The Portland daily press., 1863-08-15
The Fitness, Occasion and Manner of
Offering Thanksgiving for the Recent
Victories.
A SERMON,
Delivered in Chestnut Street Church, Portland. on
the occasion of the National Thanksgiving. August
9, 1863 by
Rev. WILLIAM r. CLARK, Pastor.
SERMON,

I'd SAMUEL, XII: 4s--50. 1t is God that ayeneeth
| me, and that bringeth down the people under me-
And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies.
Thou also hast lifted me up high above them that
rise up against me; Thou hast delivered me from the
Therefore will give thanks unto thee. Lord,
among the heather, and will sing praises unto thy
| name.
The psalm, from which the text is selected,
| celebrates Davids suppression of powerful
rebellion instigated and led by his son.
Absolom clearly perceived that Solomon
| was the destined heir to the throne, and hop
ing to secure it to himself during the life of
his father, lest delay in awaiting the natural
term of his life, should strengthen Solomon's
cause, he, by his adroitness stirred up the
tribes of the South to revolt. And such was
the rapidity of his movements, that before
David could rally force sufficient to meet
him he moved upon Jerusalem and took it..
Soon, however, the insurgents were confronted
by the royal army, and overthrown with loss
of twenty thousand men.
This victory, by which the rebeion was
efiectualy crushed, was achieved by the ordi
nary means of warfare. Nothing miraculous
appears in the account of it. The King calls
for volunteers; they rush to his standard "by
hundreds andby thousands ;rthcy are put in or
der Of battle by Joab, and led by him against the
rebels flushed with the capture OF the National
Capital. After terrific battle the traitorous
army is broken up and their leader is slain.
The relation between these belligerents was
precisely such as exists between our army and
the rebels, in reference to which, it Is so often
said with the apparant design Of duplicating
both parties equally, at is brother fighting
against brother" 1t was Israel fighting
against Israel-more than that, il was father
| fighting against son.
And yet while the ground Is still wet with
| flial and fraternal blood, and twenty thousand
OF Israel lie slaughtered on that terrible battle
| field, and the voice of mourning is heard
through all the land. David chants song of
| thanksgiving to God, in which, with graphic
| description and powerful imagery, he setsforth
| the agency of God in the conquest and rem
ders him the glory due. A few sentences
| from this national pean, may suffice TO Illus
trate the spirit Of his thanksgiving.
''In my distress called upon the Lord, cried TO
my God; and he did hear my voice out of his tenn
pie and my cry did enter into his ears. Then the
earth shook aud trembed; the foundations of heay-
| en- moved and shook, because he wroth There
went up smoke out of his nostrils, and FIRE out of
his mouth deyoured; Goals were kinded by IT, He
| bowed the heasens also and came down. and dark
ness was under his feet. The Lord Numbered from
heaven, and the Most II igh uttered his voice And
he sent out arrows. and scattered them lightning.
| and discounted them. He delivered me from my
| strong enemy. and from them that hated me; for
they were too strong for IL is God that aveng
| eth me. and that bringcth down the people under
thou also hast lifted me up high above them that
rose up against thou hast delivered from the
violent man. Therefore will give thanks unto thee
| Lord among the heather, and viii sing praises
| unto thy name"
Two things are worthy of special remark in
| this tribute Of gratitude:
1st The distinct recognition of divine agen-
| cy in civil war. Take this from the song
| and its sublime diction becomes senseless pratt
| tie. David had raised an army Of volunteers,
| equipped and officered 1t and sent 1t against a
| victorious foe, with the painstaking and anxi-
| ETY. common to such an emergency. He saw
| that upon him davolved the responsibility Of
maintaining the integrity Of his government.
| and he series unto the Lord for help" Not
| for a moment does he hesitate as to his duty,
| or query where the right in the contest is, but
confidently looks for the interpositon of God
| on behalf Of the solemn struggle of his patriot
| army. He does not think il beneath, nor in
| consistent with, the character OF God to give
| his support to the right. throughout its bloody
| conflict with treason. He knew no alternative
was left to him, but to put down armed rebel
| ion by armed resistance, or consent to an over
| throw of his government; he could have no
| honorable peace except by conquerng II; and
| he devoutfy thanks God for his agency In the
| conquest which crowned the bloody conflict.
| History plainly teaches that there are some
evils which, Providence can only cure by the
sword. Thus in the establishment of the
| jews in Canaan myriads OF lives were sacri-
| feed in battle, that the ark of the Lord might
rest securely, and In due time Savior might
| be born. Rome grows in power until she be-
comes mistress of the world, and for time
opens the way for the early propagators OF the
christian faith. When at length she has crush
ed out the spirit Of liberty and contracted a
fatal heart disease, hordes of northern barbar-
ions rush down upon her, shattering her vast
Capitalization Of power, and opening way
4. q. ..4flt -. -. -
modern civilization OF Europe. The sword of
Cromwell breaks the tyranny of the house of
Stuarts; and Bunker Hill strikes the knell of
oppression in the land of the Pilgrims. He
who cannot trace the hand OF God in the
bloody scenes of history, must be singularly
oblivious to the methods of human progress.
Liberty, thus far, has been compelled to carry
with her olive branch, the sword, and God has
made ii the avenger OF wrong.
9. II is further noticeable feature Of this
psalm of David, that ii is not in the least
tinged with the feeble sentimentality which
hesitates to give praise 10 God for victory on
behalf of the right, over the bloody carnage
through which ii has been achieved. His
soul so expands with towering conceptions of
the sovereignty Of God and his bengnaut de-
signs toward the race, that all the temporary
fortunes of men, sink into subordinate rela-
tions, and are dwelt on mainly to magnify the
wisdom and wrath Of the Divine counsels.
Israel is in mourning: thousands of her sons
have fallen; fathers, mothers, wives aud sis
tiers. all over the land are bowed with grief;
Davids own son, the arch rebel. is slain; he
mourns for him in the most touching strain
that ever Tell from mortal lips. Yet in the
midst of this elimination of grief, he turns his
eve upward and gratefully sings, He bowed
the heavens also and came down, and darkness
was under His feet And he rode upon cher
ub and did fly and he was seen upon the wings
of the wind. And he sent out arrows and
scattered them; lightnings and discounted
them. For thou hast girded me with strength
to battle; them that rose up against me hast
thou subdued under me. Then did beat
them as small as the dust OF the earth, / did
stamp them as the mire of the streets, and did
spread them abroad
1t was surely not bloodthrsty spirit which
prompted this exultation over the downfall of
David's enemies, but a consciousness of Divine
approval in v.ndcatng the throne upon which
Providence had placed him. And though in
doing it thousands of lives had to be sacri-
feed, ii was an occasion of Joy and thanks
giving that the result had been achieved even
at so great cost of life Something there
which followed in the trail of war. His throne
upon which rested the temporal interests OF
Israel and the hopes Of the world, was trem-
bling in the balance; and when at length he
saw it established, though by great slaughter,
he knew the result vastly outmeasured the
sacrifice. and devoutly offered to God his
thanksgiving and praise.
To-day, the chief magistrate of this nation