Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-06-16
Sermon, Preached by Rev. n. h &C. How
ell, ID. DIS Pastor OF Ihe First Baptist
Church, Nashville, June ed, 1851.
PcBLIsHED BIZ REQUEST.

! the elders and fall the inhabitants of ihe Ian
/ into the House of the Lord your God; and cry un
to the Lord. Alas for the day.-Joel l, "a.
/ God is the supreme ruler of the universe. On
nipitent omniscient, omnipresent; he governs wit
absoluteisway all the events Of time The archange
that wheels his flight in heaven, attracts his aten
ton no more than does the insect that uters in TIL
mornings sunbeam. His care is given equally t,
| the solitary wanderer, poor, forsaken and miser
able; and TO the march Of armies, the fury of thi
| battle, and the revolutions of empires. He feed
| the young ravens when they cry. He clothes tbs
lilly in its beEuty He marks the sparrow upon thG
housetop. This is the being who afectionatey sayi
to you, I'm all thy ways acknowledge him, and h'
shall direct thy steps, This is the purpose espe
| cially of our meeting to-day, the day designated
and recommended by our brethren Of the Southern
Baptist Convention recently assembled in the city
of Savannah in the State of Georgia. to be observed
day Of humiliation, fasting and prayer. Neyeri'
human strength so weak as when it ceases to lear
| upon God; and human weakness, guided and di
rected by him, is clothed at once with resistless
power. Truly. indeed, God is our refuge and
| strength, avery present help in trouble.
In the present crisis of our national affairs, we
have infinite reasons TO approach God with humiiia
ton, fastDg and prayer; he form and spirit in which
suich services are to be conducted are sbundantly
set forth in the divine word; and promises numer
Gus and rich. encourage the assurance that coming
thus before him, with sincere and contrite hearts
| God, for Christ's sake, will look with favor and
mercy upon US, viii hear our prayer, pardon our
sins, and avert any ealamities due to US as peo
pie We have therefore sanctified (set apart this
fast; we have called this solemn assembly: we have
gathered the elders and the inhabitants of the land
| into the House Of the Lord our God; and humOly,
peni.enty, submissively we cry unto the Lord our
| God, Alas for the day A day of fearfulness sns
wrath; q day of anxiety and alarm; day surcharg
| ed withthe destinies of men and of nations.
l. In the present crisis of national affairs,
have infinite reason TO approach our God with hui
initiation, fasting. and prayer.
These reasons are sufficiently set forth in the Re
port on the State of the Country, adopted unsni'
mously by the Convention the 18th of last month
and published in most of our newspapers. To the
statements there made, shall on this part of tbs
subject, mainly cOnfine myself That Convention
embraces fifteen States, all butIthree of which, Mis-
souri,, Delaware and Arkansas, had delegates pres
ent, and numbers constituency of six or eight
hundred thousand c0mmunicsnts. The preamble
| to the report in question affrms as follows:
Governments are established for the security
prosperity and happiness Of the people. When
| therefore, any government IS perverted from III
proper design, becomes oppressive and abuses III
! power, the people have right to change il
As Co the States once combined upon this conti
nen. it is now manifest that they longer live
| together as one Confederaey.
The Union constituted by our forefathers WSs on'
| of co-equal States. The fanatcal spirit of tn
North has long been seeking to deprive US of right
and franchises guaranteed by the constitution, ant
after years of persistent aggression, they have a
last accomplished their purpose.
In vindication of their sacred rights and honor
in selfdefence and for the protection of all which
is dear to man. the Southern States have practically
| asserted the right of seeding from Union so de
generated from that established by the Constitution
\ and they have formed for themselves government
based upon the principles of the original compact
adopting charter which secures to esch State it
sovereign rights and privileges.
| This new government, in thus dissolving former
political connections seeks to cultivate relations o
amity and good will with its late eonfe6erates ant
with all the world; and they have thrice sent specis
! commissioners TO Washington with overtures fo
peace and for fair amicable adjustment of al
| difficulties. The government at Washington has in
sultingly repealed these reasonable proposals. ant
now insists upon devastating our land with fire ant
sword; upon letting loose hOrdes of armed soldier
to pilage and desOlate the entire South; for the
purpose of forcing the seeded States back into IN
natural union; or of subjugating them and holding
them as conquered provinces.
