Daily union appeal. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1862-186?, 1862-08-14
sECEss1oN AND NEUTRALITY.

The first secession of which we have any
record, was that of the devil FROM the King
dom Of Heaven. He disliked, it may be,
successful administration, over which he was
not supreme, and be lifted up the banner Of
revolt, the black flag Of mutiny, instead of the
star-gemmed banner of JEHOVAH. He rallied
thousands and tens of thousands, around him,
who made common cause with himself in their
efforts to overthrow the power of the Infinite
and Almighty.
! Perhaps SATAN and his confederates wished
peaceful division of the eminent domain of
Heaven. We do not read that any commits
sioners were sent to treat upon the terms of
separation, and to assure the Lord that every
thing that LUCIFER and his colleagues asked,
was simply to be let alone in carrying out their
plans and purposes. It is not told how long
the mutiny was maturing. What outrages
were perpstrsted upon loyal angels, and what
insults offered to the sovereignty of Con; it
has baen left to such minds as that of MILTON
TO imagine. But of length the crime of treason
became patent and manifest The leagued
myriads OF the rebel hosts, presuming upon
mands, and aggressive in their movements,
and the Lord proclaimed war, s0ar in heaven,
There was no lack Of volunteers. Ten thou
sand times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands hocked round the glorious old ban
ner, and in the name of Cop, and Heaven,
and right, resolved to uphold the integrity of
the Empire, ard to sweep before them the
armed hosts which were conspiring for its ever
throw. It is no time for peace-croakcrs now.
Tits fighting time. The fighting is under the
immediate supervision of the Almighty. He
is waging aterrible, wasting, and extermin-
ating war. If He fails, then there will be
everlasting strife in heaven, and the lovers Of
Con, mar-yra on earth, would be caught, so to
speak, by these secession tends, and martyred
agnin before they could reach the land of rest
and reward. If He succeed, then Heaven re-
mains an undivided empire, and harmony, and
union, and JOY, its everlasting inmates.
Now while this is the nature of the contest
let us suppose somewhere in Heavens domain
near the dissfected region, a municipality SO
lost to its own honor, as to take down the flag
Of Deity and to unfurl the flag of Neutrality.
How would such entire want of patriotism,
such sluggish and dead sensbilities, such mean
pusllantmity of soul, such completely with
treason, be regarded? Would it not be 9
public advertisement to this effect ave dc
not wish to attack the government Of GoD, di.
rectly ourselves. We like the Lord tolerably
well as ruler, but then, SATAN has a good
many friends and great resources, and as we
don't know how the contest will end, we have
made up our minds not to take sides either
way, but to remain neutral" And this, when
the question is Government or no Govern.
ment, secession or loyalty, GoD or the Devil
Heaven or He'll Can we not imagine Jehovah
proclaiming with emphasis to all Of such a
mind, 81 would thou vert cold or hot, but
because thou art lukewarm I will spue thee
out of my mouth" How He despises such 8
spirit from the very depths of his nature
Just as We may suppose loyal angels would
feel toward the pretended neutral in the great
struggle for the supremacy of Con, those loyal
to the Union feel toward the individuals who
claim that they have not taken sides in the
struggle now going on through the land
Whenever man who owes loyalty to the
Government conceives that he is raising him
self in our estimation by avowing sentiment
of this kind we know that he lies, arrani
hypocrite that he is, and we have no DISPOSE
ton to have any further acquaintance with
him. He is too mean to have any friends, and
too worthless to have any foes.