, 1861-09-27
THE DAY AND ITS OBSERVANCE.
THE PULPIT ON THE WAR.
Fast Day Disooursss Of our Clergy.
EXERCISES IN OUR CHURCHES
and CAMPS.
The linton Prayer Meeting at
Bryan Hall.
Abstract of the Sermons Of Yesterday

Yesterday, set apart BY President Lincoln
rs Day Of Public Fasting, Humiliation, and
PRAYER, met with very general and marked
Observance in our city, among people Of all
c1asses and Geeds- It can be contrasted with |
70 similar occasion. NeTet before have our
citizens in like unity devoted day to q pur-
pcee and end, which borrowed additional Sc
1icuencss for This community from lste eyents
in Missouri, which have sent back to us one
Of our Chicago Regiments, oH6cerless, and
disintegrated, from the reverses at Lexington.
This brought home to Us the realities Of the
War, for tbs first time with ike force and
power. This ras certainly Humiliation
enough On the eve CT the very day devoted to
public recognition Of Power which controls
Nations and Armies, end to which the CAUSE
Of Justice snd Truth must ever look for ad-
yancement in their struggle alike in peace eand
in Wat with their enemies.
Rarely il ever before Eas our city devoted
10 such outward compliance with the require
ments Of Fast Day. Not evea the Sabbath
has ever seen more quiet and order prevailing,
nor places Of business moro universally
closed. The church congregations through
out the city were generally large, and at the
hour Of morning service the streets presented
lie usual Sabbath aspect Of large crowds
wending ehuzchward.
We hayesec1red as appended, numerous de-
tailed references to the teachings Of our pull.
pits yesterday, aud they will b. read with In
terest at this time, We give them without
especial regard for order or pceceaeacs, as
turnished in the notss Of our reporters.
In most Of the churches tho services IN
number ard hours we're those Of the Sabbath.
The leading and prominent feature of the day,
however, were the mosning diseourses, OF
which cur abstracts sTe p7 esented-
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The pastor, Rey. Mr.. Humphrey, preached
from the text
Psalm 66:7. He ruleth by His power forever, his
ex6lt themeelvee-"
The theme vas "The Law Of Revolutions
as sppned to the Present Rebellion" He
gave the elements Of revolutions as being
G-A Popular Sentiment.
3d-Able Leaders
4th-A1nple resources
He said that rebellion becomes revolu
tion by SUCCESS, and that to succeed, the ideal
it developes must be those Of truth and
equity: As applied.to the present rebellion
the idea involved in tie struggle is not AZ
might appear to superficial glance, State Right
rs. Confederate Unity, although secession ha
been made the e1pedient by which the trn
ideas OF the rebellion have developed them
eelVes- These ideas are
lst-Aristocracy as opposed to Democracy
2d-CapitM as opposed to Labor.
33-Slave1J as opposed to Freedom
From theee principles CERTAIN practical COT
clusions were drawn. First: should this II
bellion become revolution it could not Ion
Maintaln iKel1, since the principles it involve
sre opposed to Truth and Equity. Both Phi
esophy and Providence are against it.
Second: Our duty is to crush the Rebellion
not only as defenders Of The Goverlm e1t, ba
ucIe as indicators Of eternal principles.
Third Our mission IN this particular ca
never be completed until these principles ar
fully established throughout the land. Unde
this, the preacher steted that the great issu
Of the wsr being slavery, we manllesny coul
not complete cur duty without aiming stea'
i1y at its ultimate extinction. It might nc
be Cur duty to seek the immediate gbolitic
Of slavery but this must be kept in view
the end.
Fourth: A most important conclusion n
That ne shan never be prepared for our N!
zion until We have sought TO clear our6elV
principles. Here the preacher stated t
causes for the chastisemecta re suffer, and I
occasions for humiliation prominent amo
these vas the decay Of the sentiment Of Il
atty to human interests, to Government, q
to God.