The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-12-01
THANKSGIVING SERMON,
DELIVERED AT ST. PETERS PROTESTANT EPIS
COPAL CHURCH NOVEMBER 90 1860,
THE REV DR.. CUMMISs

branches heavyladen with fruit have gar
dens poured into our laps such plenty.
North South, East and West, "barns filled with
plenty presses bursting with wine HEALTH
too has abounded every side and the pestlence has
been almost unhear of in any portion of our heritage
Nor have our social and national blessings been less
abundant. For period of so years have enjoyed
inheritance of freedom unknown to any other land; it
may De- with one exception our motherland upon which
the sun shines. Freedom, controlled and regulated by
law its only true safeguard freedom civil and religious
freedom OF conscience of opinion of Speech freedom in
union with security of life liberty and the pursuit of hap
Finess Still are We permitted to say did the ancient
sraelite He hath not dealt so with any nation praise
ye the Lord' And still is our land beacon of hope
the oppressed of other lands
Surely it is fitting thing to consecrate this day to
festival of thanksgiving to the Author and BOunteous
Gyer of all merces. And yet assemble to day.
in view of all Gods poodness to us nnrhaps there is
another feeling uppermost in the hearts of twenty mil
lions of people, feeling strong enough almost to
power the duty of thankfulness feeling of apprehension
of solcitude, of alarm dread of coming disaster mems
; ia!nH hem Iot l-ar ana iof iooEinS aiIer those
things which are coming our land. For the first time
in the history Of the nation, there is real imminent, i'm
pending danger of the disruption of the Union of these
States of the severance of the ties which bind this
ederacy of the failure of the experiment of the Govern
ment founded by fathers; of the Inauguration Of
era of hatred strife and it may be, of civil the most
hideous and revolving of all wars
In such a crisis it is not my duty to instruct YOU in
your duties to your own city to State to
mon country, North and South. You will doubtless be
called called upon to discharge these duties in other
spheres than in the relation bear to your spri-
tua m IL my part to speak to you as
dom affected by the events ransprng around u.s. and
to ask of you that influence the mighes and BEST which
you can exert of Cod of faith and of prayer
At such period Of solemn responsibilities it seems to
that model for the soctude of the pous heart is to be
found in feeling and the spirit of the aged Eli as he is
brought before in this history.
1t time of great peril in the history of Israelites
They had forth to with the Phstnes, and for
their SINS flor period of great national degenera
cy God had permitted them to be smitten down before
their enemies In this hour of disaster and defeat they
resorted to strange expedien They remembered how
in other days. when the ark Of God borne in the midst
of their hosts around the walls of Jericho victory
crowned their banners Yanly that if this
cred symbol of Gods and protection
to the battlefield it would protect them from defeat they
took the ark from its holy place in the Tabernacle and
bore it to the army.
Alas they forgot that for their sins God had al
ready withdrawn His protection. And they who
bore the ark as its appointed guardians-the two
corrupt priests, Hophni and Phnehas-were the very
vilest in the land and the very who had awakened
by their vices, the anger OF God.
far more terrible slaughter of Israel followed the guilty
priests slain and the ark itself fell into the hands
the Philistines Many they who awaited at Shiloh
the result of the contest Among them sat the aged Eli
upon seat by the wayside, blind, and bending beneath
the weight of years. to catch the first tdngs from the
battle fOr his heart rembed for the ark of Cod" Not
for his sons much did he tremble, as for the ark.
And while he sat, there came messenger from the
field of slaughter to announce the heavy tidngs 1t
the signal for oucry of lamenation in the town. and
at the sound the aged priest asked, with remuOus lips,
what it meant.
The messenger fugitive from the battle with his
clothing rent and dust upon his head came and stood be
fore Eli and said am the man that fed today out of
the army. And he said what is there done, my son9n
And the messenger ranswered-"Israel is fled before the
Phstnes and there hath been great slaughter among
the people, and thy two HOphni Phinehas,
dead, and the ark Of God is taken"
All borne until the last fatal words-the de-
feat of the hosts of Israel the death of his but
at the mention of the ark of God, the aged fell from
off his seat backward and diedhis heart broken by the
evil tidings.
Nor this the only calamity that followed The
wife of Phnehas brought to the bed of death by the
of the Disaster and her master grief too, for
the of ark of God As she in DEATH those
around her bed sought to her by tdngs of joy
fear not for thou hast borne SOM" But she answered
regarded it, and last she turned with an effort
towards the orphan child and said. 'call him Ichabod
for the glory is departed from Israeli for the ark of God
taken.h
What is there in our present position of peril calling
for the solicude of Eli What is the ark of God
How is it mperiled? And what can do to avert the
danger2 These are the questions now demanding our
anxious thoughts.
We know only the sac ed ark was precious to Israel
First for its contents; within it the two tables of
craven by the finger of God upon Mount Sinai,
with the ten commandments-His covenant with His
people. gain. it precious because its golden lid
tie mercy seat towards which the people worshpped
when God could be approached through sacrifice and
High Priest sprinked the blood for the sins OF the whole
people Not only but the ark TO Israel the sym
Dol of Divine presence andprotectonthe pledge of GOV
enantGod dwelling among them as His chosen people
Over the Mercyseat and between the wings of the Cheru
bim rested the Sbekinah, bright cloud of glory, vis
BILE token of present Jehovah. Need We wonder that
the ark precious to the sraelite and that when in
peril the aged Eli trembled with solicitude for it?
