American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-08-02

American mind. As the nations ruler he
had implicit confidence in God, about to
assume the reins Of Government he sought
and obtained an interest in the prayers of
the people. Abraham Lincoln spoke
words that ought to be emblazoned upon
our country's banner. Knowing that
God is always on the side of right, study
to be on the side of God" He read
Gods providence, he read the people; as
Providence opened the way he moved
just as fast as the people were prepared to
follow. He was a skillful leader, he moul-
ded the people to his mind, yet never
showed his hand, the motion of his finger
meant more than the movement of other
mems bodies, his stories contained more
than other mems sermons. At first the
merest tyros in diplomacy volunteered to
instruct him, at the last sages put their
hands upon their mouths and learned
wisdom.
The divinity of the choice is manifest
in the manner in which the plain unas-
suming rail splitter of the West" guided
the Ship of State over the stormiest sea
that ever bore upon its surging bosom
bark so valuable. In his hands were pla-
ced the destiny Of mankind it is but
faint praise to say he did his work well.
God dismisses his servants at will. \
public officer may forfeit his standing, or
fulfil his mission and be dismissed from
service without necessarily efecting the
relation of his soul to God. For one act
of error, Moses died, while the people of
whom he was the divinely appointed lead
er, were yet upon the Desert, and his
work seemingly unfinished.
God had said, Take the rod, and speak
We to the rock before their eyes; and it
shall give forth his water;" but Moses
went further, and instead of speaking to
the rock, he smote it twice with the rod
and said, clear now yc rebels must We
fetch you water out Of this rock p (Num.
20). Then, God said, "because ye be-
lieved me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of
the children of Israel, therefore, ye shall
not bring this congregation into the land
which | have given them" The heart
gathers sadness us we read up the history
of Moses. A man 50 true, SO meek, one
who had borne the burden of the people
so long, and whose heart was 50 fully set
upon visiting the mountains Of Israel
But it must not be; he had erred, he
went beyond his authority and he must
die and die he did yet with such death
how few have been favored. God went
with him to the mountain. God was with
him as lie gazed over upon the vine-clad
hills of the Land of Promise. God clo-
sed his eyes when he expired in death.-
He buried his body in the valley, set a
watch at his grave, and escorted his soul
to the Paradise above For one incon-
,ideratc act. U22a was struck dead where
he stood. For one act Of merry King
Saul was rejected. and The crown Of lsra-
eli passed into other hands. While lsra-
el was yet upon the desert, they were as
saulted by the Amalekites. Joshua
fought them in the plain while Moses,
upon the mountain, stretched his hands to
God. When his hands were up Israel
prevailed. when his hands were down
Amalek prevailed, his hands were sup
ported until Amalek was defeated. Then,
the Lord said to Moses, "Write this for
a memorial in a book, ond rehearse it in
the ears of Joshua, for l will utterly put
out the remembrance of Amalek from un-
der heaven" (Ex. I'D -Four years af-
ter this Judgment was pronounced, King
Saul was commissioned to "smite the
Amalekites and utterly destroy all that
they had :" he was to "slay both men
and women, infant and sucking, OK and
sheep, camel and ass. 4 Sam. 25.) He
performed the duty, but saved Agag, the
king, alive, aud for that act of untimed
mercy he was rejected from being king.
Ahab, king of Israel, was assaulted BY
Benhadad, king of Syria; at the first at
tack the Syrians were driven from the
field !; at the turn of the year Benha5ad
renewed the war, but at the suggestion of
his people (who said: The Gods of Is
rael are "gods of the hills; therefore are
they stronger than we; but let US fight
them in the plain and surely we shall be
stronger than they'') he resolved to fight
them in the valley, thinking that there
the God of Israel had no power. On ac-
count of this blasphemous assumption,
God resolved up-n their utter destruction,
and commissioned Ahab, himself bad
man, to perform the service. The battle