Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1862-09-22
FOR TIE SPIRIT OF THE AGE.
National Remittance.

All governments are swayed by the hand
o. providence for We are Taught in Holy
writ, that the poaUers that Be are ordained
OF God The Old Testament contains
sn1flclent instances, in connection with the
history OF the Jewish nation, to convince
any man that God fundamentally directs
the political concerns Of man. This he
ing admitted, it follows, as in the case Of
individuals, that God c~onfers blessings or
curses upon a nation, as it gives obeisance
10 HIS laws, or spurns bis holy teachings.
This being established as a standard, it
Is easy to trace ont the primary cause of
our present difficulties.
God saw the oppression of our fore
fathers and delivered them from the yoke
OF tyranny. He gave their country pa
tlonallty, and by His blessing, ont of the
western wllds a vigorous and promising
nation was built sp. 1t was permitted to
ADD attainment to attainment, till it equall-
ed II not excelled the most renowned ma
ton OF the eastern continent. Now in al
this, God had a design, and that design
was none other than that for which He
created man-that His name might be
glorlfled. All His designs are ultimately
In furtherance of His grand design for the
! salvation of the human race. But upfor-
tunately for our once happy nation, it
thWarted the design of its creation.-
With celebrity, came arrogance and pride;
with wealth, anne cheating and deirand-
ing with honor came depravad ambition
with lie rpfIuca nf o-.a IN aoo e
our nation became great" and its sins
very grlevous.' So He determined to
scourge us for our iniqditics, and Justly en-
tailed upon US this cruel war, with all its
horrid consequences. His righteous judg-
ments are visited upon US.
Now as His wrath burns against US on
account of our sins, and as he holds the
hearts of men IN His hsnds, it follows that
our dellverance must come through His
agency alone. But God cannot, con. is
tent with His attributes, deliver US from
this scourge Of war, while we continue
IN that course which brought it on US.
We must repent Yea, we must bow
down in saek.cIoM and ashes. Repentance,
humiliation and reformation can only bring
the approving smiles Of a righteous God
upon our young Confederacy and these
will as surely bring them, as cause produ-
ces effect. The teachings of the Bible
confirm this proposition at every point.
Now we are prepared to ask the sues
ton: Have We indeed repented, as a
! nations True, we have made some show
of.national repentance, but have we as a
people humbled ourselves in heart ? Have
We cast off all idle amusements'an worldly
pleasures, and besought the Lord with
sincerity of heart in our behalf? In a
word, [ ask, have we repented as a people,
in the full sense Of the word?
Look at the corrupt cravings of deprav-
ed humanity, in the form of fraud, spec1-
~lation, cheating, sc. Look at the AFRO
gance and pride conspicuous in all our
cities and towns. Look at the corrupt as
pirations of hell born ambition look at
the great amount of wickedness prevalent
among our soldiers and then answer if
We have bowed down in the dust of. true
repentance?
Will a righteous Goo deliver us while
we continue in these thngs? We have
no promise that He will yea, we have no
hope, based upon the Bile, that He will.
| earnestly %entreat eycy man and wo-
man to earnestly considFr from whence
our dellverance must cons, and the means,
> on our part, to be used p procuring it
, The matter earnestly coff1ends itself to
every individual in the C5hfederacy.
2 "At thy rebnke, o Col of jacob, both
, the chariot and horse are cast iuto a deac
sleep. Thou, even thou, art to be feared
and who may stand in tby sight when once
thou art angry"
y Read the eighth chapter of Deuterono
my. j. J. H****,
c Co. F, 55th Rss't. N. c. Troops