We too have our inheritance the ark of Cod that Of
shadow. Ours is that-whch theirs but family fore
shadowed-he gospel of salvation the kingdom of the Re
deemer. OF this the ark was beautiful type in minia
ure its tables of type of fun and perfect Reve
ation its Mercy foretng of the sacrifice the
cross the and living of access to God by the
blood of Jesus and its cloud of glory emblem Of Gods
presence with in His Church. in His word and
ments in the hearts of His people, in His preached Cos
pei in His spirits sancfying power This is sacred
ark, pure faith bequeathed to by those who laid
down their lives to defend it, reformed church
through the tolls and suherings of martyrs and
confessOrs to the likeness of the Bride of Christ in the
days of her first espousals to Him. living church with
its mighty and manifold agencies for reforming healing
and blessing mankind; pussant Protestant Christianity
stretching forth its energies every quarter the globe
and bearing the wings every wind blessing the
nations 'setng in darkness and the shadow of DEATH
And it is this which is imperiled, and for which,
Christians hearts tremble with inexpressibe anxiety.
not here to-day to speak Of the political and
mercal disasters which must follow the rendng and dis
rupton of this nation. Statesmen vanly strove to pierce
the gloom of that future when the of this
federacy shall be occupied by several hostile jealous and
warning naons and merchants shudder at the prospect
Of coming bankruptcy, anarchy and ruin which must at
tend such events. We, as the p ope and servants of
Christ tremble for the ark of Cod the peril in
which such disasters involve the Church Cod
the kingdom Of our Redeemer, and to such contempla
ton we would direct your thoughts to-day.
l. And first, if anarchy and ruin are really to
eVertake this goodly heritage of our common coun.
try, let anticipate the verdict of posterity
and the judgment Of history to the char
acter and worth of the pety of our day and its feeble
hold upon hearts of men, and its slight influence upon
ciety at large 1t is great truth which Jesus himself
taught, and which all history confirms that the true and
in which it is planted from utter death; that the
truly pous and God fearing the sanity men and
of faith and prayer "the substance of land;
that for their sakes God restraints His judgments justly
incurred for national SINS and that they who pray
for the peace Of Jerusalem the ruest warders and
guardians of nation.
But if history should have record the story of
tional downfall what but this must be its judgment Of
the religion of the land
Here was a nation distinguished above all others by
the multiplication and extension of the agencies Of Christi
anity Great and powerful church organizations counted
he'll bV hundreds thousands.
lions Houses Of God covered every hilltop, and their
sweet sounding bells filled every valley with melody
they called the people to prayer and praise Bibles
multiplied in countless numbers by the steam driven
presses and scattered freely among the homes of the
humblest without money and without price religious
literature found its into sphere Of life and its
books and tracts went forth leaves fhe Tree of Life for
the healing of human hearts Millions OF dollars were
expended yearly speed the Evangelist to the end Of
the earth In thousands of homes families met around
the altar of prayer daily in every city, large companies
of and met to unite in supplication to God
Everywhere the form of Christianity prevailed but how
feeble have been its power when it could not arrest
the progress of national ruin How must the salt have
lost its SAVIOR, when it could longer preserve the
from corruption Were these millions of Christians
in earnest truly Gods chosen and beloved people? Why
did He not for their sake avert the fearful Judgment
Will not the verdict Of history be- that the religion of
this land was to vast extent 'the form of godliness
without power thereof and that by their faithful
the Christians of the nation were poweess to avert
the evil
And truly we can hardly deny that the verdict would
be just For what sad blemishes disfgure the
churches of land What bitter strife of partizanshp
prevalency of formal and ceremonial. religion What
Difference wealth and rank and what neglect of the
poor What millions of money lavished mere decora
tOns of church buildings while multitudes are famish
ing the Bread of Life What lack of earnestness and
single mndedness What astounding conformity to the
worldness OF the age What millions OF dollars squan
dered by protesting Christians in luxury and vanity in
the adornment of the person. the pamperng the appe
tte while but scanty and meagre pittance is doed out
to the easury of the Lord. What dissertation of the
pulpit making it the mouth piece of political parties
instead of proclaming alone Jesus Christ aud Him cruel
fled ~ Well might God withdraw His Sheknah from His
polluted ark and permit it to fall into disgrace and ruin
1t but lately that standing in the old Hall of Rep
reseuatiYes of the deserted National Capitol and
gazing around upon the where many memorable
events nations history had TRANSFERRED and fancy
ing that could almost the echoes of the voices ohe
great departed which had thrilled the hearers there
my attention attracted by the marble figure above
the door, of the Muse of History seated in the winged
Time holding in her hand the scroll and pen though
for other generations; and thought amidst the thcky
gathering pers of the nation how the Muse of His
tory might have to record of this countyIchabod the
glory is Departed
coming rapidly upon US, shall find additional
reasons trembling for the ark of God Consider the
disastrous effect Of the disruption of this COnfederacy, up
the lUedre Of CbriStS Kingdom upon all the resources
and agencies Of Christianity
| of those who anticipate any good to
arise from the dissolution of the Unon in any sphere OF
interest to any section of the land cannot nope lor
the benecen sublime results which some predict as 10
follow in its train. An infinitely mercitul God may
sscause the wrath of to praise Him, and restrain
the remainder Of wrath - but who shall say that He will
not permit u.s. SOW the wind to reap the whrl-
wind f''
1t has with other nations equally favored with
our own and possessing rich heritage of the Church
of God. Two continents of the East exalted
above in all the privileges of Chrisendom Az
rica once boased of Churches without number radiant