the
brethren on the subject Of slavery, but che
was rejoicei TO End that others thought as he
did, and he must speak his mind" Mr.. Kinks
mind runs 10 the idea that although the Union
Ia valuable the almighty Niger Is more So
III a compromise with slavery was required
the Union was already separated" This