Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1861-11-07

| lime prayer-such "a exactly suited the neces-
atty Of the crisis-acknowledging first OF all
the great reality of the eternal God-his con-
trolling providence, and his resistless power;
he proceeds to anticipate the possibility of ap-
proaching war. .If, as he prayed. "when evil
comerh upon us, as the sword. or pestilence, or
famine, We stand hefore this bouse. and in thy
presence, and cry unto thee in our afflction then
| thou wilt hear and help" -9i 2.-g
u Here was an open declaration OF faith, the
expression Of firm belief, that in the probable
| event of coming calamities, III, black shadows
of which were then moving in fearful array,
| provided national effort was made, not merely
| Tor the concentration of human forces, but for
the nations united application Of spiritual
| weapons-proridsd the nation look its humble
stand in God house, realizing his awful pres
ence therein. and uttering heartfelt cry Of
| prayer in their atHiction-lhen would their arm
| Of flesh be strengthened with Divine assistance.
What was the speedy result Of tins prayerf-
| What acts followed upon the steps OF that na-
| iienal fast? A pruphet-the prophet Jahaziel-
| was Instantly commissioned to declare that the
| supplication had been heard, that God had ta-
ken the battle into his own Almighty hands,
and that as an extraordinary mark of his favor,
| they should gain the victory without struggle
without the shedding Of single drop oftheir
| own blood, Jehoshphat bowed IN faith. he said
.
30 shall We be established; believe in his proph-
cts. 50 shall ye prosper" And as proof of his
faith in this miraculous prediction of victory.
| he appoiated band of mInstrels 10 march be-
| fore The army. the solemn chant was, " Praise ye
| the Lord Tor his mercy endureth forever" The
sound like the trumpcis blast around Jericho.
which fell because The Almighty brea;hed in
| that sound against its flatened walls-acted rs
| mysterious spell 10 confound the enemy
The Lord set atnbushments against them" and
| in panic the Ammoniies destroyed one anoh-
| er, and left 10 their untouched conquerors an
everlasting demonstration Of The victory of pray
er.' W are now summon ed as a nation 10 hum-
bic ourselves beiuie God, because We are en-
gagged in a war, which, if it has been fruitful
in triumphs. has entailed on Us no common dis
| asters, and because ii rests with the Almighty
| alone, to give the victory which we desire TO
our fleets and armies. We entered o1 this war
with no selfish purpose. We saw that the coun-
| try was already darkened by the shadow OF
colossal power which was ever pushing forward
lis boundary. 1t is no war OF ambition. 1t IS no
war Of aggrandizemen;; We took up the cham.
pionship Of the right. and if we looked beyond
The immediate cause, it was that we saw the
worlds liberties in peril. and resolved ere too
late to make stand for civilization. for enIght-
enment, for human progress and human happi.
ness. And if we have unslieaihed the sword
only to maintain rights which ought not TO be in
vailed and 10 prevent aggressiOns which threat
en- even worse disasters than themselves. We
may the better hope that God will look favora-
bly, on our humilialion, and that be. will not
| turn deaf ear, when falling low-at his foot
| STOOL, the ashes hearts. and the sack
| cloth on our souls, We cXclaim in he words of
| the text .'Hear ihOn in heaven our prayer and
suppllcatiOn, and maintain our cause And
now my brethren in applying this scriptural
| want to the dread events which hare OCCASION
ed the appointment Of this days solemn pro-
ceedings. We shall be giving reply TO the ques-
tion-why has a national fast been now pro-
claimed? Is it not time to proclaim a fast 10
weep and lament, and to humble ourselves be-
| fore our God, and 10 beseech and implore his
| mercy because Of the worldliness. the drunk
enness. and of the awful in6delity that prevails?
| Is it not q time for n fast, when rebellion and
| sub0rdinati0n--when profanity and blasphe-
| my are stalking through the land, in the length
| thereof and the breadth thereof? Is it NOT
| time for a fast when life and property are insc-
cure? Is it not time for a fast when hundreds
OF our brave soldiers have fallen from The dead
| ly weapons of the enemy? Is it not time for a
fast when almost three fourths of the people of
| the Southern States are up in arms against the
Federal Government? Ought we not to put on
| sack-cloth and ashes when " behold the Sab
bath breaking that universally prevails? 1t is an
| evil which not only has not diminished. but
has increased. Observe the conduct of those
who conduct the government of The country: is
it not notorious tact that on the Lord day they
with shameless frequency. hold their cabinet
councils, and assemble their political parties, rs
if they would set the whole realm a specific ex-
ample OF prolanation. What means those COM
paraiively scanty attendances in the house of
God? What means that military pomp and mu-
sic? What means that drilling and mastering
of our sOldiery? What means those immense
crowds that jostle in the haunis of public resort
and make The armament ring with the roar and
| brutal merriment Of bacchanalian reyelry? Tru-
| ly for this. the saints are called. as was the
prophet of old to smite with the hand. and to
stamp with the foot, and cry. "Alas for all the
evil abominaiions." Is not day of humilia-
tion needful to bewail the existence of our great
national sin, slavery, the continuation of which
is founded on diabolical wrong and is maintained
only by an unrelenting outrage of all the rights
of humanity, and daring blasphemy against
the laws OF religion and Of God. It's present
existence and enormities are q blot upon the
character Of American liberty, which not all
! the splcndors of orr nation can hide-7a pub
lie sin outweighing mnllitudes of public vir-
tues; and every delay of its absolute extinction.
| heap; up new and tremendous aggravatiOns in
the presence ol the Just Eeing whom, by the OPP
|
| luully dishonor. .-.-I..
| In thus reviewing our national crimes, the
case aphears appalling. men have heard the
thunder: and they have shouted back their de-
fancc Of Him who uttered ii: they have seen
the ighlening--and they have rushed to the
spot. where Ii has struck and scathed. How
fearful is the infaiuation, and how inexpressibly
anxious slruuh we be for the assumption of a
new and nobler character, lest another bolt
| should be winged, wh0se stroke would crush
and desolate irremediably, and forever! And
is tnot due alsotu the memory Of The dcad--thai
a solemn day like this. should be Expressly set
apart a day OF national mourning and lainen-
tatiOD? Individuals, Indeed, connected with
our buried heroes by the endearlng cries Of re-
laiionship, have already mOurned and wept by
hundreds; but that it is not a national acl and
therefore does It not seem 10 be a most appro-
PIRATE mark of universal, sympathy to have q
day devoted by the whole naion to lis deep
expression? For the sick and the wounded al
so, who are lingering in hospitals. which have
exhibited scenes of agony, more dreadful than
the battlefield, the same opportunity for the
joint expression of a natiOns sympathy, is
equally demanded. Even as David tasted and
wept over his sick child whilst bitterly remem-
bering his own share oftransgression-so ought
we this day MS nation. to fast and intercede for
our unhappy land. And, more especially do
we require This day for the performance of q
national net of humiliation, because there i
reason to fear. that we have all been elevated
with an excess of national pride. Have we no,
been bonsting of our colossal might, pluming
ourselves upon the extent Of our nation stretch.
ing from ocean TO ocean, and from the lakes t1
the Gulf-carried away by the first sound o.