Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1862-02-24
An Evil Omen.

There is nothing better calculated to excite
alarm in the hearts of the christians in our
Confederacy, than the oft repeated
of late, that w~ickedness, profilgacy
and irreyerence for sacred things, are III
creasing to an alarming extent in our arInieS'
among officers as well as privates-anoH -
feared it has extendedin a great measure 10
the heads of our civil departments. When
the people of this ConEderacy entered upon
this great crusade for religious as well as
civil liberty and Independence, even among
the unregenerate and wicked, an expression
of dependence on the God of Battles Tor our
success, was common and almost general
But our successes have filed US with pride.
and the vices of the camp have aliena'ed
this humble dependence, until We have ior-
gotten God We haveseeased to call upon
His strong arm for victoiY in the day OF bat
tie, as at Bethel, Manassas and other we'll
fought victorious fields, and God has left US
to our boosted strength, AID we nave been
~vanouished in every contest we have had for
months past.
Should not these painful truths startle US
from our dream of proud arrogance, cause US
to humble ourselves in the dust OF repen-
lance, and cry NIGHTLY unto God that lie
would restore us to His aserted countenance,
and once more be on our side, as in the be-
ginning of this war There is ne Pharisaicai,
c~.4;o.l oo~k, r th,,c o~lltor r7pnn our nQnnlQ
to look to God for strength and victory
else all our days Of fasting and prayer ap-
pointed by our civil authorities were bias
~phemous mock cries, insulting to High Heaven
and despicable in those who have hypocriti-
cally observed them. The opposite of the
scriptural aphorism-"If God be for us, who
can be against III Y"-is no less pregnant with
: importance and truth, than the affirmative 7:
Il IF God be against us, cur hundreds of thou
sands of men, with laundering cannens,
: bristling bayonets and all The paraphernala
of war, will avail US nothing. He will rain
:, snares and a terrible tempest of defeats upon
t US, and we shall be ~overrunl and conquered.
Is it not time, then, with disasters and de
feats crowding thickly uponlus, that as ind
viduals and as a Nation-in our homes, GU
camps and our sanctuaries-that we wrestl
is with the Lord for the restoration of Hi
I'd favor, and for victory to ou cause. We ar
y glad to know that a regular weekly Prayer
meeting has been established in the Methods
1t Church of this city for this purpose. W
4 trust it will be attended every Monday at !
W. o'clock, NJ, by all denominations, and thos
all who are not professors OF, religion /; and
~ away from US and victory again crown OF
e. arms. Let similar meetings be held all owe
Is. the South. God will hear and answer prayt
is, in a just cause. Our cause We believe to b
~ just and right. Let us call constantly upo
God for help and He will deliver out of th
ne hands of our enemies.
1=;r Appropos to this subject, we append to tn
CHI article the following summary of som r,
Tor marks made at a Colporteur meeting i
Richmond recently:
P Judge W. p. Chiffon, Congressman fror
rs. Alabama, believed that unless somethin,
en- is done to turn back the mighty tide of 81
If and vice in the army, our evolution wi
prove a sad failure. There car be no nation:
Sh- or individual greatness, excepl as it is ba'
IN ed upon the truth Of inspiratisn. He locke
nd upon this movement as beingone of momeF
tous Importance, and believed that it shout
:, have the warm support of every man VIII
The desires that this effort at fres Goyernmer
at may not prove a failure. Th,lack of Chris
ich tan principle had proved the 'uin of our oil
,of Government, and he desired that, as mex
" Tuesday we shall begin a new Government
vas we shall all determine to begin anew to see
lie. for the favor of the God OF naions.
MS. The Judge closed with a p,werful denu1n
citation against the distilieries nd grog-shops
ny and called upon the Virginia Legislature
h many members of which were present, t
ny wipe out this burning disgrace. 1t is a mil
bla tary necessity" more so thsn The railroad
and other internal Improvements now bein
'he made. He said that the other States of til
US, Confederacy are sending the very flower
are their forces to Virginia, to driyeback the il
he vader, and we are sending them back utterl
"a ruined by strychnine whisky. If this stat
'nu of things is to continue, we had as well Civ
OF up all hope Of securing our Independence
ity He wanted some temperance tract to be pu|
to lished, and one put into the halds of ever
=. man in the service. gas *#1e
More Clubs
nee We have the pleasure of returning thanl