Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-12-13
THE QUESTION OF THE DAY.
Thanksgiving Sermon,
BY Rev. b. M. Palmer, ID. ID. OF New
Orleans.
Delivered The First Presbyterian Church, Ne'V Orleans,
Thursday, November 2s.

Delivered atGe First Presbyterian 0etreh Ne'0 0reas
Thursday November 2s.
CooxoLuDrD.
This spirit Of atheism, which knows no God who |
tolerates evil no Bible which sanctions law, and no
that can be bound by oaths and cove
nants has selected us for its victims and slavery
for its issue Its bannercry rings out already upon
the air" liberty, equality, fraternity, which,
simply interpreted, mean bondage, cOnfscation and
massacre With its tri-coor waving in the breeze,
It waits to inaugurate its reign of terror To the
South the high position is assigned OF defending,
before al nations. the cause of all religion and OF
all truth In this trust we are resisting the power
which wars against constitutions and laws and COM
racts against Sabbaths and sanctuares, against the
family the State ard the Church; which blasphe-
mously invades the prerogatives Of God, and re-
Dukes the Most High for the errors of his admins
tration which if it cannot snatch the reins OF en-
pire from his grasp, will lay the universe IN ruins
at his feet Is it possible thatwe shall Gecllne the
onset?
This argument then, which sweeps over the en-
tire circle of our relations touches the lour carG-
nal ponts of duty to ourselves to our Slaves, 10 me
,rorId and to Alliqhfy God Itestabshes the nature
and soemnity of our ana TaS
NIT our e1stinq system Of domestic SeICttde tDt ue
right unchanged by man. to 90 and ROOT ISeT 'oeIecer
Providence and nature may carry H. lhis trust We
will discharge in the face of the worst posslole
peril Though war be the aggregatons OF all evils,
vet should the madness of the hour appeal TO the
arbitration of the sword, we VIII not SHRINK even
from the baptism of fire. If modern crusaders stand
in serried ranks upon some plain OF distraction Ii
there shall we be in defense of our trust Not TIL
the last man has fallen behind the last rampant
shall it drop from hands; and then only N sur
render to the God who gave it.
Against this institution system Of aggression
has been pursued through the last thirty years. In
itiated by few fanatics, who were at first dis
pissed it has gathered strength from opposition until
it has assumed its present gigantic proportions
No man has thoughtfully watched the progress OF
this controversy without being convinced that the
crisis must at length come. Some few. perhaps,
have hoped against hope, that the gathering impos
thume might be dispersed, and that the poison be
eliminated from the body polite by healthy remedies
! But the deluson has scarcely been cherished by
those who have studied the history OF fanauclsm
in its path of blood and fire through the ages OF the
mast The moment must arrive when the conflict
must be joined and victory decided for one side or
the other As it has been of legislative tactics,
and not of physical force, both parties have been
maneuvering for position; and the embarrassment
has BEEN while lodging amidst constitutional FORMS
TO make an issue that should be clear, simple and
tangible Such an issue is st length presented IN the
result of the recent Presidential election be 1t Cd
served too that it is an issue made by the North'
not by the South; upon whom, therefore, must resi-
the entire guilt of the present disturbance. With
choice between three national candidates who have
| more or less divided the vote of the South, the
| North with unexampled unanmity, have cast their
! ballot for Il candidate who Is sectional, VINO
| represents a party that is sectional, and the
ground of that sectonalsm is prejudice against the
| established and constitutional rights and lmmumtes
| and institutions of the South. What does this de
| clare-what can it declare-but that from hence
| forth this is to be Government OF section over
! section a Government using constitutional forms
only to embarass and divide the section ruled. and
as fortresses through whose embrasures the cannon
| of legislation Is TO be employed in demohshing the
guaranteed institutions of the South? hat issue Is
more direct concrete Ineligible than this? THANK
God that since the conflict must be joined the re-
sponsibty of the issue rests not with us who have
ever acted upon the deensive and that it Is SO dis
embarrassed and simple that the fceblest mind car
understand it.
| The question with the South to-day is not what
Issue shall she make. but how shall she meet tina
which is prepared for her? Is it possible that we
can hesitate longer than a moment! In our natu
raj recoi from this perlls Of revolution, and witt
our cnging fOndness for tue memories OF the past
VIC nav perhaps look around for something to sof-
ten the asperitv of the issue, for some ground or
which we may defer the day of evil. for some hops
that the gathering clouds may not burst in fury upoT
the land.
