, 1862-05-09
An ELOQUENT sRRm0N ON THE
WAR.


Facts for the People.
Through the courtesy Of the writer Of tho |
following note, we have been placed pos |
session Of abstracts Of an eloquent sermon |
preached last Sabbath by Rey. Robert CollYer;
CHICAGO, May 9th, 1861.
Editors Chicago Tribune.
sermon vas preached by Rev. Robert CoHyer, !
Last Sunday, bearing upon national atta1rs, which |
q h wbeh
tained matters worthy wider circulation, and
Hhch wonld be found Of general interest, especi-
as toaehg ason eo Sa
widow Of the late Gen. Wallace, and II this view.
hare tran: Il er1bed come portions Of the sermon,
and ecnd them to you ior publication in Your
paper. Very respectfully yours,
&c. LAREED.
The following are the extracts alluded to in
the above:
Iszt.-" Il God be for us who can be against III. -
ROMANS ca. vi, Y. 81.
"The most important question touching
the text must consequently be: Is God for
~? because if God be fok Us, who ca, be
against Us. ! shall ask this question to-day
not so much in personal as 3 national rela-
tlo1. When vas absent at the PittsbnrE
Landing battle, field and your church was
closed, the Sundny came on which praises
were offered in all the churches In answer to
wbat was rather request than proclamation
from our President $50 beautifully was 1t
worded) praises in al the churches for the
recent indications that God Is for us. From that
time until now, neither the right time nor the
right frame has come on such way as to
make Thanksgiving profitable. cannot, how
to you this morning on the reasons for thank
fu1ness that have risen in the course of tAe
CREST conflict into which ne have been led,
and their value as indications that God is for
u.s."
After discussing some OF the objections
which might be urged against the idea that
God could be on either side in this contest, in
view Of the G1et that both sides were thanking
him, that contest so unnatural in It's charac-
ters can not commend itself to the Divine fa-
ror and that the sad aspects of seldshness and
corruption in vast numbers from Cabinet
members to the smallest contractors are such
as to call for humiliation rather than thanks
giving, he proceeded:
But when We come to positive hints that
seemed to spring up In regions outside the
will Of man, and can only be accounted for
on the ground Of a Providence, 1 think we
shall find that our confidence deepens in the
fact that whatever the ultimate issue will be,
God is present with Us in the struggle, and
7fl make that issue divine, if We are strong
and quit us like men and propose, in the
second place, to name some Of the hints that
fash out now and again to assure US that not
withstanding all our detection from the light,
God has not left ua. And FIRST of all, to begin
with tie most material things, there seems to
be hint in some Of the times and circum-
stances Of this rebellion that, to say the least
Of it, is curiously in our favor.
COTTON.
1need not remind you OF the fears Of the
last year, that the great powers would band
together to raise the blockade, and get at tue
cotton. That they have not tried to do SO, is
to be attributed to three things: First, With
all the blnster ct of her leading Journal, the
I Commerce, and the hearty dislike Of that rem
nant IN politics which has always hated
| every democratic idea and tendency, and that
tried to put all such things down by the
strong hand when it vas in power before the
IN the face Of all this beats right toward
America Still there was danger, but again
| Napoleon said, "Ne, will have no hand in
the quarrel" and above all, there wou1d hare
! been danger that would hare oEerr1dden all
| beside, from hunger, from the necessity that
knows no law, and breaks every bond Of atfec-
tion, Lad there not been what seems to be q
special pTv1ision Of c0tto1a ready for the Tine. 1t
| is Wel1-knoWn fact that all the great mar
kets, il the world were glutted with cotton
goods, ut the time when this war began Then
the crop for three years had gone On increas
ing until the accumulation Of raw material
vas very large too, for in 1858, the total pro
duet was 3,l13, ,a63 ba1es-in 1853, 3,85l,4S
bales, and in 1850, 100000 bales, OF whict
England received from the crop of 1858
le34 81 ,lI6 pounds; q 'S9. rs $50 OF:
and the result has been that SO far, the suffer
ins il England has been vastly less than it In:
been in many bad year before when sht
could have ali the cotton she wanted.
