The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-06-15
National Fast.

love, honor, and cherish, forevermore. ~.
.... National Fast.
a sermpD,Preached by Rev. LII. Knox
Ofths Ne. K, Church, Jane 4, 1865.
| Published by REQUEST
PSALMS 2; R juice with Trembling.
The duty of humiliation, fasting and
prayer to which we are called to day by
the proclamation of the national Executive,
WAS perhaps never more in accordance with
the general feelingof the people than now
Sorrow for the death of Mr.. Lincoln has, 70,
the last six weeks, wrung the national
heart as no sorry ever wrung it before. The
first pa, alyzing shock ofhorror at the deed
has, in a measure, passed away but the
Igrief forbhis loss, and the deep indignation
towards tile murderer and all in completely
with him are undated The atrocity of
that act. can be traced only to Satanic ma
iliguity; but even such an act has brought
this nation to feel most wildly our Deepen
dence upohiod, and our need of His pro-
lection. The religious sense of the people
therefore most heartily approves the APP
pointment OF day for the particular and
public acknowledgment of that dependencies;
and our appropriate task on this occasion
is, to call up in our own minds, some of
those considerations which should lead us to
realize that our ouly safety, and help and
hope are in God =. "a So. ga
But in coming to this service of humIi
alton, we cannot throw off the influence of
facts and considerations of an entirely op,
poSite character. The past few weeks have
been go crowded with wonderful events
which are calculated to gladden. every loyal
heart, that to day, while we feel how appro
pirate it is. that we should fast, yet we actu-
ally fast under difficulties. We are too
joyful to be sad. We are also too sad to
he joyful. Strange aud turbulent conflicts
ofenotion have recently swept over the
hearts of the people as never before. Who
can be Indifferent, who can repress bis ex-
ultation when lie beholds now grandiya our
couutry's cause, the cause ofsuniversal free
dom, has marched forward, step after step,
in the fall of Savannah of Charleston. of VII
Fmington, OF Petersburg, Of Richmond, of
Raleigh, Of Mobile; in the surrender of Lee,
tnf Johnston, and, last Of all in the pictures
que capture of the reb;l leader Who can
refrain from glad doxoiogies when he be-
holds not Gully the government but also the
sovereign people of this land, writing the
irrevocable decree that there shall De no
more sLaUery in the United States? Aud
surely there is no heart that is human which
does not rejoice that the gentle voice of
Pc ice is again heard, and that she CONES
smiling with the assurance that our great
and only cause of dissension is swept from
the land With all these joyful events fresh
before our eyes, we come to this service of
National humiliation and grief Aud it is
fitting we should; for, breaking 10 upon
our songs of gladuess, comes the solemn
knell Of death! The nation favorite is dead,
The chief author, under God, of all our ex-
ultation is dead and dead by an act which
shames US to the dust, that the perpetrators
belonged tosouf own human race
What then snail be our emotions and our
expressions to-day We will rejoice with
trembling" We will recognize the voice
Of God encouraging us by the good, and
aanlonishing us by the evil, which have
came upon us. .7f
The death of President Lincoln is the i'm
mediate occasion for this national humila-
ton. That God should permit such iudg-
ment to fail upon the country is supposed
toaindicate that the divine displeasure is not
wholly turned away from u.s. 1t is supposed
that the enormity of our evil deserts has
not been fully met by the desolations of
four years war, by the destruction of prop
erty by the hundreds of millions, by the
pail OF death hanging glooniiy over nearly
every household i'll the land by the deep
anguish OF fear and anxiety which we have
throughout most Of these four years, felt for
tue very existence Of the nation; but that
in addition to all these this last signal
blow of God's displeasure was needed in
order to bring up the divine chastiselnent
to full measure of our wicketiness This
view my perhaps be correct for it is diff
cult now to conceive how the guilt of the
nation could be greater than it has been
Had not tue shamefui fact been for years
before our eyes it would have been difficult
to conceive that nation of inteili gent
beings could be guilty of so fragrant an in
consistency and so enormous "a crime, as de-
liberately and persistently to violate the
fundamental principle of its own national
existence. And yet we have seen this DONE
After declaring to the world as the fundin l.
tai article our national creed that it is IA self
evident truth that equality and freedom are
the universal birthright of mankind, we
have, by every department Of the govern
iilent, lIaiilpleu on lUaL great ana sell
evident principle as if We owed it particu-
lar spite. The legislative department of the
government has enacted laws in palpable
violation Of it; the judicial department has
pronounced important decisions directly
subverting it; the executive department has
even called out the military power of the
nation to trample down and destroy it.
These national acts have been not only
crimiually inconsistent but criminally
wicked for the principle thus violated is
nothing less than the principle implied in
the golden rule of the gospel, Whatsoever
we would that men should do unto you, do
! ye even SO unto them. " 49-
! Such crimes certainly merit signal retri-
button; and in view of both the crime aud
retrhution, we ought to PROSTATE ourselves
before God i'll National fasting humiliation
and prayer
/ But am by no means sure that this is
the only view we ought IL take of Mr. Liu
,olu's death. Was it wholly an indica
: ton of God s dis PLEASURE? If 80, why were the
: plans OF Gle coiispirators so long thwarted
iand dl yed? Why was Mr.. Lin DIN permit.
ted TO hvs until lie had so nearly carried Iii.
great work to It's glorious completioi. p
These facts certainly do not Indicate divine
dIspleasure Aud are there not circuo,stau
Ices connected with his death itself. in view