Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-02-09


to think nor speak upkindly of any man.
l have no ordinations nor recriminations
to make, but single, honest, Christian,
patriotic object before me. This country
is not my native land, but it is he land of
my fathers adoption, father that escaped
from the power and oppression of evil to
dwell in the midst of peace. 1 can have
then no other object than the peace and
pcrpetuity Of this Union, and God forbid,
that should speak words other than those
which tend to our purpose.
First, then, God gives advice to minis
teTs in times of great calamity.
"The word that came to jeremiah from
The L0,cl, saying, Stand in the gate of the
Lords house and proclaim there this word, l.,
and say, Hear the word of tie Lord, all
ye of Judah, that enter in these gates to
worship the Lord"
When the Prophet thus spoke to all
Judah, the nation, on account Of sin, was
on the verge of captivity. They had
brought down upon themselves the Just
Indignation of God-the God of their
Fathers. The Almighty, unwilling to pun
ish men, "becausc Judgment is his strange
work. commanded Jeremiah 70 stand in
the gate of his own house-that house up.
on which he had put his name, where the
Sacrifice was offered, and the smoke Of the
incense ascendcd, and to proclaim His
word unto the people And if Jeremiah
thus stood in the gate of the temple, and
spake unto the people, may we not feel
that, as ministers Of the Gospel, we may
follow his example, standing to this great
Western gate, this Temple of the Lord,
sacred to liberty and the rights of man,
where the oppressed exile, "with the dew
on his thin robe heavy ard chilli" shall
ever find welcome, and the warm hand
of friendship be stretched out to greet
him.
May We not, repeat, stand and spcah
to this people in their time of trial and
calamity? As nation, where are we to.
day. We are on the brink of a civil war
This is my firm conviction, and because it
is, We desire to speak to the people in
Gods name. Many laugh at civil war,
but ''Fools ever mske a mock at sin. 49,
This is no place for laughter; neither is it
the time for witiciSm. 1t seems as If the
gates of the city Of refuge were open, and
with the same avenger Of blood close upon
US, it becomes US to enter in and be safe.
What more fearful calamity could fall up
on Us than civil war? Pestlence might
rage, and famine guant stalk over our land;
but what are these to civil war, and
especially in this country-a country OF
brothers, men who scarcely know what fear
is! In every community we would find
brother arrayed against brother, and en-
gagged in deadly strife. Under these cir
cumstances, it becomes Gods ministers 60
be faithful and aiark, it is the Lord s
word which must be spoken not the mere
fanccs Of man, nor the promptings of his
blind instincts, but Gods word. "Hear
the word of he Lord'-" Thus saith lie
Lord Of HoStS." We want not the word
S Of Presidents, SynodS, nor classes of men
9 but we want the word of the Lord, a!
} thus saith the Lord from the Lord O
: Hosts.
S In the second place. Whet the minis
4 ters are to preach. In :he third anc
e fourth verses we have the subject matter
r in part, at least, of what we have to sa,
e under this head:
o "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the Goo
b of Israel, amend your ways and you
). doings, and | will cause you to dwell il
e this place"
n "Trust ye not in lying words, saying
1t The temple of the Lord, The temple 0
the Lord, The temple Of the Lord ar
r these"
Mark again. The Lard Of Hosts, th
:: God of Ivad, and the same Lord Of Host
u is the God of our Country, with our thirty
d. four tribes of men, with the blood of free
N men in their veins.
!. Whenever minister stands aside fron
q ,J the religious record, his teachings becom
Ne valueless, because they are without author
81, ity. But when he comes, bringing wit
or him "thus saith the Lord," his teaching
are valuable, because of their authority
Now we aver, that the chief cause Of tn
,e difficulties in our beloved land arises fror
j. unauthorized religious teachings. lnstea
at of teaching men, in the spirit of the thlr
r. verse of our text, many place themselve
y, in lofty positions, and claiming a far highe
lc degree of wisdom, and vastly more pet
to than is really possessed, cry, "Stand aside
n. for / am holicr than thou" All this ii
st ministers are to rebuke, All Phariseeisl