While the two sections of the land are thus ar
rayed aganst each other, it might naturally hsv'
been hoped that at least the churches of the Nortl
would interpose and protest against this appeal t.
the sword, this invoking of civil war this deluginl
| the country in fratricidal blood But with aston
| ishment and grief we find churches and pastors o
the North breathing out slaughter. and clamorinl
| for sanguinary hsstlities, with derceness which
| we would have supposed impossible among the dis
| eiples of the Prince of Peace.
| In view of such premises, this Convention csnno
keep silence. Recognizing the necessity that tbs
| whole neral influence of the people in whatever
capacity, organization should be enlisted IN alc
of the rulers who. by their suffrages, have beer
called 10 defend the endangered interests OF person
and property of honor and liberty, it is bound tC
utter its voice distinctly, decidedly, emphatically.
This is the language of the preamble, and show,
the relative position of the two sections of the form
er United States In its first resolution the Conven
ton afirms that Impartial history cannot charge
upon the South the dissolution of the Union" Tha
| " the South was foremost in advocating and ce
mentins that Union :" that to that Union the SOutl
chung through long years Of calumny injury anC
insult - that she ceased to raise her warn
ing appeals against the fanatieism which has Obstl
| nately and necessarily warred against that Union :;
and that now that Union is severed forever
Through these. and similar means, despite all ou
efforts to avoid il, lind ourselves to day In tn
| midst of a most unnatural and revolving war
| Not on our part war Of aggression Blu
| strictly a war of SeEdgeTce. We have asked
| nothing we have sought nothing. but the preser
| walton of our honor, and our rights. These W,
| can never abandon. These we must defend
/ The North against which we are called to con
| tend leaves us alternative. 1t forces US eithe
TO submit Internationally to its will and pleasure
! or to oppose force to force. We have chosen tn
latter in preference to the former. And whatsee
to be the character thus far of the conflict They
1
/ civilization of our age but of savage barbarity
/ They threaten our homes, our wives and children
/ all that we hold dear upon earth, with dishonor
desoatlon and destruction; and TO this end they ar
| throwing their soldiers among us in our borde
States with the declaration that they mean to over
| run and destroy our whole land God forbid, deep
ly as our horror is excited by these manifestation
that we should far forget the spirit of Jesus
to suffer malice and vindicativeness, to insinuat
themselves into our hearts. But every principle
| religion of patriotism of humanity, calls upo1 u
| to pledge our lives and our fortunes to the goo
| work of repeLino an invasion designed to destro
whatever is dear in heroic traditions; whateve
| is sweet in our domestic hopes and epjoyments
whatever is essential to our institutions and on
| very manhood For this purpose, and to this en-
| our fathers, and husbands and brothers, and son
have taken the field Of these the seats here to-day
| more than sixty vacant. They have thrownthem
/ selves between you and your invaders, where the
are prepared to peril their lives and all they posses
| for your safety. Nor IN these respects is thi
| church and congregation singular. Others through
out the whole South have manifested like patriot
ism. These dear so precious to us all, we hav
| commended, and daily commend to the holy keeL
| ing Of our God. But we feee and the SOuther
Baptist Convention felt that this is not enough Tn
eighth resolution Of their report therefor propose
| m follows:
fist denomination in the Southern States TO observ
the first and second days of June as days of numi
istion, fasting and prayer to Almighty God, that
may avert any calamities due to our sins as pei
pie, and may look with mercy and favor upon us.
As one of the multitude of Baptist Churches
the Southern States. and identified from its origi
with this Convention, we are to day IN the hous
of the Lord and with the elders and the inhabtani
Of the land, gathered in this solemn assembly, "
lift up our voice unto'the Lord, our God, and cry
Alas for the day Alas for the day. :
4 These are some of our reasons for the pecuha
services IN which we are now engaged.
q The form and spirit in which these service
are to be conducted, are sbundantly set forth
the word of God.
We aflict or bodies by fasting and our souls D
humiliation, and we cali upon God Ia praye
to protect us from injuries, and to oesto
K H. nfTTTds