1t is alleged, for example that the President cleo
has been chosen by fair majority under prescrioet
FORMS But need saw to those who have read his
tory that no despotiSm is absolute than that o.
an unprincipled Democracy, and no tyranny more
| CALLING than that exercised through constitutional
formulas But the plea is idle, when the very CUES
|
ton now converted into an engine of oppression
and the continuance of that Union which Is hence
forth to be our condition of vassalage. say witt
soemnity and pain. this Union of our foretathers Il
already gone. 1t existed but in mutual confidence
| the bonds CT which were ruptured IN the late eec
ton Though its form should be preserved 1t Is, II
| fact destroyed We may possibly entertain the pro
| ject Of reconstructing it; but it will be another
| Union resting upon other than past guarantees IN
| that we say new covenant we have made the mrs
ClJ NJ hat Nrhi
ready to vanish away'-"as n yesture It IS foldet
m :" For myself | saw that under the rule which
| threatens us throw off the yoke OF this Union a
readily as did our ancestors the yoke OF King George
| Ill and for causes UNNECESSARILY stronger ulaI
| those pleaded in their celebrated declaration
1t is softly whispered, too that the successful
| connection for the throne protests and AYERS LIS
purpose to administer the government IN conserya
tive and national spirit Allowing INN all credit ioi
personal integrity in these prOtestatons ne is In t
matter nearly as impotpnt for good as he Is compe
| tent for evil He is nothing more than figure upoT
the political ess-board-whether pawn, or knight
or king will hereafter. appear-but still silent ng
| ure upon the Checkered square, moved by the hahu
| of an unseen player. That player Is lhe party j"
| which he owes his eveyatiOn party that has sig
nalized It's history by the most unbuShng peIJurles
What faith can be placed in the proestatons OF neI
who openly avow that their conscences are 100 SUP
limated to be restrained by the obligation OF cove
nants or by the sanctty OF Oaths No we nave
in our Eden twined now in the branches OF the 1Or
hidden tree, we feel the pangs of death ALREADY De
gun as its hot breath is upon our cheek, Kissing Gu
the original falsehOod. le shall not surely ule'
| Another suggests that even yet the Electors
alarmed by these demonstrations of the South, ma.
not cast the black ball which dooms their country
to the executOncr. 1t is a forlorn nope. hhethe
we should counsel such breach Of faith IN them
| or take refuge il their treachery-whethers uch
rnsult would give a President chosen by the peopI
according to the ConstitutOn-are points L will no
discuss But that it would prove cure for any 0
orr ills who can believe? 1t Is certain that 1t would
with some show of justice, eXasperate party sui
| fcipntlv feroeioUs-that it would doom US to tou
wears of increasing strife and btteTness-and tina
the crisis must come at last under issue posslb
not half so clear the present. Let US not deslr
70 shift the day of trial by miserable subertuges
this sort The issue is upon u.s.; let US meet 1t Ink
men, and end this strife forever
But some quietlst whispers, yet further, this ma
ioritv is accidental, and has been sweed by acces
sions of men simply opposed to the existing admin
istraton; the party is utterly heterogeneous an
must be shivered into fragments by It's own success
| confess frankly this suggestion has staggered m
more than any other and / sought to take retug
| therein Why should we not wait and see the eftec
of success itself upon party whose elements mlgl
| devour each other in the very distribution OF IN
! spoil? Two considerations have dissIpated the IA
lacy before me. The first is, that, however mike
| the marty abOlitonism is clearly Its informing an
artnsting soul: and fana.icsm is a bloodhound tina
never bolts its tract when it has once Tapped blood
The elevation of their candidate is far from benz
the contamination of their aims; it is only the be
ginning of that consummatiOn; and, if all history
not lie there will be cohesion enough TILL the en
| of the beginning is reached, and the dreadful ban
ouet Of slaughter and ruin shall glut the appetite
The second consideration is principle which can
| not blink 1t is nowhere denied that the first art
Gle in the creed Of the dominant party Is the re
strictions of slavery within its present limits. 1t
distinctly avowed by their organs and IN the nam
of their elected chieftain, will appear from IN
following extract from article written to pacil!
the South. and to reassure its fears:
"There can be no doubt whatever IN the NINA
any man. that Mr.. Lincoln regards slavery as
moral social and political evil and thatT shouI,
be dealt with as such by the Federal Government
in every instance where it is called upon 10 ue'
with at all On this point there need be no nllsgiV
inrs as TO his official action. The whole lnhuehg'
of Executive Department of the Government " hil
in his hands will be thrown against the extension .
slavery into the new Territories OF the Oih"'' 81"
the reopening of the African slave trade
.On these points he will make no comproliise i,o
Weld one hairs breadth to coercion from any fu"T
Ter or in any shape. He does not acceue 70 eiLS a.
legged decision of the Supreme Court lLat tile Co
sution ulaces slaves upon the footing OF o'hef pro
,,nrtv and protects them as such wherever IL