The Portland daily press., 1863-05-02
FAST DAY SERMON
By REV. HoRATIo sTEBB1Ns,

DELIVERED IN THE CHURCH OF THE FIRST
- PARISH, PORTLAND, APRIL 30, 1863
jon xxxvI. s-l2-And if they be bound in fet-
And holden in cords of afilicton;
Then showeih he them their deeds. and how they
He also openeth their ears to adn,onition and
commandeth them to return from iniquity
Thus is God justified. He teaches people in
their distresses what through Indifference they
would not learn before. He subdues their
minds, so that they will look upon their own
conduct, confess their mistake and sin, and
listen to adlnorition. 1t is the old statement
oil the ever-recurring discipline of Providence
with indiyduas and peoples. The conviction
oil indifference, thoughtlessness and peryersty,
is distress, trouble, affliction. Ii is merciiu
ministration, though severe. II is the ground
OF our hope Of the final besscdness of mankind.
1t is devoutly believed that the inevitable dis
tresses which God appoints TO all sin, are a
means OF purifcaton, and that all punishment
hath this benignant end, thus justifying " the
goodness and the severity Of God" Days of
trial are days of meditation, in which men re-
fiect on the past, question their own hearts:
and the past and present, of deeds and DISPOSE
tions, are seen in a new light, the light OF
mind purified of its passions, and subdued to
gracious sense of dependence and trust. The
btterest experiences bring the greatest knowl-
edge: Tor they disarm man of all conceit and
vanity, and help him to see things as they are
Who can doubt that one effect OF our national
troubles has been to inspire a greater degree
OF so5riety and earnestness among the people
concerning the welfare OF the Republic? That
there is a disposition to review and question
our past conduct in the light of Justice and
truth, and to act In the present with more de-
yout regard for the honor and glory of the
country? How much we have learned! How
many things are we ready to confess, which
we would not confess three years ago! What
n Wqb ba We spd A
half century OF ordinary life would not have
brought the same knowledge, because the peo-
pie would not listen to knowledge. There was
afeeling In the country, l know not what to
call 1t unless it be the insolence of politics,
which thought itselfamenable to nobody, could
out-wit providence, steal the march on destiny
and have its own way. The tendency of the
present time is to awaken a deep feeling
that there is an Almighty Power mingled in
human affairs that Providence cannot be
outdone by states, and that truth neglected
and despised vindieates herself at last in awful
nemesis. There are distinct tokens of such
feeling in the country. 1t is essentially re-
ligious feeling, and the Chief Executive of the
nation and the Governor of the State have not
missed the popular heart, in calling the people
again 10 the religious contemplation of the tri-
ais of the country. The call is appropriate. 1t
Is not hollow and unmeaning. believe it has
response in the hearts OF the people, touched
with sense Of Gods dealing: For surely he
hath not dealt so with any nation. The private
grefs throughout the land are sufficient to put
every heart OF fine sensibilities in religious
sympathy with the hosts of the afflicted and
to join the prayers of all the good, for the Di-
vine pity aud help. No man can he in real
communion with his fellow-men in these days
without feeling the deep roll of sorrow which
gives to life its religious aspect, and lifts the
thoughts of men above. He learns by sure in
stinct Of apprecative faculty to speak careful
ly, lest he intrude himself into the presence of
grief, and stand irreverently before the lowly
and broken-hearted. Nothing but the isola-
. tion of complete selfshness, can shut up the
religious sensibties, or keep man back from
participation In the swift and trembling life
around him. Unless man is morose and will
ful, there must be deep religious import In the
scenes and events through which we are now
passing. a \
Tohim who contemplates with subdued reve-
renee and grateful TRUST the power and gui-
dance OF God in History, a certain devout
temper is the constant support and inspiration
of his mind He walks securely by day or
by night because God liveth: And while he
believes with all his soul and acts with all his
might, removed alike from exultant indiffe-
renee and fatality of optimism. and from low
dispair OF creduiousness of evil, he sees the
good, aud by happy instinct of kindred blood
feels that all benefcent powers are pledged to
its help. He sees the country. the beloved of
God, through all her course, led by divine to-
kens and wonders and commandments. He
believes in the country as a revelation of God
In mankind, and recognizes the providental
purpose in the former and in the latter dis
pensations. --sssss
The merely political mind and temper are
not enough for these days. There is too much
oi the inevitable in them, to be brought within
.he limits OF human sagacity, or cast by any
human foresight 1t is period of great ac-
cent in history, In which the mind of man is
not only challenged to act, and direct events.
but also to be admonished and directed. ad-
monished and directed by the fixed and sure
wisdom of the past, and also by that power
which franscends the past, and flashes In the
inspirations of the present. Providence is ORIG
lna, and the present moment, though it is of
the same quality with all time, Is yet new and
has some authority on its own account The
temper for all men, is the teachable temper:
Tor we have been taught some things quite be-
yond any wit of ours, which seems to suggest
that there are more things TO learn.
And how is man to receive the providen-
tai teaching of the time? How can people
see their own deeds, and how they have set
God at defiance? How can they receive the
admonition of Providence, obey God in the
present hour, and return from their inauity
III Is the commonest thing in the world TO talk
about national sins. Yet it is rather an empty
phrase, which excites smile. The sins of the
natl ft...