The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-02-14
SERMON BEFORE BATTLE.

preached on the eve Of the battle of Brandy
wine. Sept 10. liz, bv the Rev Joab Trout
1t is mos, interesting Revolutionary relic:
They that take the Sword, shall perish by The
Sword
SOLDIERS ANp CoJNmYMEN We have
met this evening perhaps for the last time
We have shared the toll of the march, the
peril of the fight. and the dismay of The re-
treat. alike We have endured The cold AID
hunger. and the contumrly of The internal
foe. and the courage of The foreign oprress-
Or We have sat al night. bv the campfire
We have together heard the roll of the rev
ellie, which called Us TO duty, or the beat uf
The tattoo. which gave the signal for the har-
ui sleep OF The soldier, with the earth 'or
his heu, and hls knapsack for his pillow
Ana nGw- soldiers and hretheren, We have
met IN the peaceful valley on the eve of bat
Tie. while The sunlight is diving awav. behind
yonder heights, ihe san-light That. tomorrow
morn. will glimmer on scenes Of blood. We
have met amid the whitening tents of our
encampnsnt in time of terror and ns gloom.
We have gathered rogeiher-God grant il
NAV not he the last time
Il - II >S4tLlL ll4b LtiN- lltlLltli, GttS
not the sorInn voice of i.ature s,em Ia echo
tht s,mpathi.s of The t.our9 Tie fag OF
cur country droops heavily from Wonder staff;
the breeze has died away along the green
plain of Chadd's Ford-the plain that
spreads before Us gli'iering in the sunlight
the heights Of the Brandvwine arising
gloomy and grand beyond the waters Of Won
der stream-all nature holds pause of SOL
emn silence OF the ey, Of The uproar, of the
blood and strife of tomorrow
| They la, take The sword shall perish by The
sword.
And have they lot taken the sxord
Let the dt-Solated plain, The blood solder.
valley. the burned farmhouse, blackening in
the ssh. the sacked village. and the ravaged
town. answer -lt; the whitening bones OF
the butch-red farmer stroHn along the fields
of his homestead. answer-let the starving
mother. with her babe elinging 10 her with
ere,i hrea>, iha, can afford no suStenance. let
her answer, with the Ieaii-rat,le minsing
with the mi!rmuring torres, that mark the
las struggle g! life-let the diving mother
and her babe answer.
L. was but day past, and uur land slept
wrong waS net here. Fraad and wo. and
misery and want. dwelt not among us
From the eternal solitude O. the green woods.
arose the blue smoke of the settlers cabin,
and golden fields # corn looked forth from
anii the waste ut ihe wilderness. and the
glad music OF human voices aweke the silence
u the forest
Now. God Of Mercy. behold the change -
nder The shadow q; a pIci,1i. under the
>,,nc:!i, IF the name oi God.invnking the Re
it.me 70 their at. do these foreign hiIe-
l:ngs s!ay our people They destroy our
towns. they darhen our pllin>, and now ea-
compass cur posts on the plain @: thadd's
Ford.
'-TAe, 'A.' .AAe IL, S~os. -i.... ,-c.i>h bs ;he
N-urt.-
Brethren. think me net unworthy Il be
l;ef u nun | : !. yrl ti, lnG,n ss he British,
: j. near Think ne 70, VAN, when tel
yoa that heHo-d IL cloud that now en-
>hroud- Us. >te gathering, thick and fast.
the darker trown ana 4 blacktr storm o. d.
vine Indignation
Iney max conquer u tomorrow Night
and wrong max prevail, ana We may he drlr-
en from this ti~ld--bui the holr @; Gods
p OWL vengeance NIL COME,
Ave. !: IN iile VAST solitude @. eternal space,
, i IN the hclrt q: the bo'.rilt>> universe
: there thrai.s the l,rin- 4 an awful "a u.
quick 10 avenge. ana sure TO punish guii,,
then viii tie man George, OF Brunswick,
cal ei hil4g, i,,l IN h.s brain sni his h-a,i,
the vrngencc o; The eiern4l y~horah, \
. tllch: v. ! he 4;,ol. hi> ltt-a aiih.red hraia
.,a ae,-,r.al - ill., l1--.-
his people. Gresi God, how dread lht. pun
+ i>hment,,
. \ croSled POPULATE, peopiins tie dense
= towns where the man OF money thr:r.s.
:. shile the la,icrer sta-yrs want srridinS
among the people ii al. il> forms OF terror I;
/, al i-noraL; a;.l ,iod DEF. iag priesthood
cha.ea.l'-g o1sr ,he nli<erirS # millions q
:, proud and i,:--c..ess nohility aiding wrong
!. To wrong, and neal,;ns ins'llt uTon robbery
,l. triad r"y...t, cnrruis; 10 The very he iri,
- and .r.>;ocrar, rlIien 10 The core; crime
: ,.t aaat .ls.Aed ..aaJ. IN hand. an.i tenn pt;ng
+, men IN sir,s!s ot Noe and d~ath-;hrse are 4
;. part of tn dom aud re,lihulien tha, vii
come upon thr English throne AID ;he Eng
= li>h peopl,
i ,,iirrs-! loca around upon yoGg tamil-
4 lar faces with strange interest. To-mor-
| row morning We viii ali go forth 10 the bat
), rle-tur n'r,i tel gu that ycur unworthy
=. minister WI march with you. invoking Gods
!, AZ IN the ii.lt. 10 fsht for your homesieads,
\ for yonr wir,> and children
= Ny friends. ! might urge YOU 20 fight By
= the calling memories of British wrong
: Walton-I might tell YOU of YOUR buichered
,r father. in the silence Of the night, on the
= plains OF Trenton might ring his death
E shrek into your ears. Sheilmire-l mig
\ tel YOU of haichsred mother. and a sister
i outraged the lonely farmhouse, the night
assault, the root in flames. the shout of tht
=, troopers as they dispatched their victims
:, ihe cries for mercy. Tie pleadin.s of inno-
:, ccnce for pity. might paint TINS all again,
~ in vivid coiors of the terrible reality if |
., thought YOUR courage needed such wild ex-
: Citemen,.
y Rut knew you are strong In the might
Of the Lord. Iru will march forth 10 hattie
on the morrow with light hearts and deter
mined spirits. though the solemn dutv-the
iiGty of ayenging the dead-nay resi- heavy
on Nour souls.
And in the hour OF battle, when all around
I'd is darkness lit hy the lu-id cannon glare
:, and the piercing musket flash. when the
woundc! strew the ground, and the dead hi
~. ler yoar path, then remember. soldiers, thai
Il God Is with YOU. The eternal God fight.
he for you-he ride on the battle clouds-h,
n. sweeps onward with the march OF the hurri
cane char-e-GuG the awful and the infinite
fights for YOU. and viii triumph.