OUR owN PLENTY.
Then secondly: Providence seemed to civ,
us special readiness in the wonderful plent,
OF our OWL produce all over the North b.
which our bread WAS made cheap and abun
dant at home almost beyond any time sine.
the railroads opened up the country, making
| it not only far easier to feed our enormous al
r5, but also to equip them. For again, ths
ver1years that gave as such abundant harvest
left Europe lean and bare. 1852, 80 and e
have all been years when the crop, with u
above the average, was in Europe below th
average, and the consequence has been tha
our exports to Europe, mostly provisions il
1859, we're SIS, ,929, ,a3l; in 1860 sos 463 :,9G
and in 1861, Sl31 2355 ,9945, SO that We were abl
to not only pay our way and pay our old debts
but at last We were able to turn the scale 0
exchange largely in oar favor; and for tn
into the country faster than it went out; an,
| at the very beginning Of the struggle, gol
came IN sometimes at the rate Of seYcru
millions in single week, and 70
nesrly ~ a year the o'XSehange vas i
So 50 $50, l74 in gold and bullion, while W. i'm
ported only sl23, ,461, 799. In 1858 re exporte
SET, ,00l ,45l, and imported Sis, ,2274 496. IN 1856
We exported $69. III, 1856, and imported s., ,t34
; fS9. In 1860 We exported q, l91 Ill, and in
ported $3.50, 135- But in 1861 we exporte
only - 233b ESQ, and imported s44 4s9, ,s57. 5
that it seems to me that il the crisis had com
on in '57, when the North Wus on the verge
bankruptcy, or ii Europe in 1861 had ut
needed our provisions, our condition mus
!. have been vastly more deplorable than it il
( sun, to provision and arm us for the struggle
, to make us vastly more important to Euror
for the corn We had, and vastly less importar
for the cotton VIC had not, to make our pa,
! ments in gold light, and our receipts heaT;
! al the very moment when it was Of tue Ii;
Importance that it should be so, and, to car,
the argument up to higher plane than th
Tn which it Is commonly held, we point
I wind aud SUI, aud to great sweeps OF golde
, grain, proclaiming wisn one voice that @"G Ge
, Is with us!''
t ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
t Then l Roufd name IS second indicati<
c OF this divine Buecor, and cause for thank
\ giving, our Chief Magistrate himself I b
:. gin to think that It is no Feproaeh to any o
/
. gigantic interests. Perhaps no mau can /
l. made who mould be equal TO it. Washingtt
was only equal to the former time, aud tn
time is, beyond all telling, bigger Than ths
CroWNeu VAS not equal TO the parallel tin
F. IN England, for he knew his son Richard was
&c tool aud yet put the reias into his hauds 4,
n Napoleon was not equal to the time in Franc
for he became fool himself when he mo
J needed to be wise. Here in our owa Ian
> for generation, We have fallen down to IRE
Q lnteuect6, With but moderate integrity,
!, none at all and VIC have almost despist
y moderate intellect, though united with inte
rlty as pure as cTer shone. And now at Ii
Il this man comes out Of the prairie, not gre
u mana nan of moderate intellect and {jt
II Bays 10 him, Sit down in that chair" {
y nas been there now for more than year, ia
It Time OF trial without parallel in the history
'r the nation. A Western Country Lawyer, vi
IL tells 1nhny stories weekday and SUNDAY b
n man "11ch IN saving common sense" ;:ud
10 The great ones only are, In his simplicity, su
ct lime. Ihe nation tlgcted him because it thir;
10 ! ed and tainted for an honest man; and to It
ee moment not shadow has touched his uxu
IS, and he has got bold Of the affections Of II
be SIS no man ever did who has sat in that CHI
he | since Washington. The nation needed h
es!y TO save it from ruin. and it shines cut
the foremost msu Of oil with perfect lust
and We look round on all the men IN our
ton to-day, and We cannot think Of one
e &, would prefer to this man who came TO
se place iii such i way that ND man conld be mt
b: astouuded than himself, whrn 1t WAS told b
to he had been selected to be the .irst choice