New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-12-08
Plymouth Church.
,,,ov nv THE REV. HENRY WARD BEECHgR.

~. bour Mr. Beecher after the usual morning e1er
-. cook al his text the lltb and 10th verses OF
csnesis inclusive, and said
-,on after the driving storm the sun returns, not
ale does it pour its own streams OF golden light over
a,s,ched and wind wrecked land. but II sets up
sr Of victory in the very elements themselves; for
p,y the ran.drops rs so many prisons the sun CON-
s,them 10 throw wide over the lying ciouo tne raant
tS N, stipg foe. What dcuge is Ike war whose
lns lions are of blood What is like civil war
St Siyil war for magnitude and ierccness was ever
UNI And who ever had the right, II not we, TO
lA S the clouds now that war has passed, for Gods
80, and promise of future peaeei
S,s,efl that have escaped this terrific whirl of
~ alaments we desire yet a greater mercy-some as.
". that il shall not return upon and that God
~ make some sign token between him and u.s.
a,napt that He will never again visit the land with
w 6erv deuge When Noah went forth he bullded
,,.r and offered sacrifice. We, in these latter days
LID no affairs OF stone any more and bring neither
SSs nor beasts for sacrifice but an entire people as
smbc day Offering sacrifice with thanks OF spirits 20
simiobty God for the great mercies which he mas
nctsafed TO u.s. and join in suppcatlon that he may
lite "a and unite children from generation to gen.
,s,iou for eyermore Let Us pass In review the great
themes which give Us an assurance OF Oods covenant
i'I ND first, mention theme for Thanksgiving
simply the end OF the war.
me salden and complete extinction OF national
orsssrton of unparalleled magnitude has in 1t some
Gang that il sublime. The roar Of battle has ceased
;ss are dissolved; sQnadrOns that shook the CONT
pent are dsbsuded and scattered in shops over farms
5 IN All the other avenues OF commerce. The sudden
nss Of the end of the war has no pafae except the
sn5seopess Of its beginning. 1t opened with sweep
Of IRE. whired with a rush like Antunnai Deuowngs
On the prairie Its close is as RAPID as when streams
pr down from the urd skies and In one rush quench
fysry spark Of smoldering fire The end is complete
and pereupiOry No fiery edges OF war remain, ,a mo
saderv the shock Is over and peace is established TO
The confusion OF every foreign prophet VINO predicted
long and tedious issue How grateful Is peace,
and 10 none than TO those who saw
that war must be wagedt War should be
peromptory and peace should be peremptory. BY two
hitter wears learned that war could not be carried
on on peace principles. In far less time we have
learned that peace cannot be maintained on war prin.
eiDs War is medicine, not food. 1t is surgery, not
caisthenics 1t is Judgment not mercy. In war
sternBess the true kindness, ana mercy Is cruely'
That which closes il, brings its end is KINDNESS.
Stroke upon stroke, explosion upon explosion battle
upon bae-et travel fast be done ana done tnor'
oaghy, and then let there be no more OF II.
And so IL has come TO pass. Peace has come, not
10 Ms alone but to the world Such was the nature oil
our war that felt in Europe and in all the world
Europe to-day joins with America IN giving tnanks
that war is ended and peace begun. Let us supplcate
the Divine Father that suiferings may be 'icarous
and that peace may be a part OF bow OF promise,
covenant that shall deluge the land no more.
More remarkable is the success think OF the war
than even its magnitude its beginning or its teruna'
ton How seldom in the history OF nations have they
gained the ends for which they went to war; 40 seldom
4 a
fsbt and exhaust themselves, and then negotiate ana
get BY negotiation what they first sought by the sword
Ii was from considerations such as these that our
foreign friends other lands jpdgng m the useless
ness Of most European wars. dissuaded US from
conflict. But We have gained the very ends
for watch we lifted our banners. II seemed TO this
people that God had entrusted them with treasures FOR
the good Of all mankind. We were becoming shat
tered nations mere tumble Of States gathered to-
ee.her. For a nations lie We went 70 war, and that
life bring back in all its strength Opboon Is tabled
tho Of adj IN nf
his spouse and with his Tyre TO have soothed its mon
sters and her back to life We had no magic Tyre,
but learned through the fiery breath Of purgatoral suf
fering to redeem and bring back lost happiness
Nor ia il unworthy of remark that every war in which
this people engaged has gained the very end for
which the war was commenced The power Of the
French broken by our early colonial struggle on
this continent The indians were snbdued. We gained
that political independence for which our great
utionary struggle was begun and In the War Of lsl2
We gained that for which entered the conflict The
poicy which followed that totally different
from that which Great Britain had maintained before
it. Although little was conceded in doctrine yet the
customs OF the changed after the War Of 1872
jus o. the power refuses any terms refuses
anything 10 diplomacy, but will inevitably change her
practice.
Soord We have cause Of Thanksgiving for the
fruits Of the war Just closed Not only has this nation
gsned the specific ends for which it waged the war.
the external things but other and not less important
ends hare been ripened In the lurid Summer OF this
cOndc. Most eminent and in every respect most re-
mGrkab,e is the production Of National Constitution.
II Of the maryels Of history that i'll an age ferTid
with the spirit of liberty such fathers should
sme Constitution for the express purpose Of giving
equal rights and civil liberty. and then have deber.
siey irclosed within it an element OF Slavery, the
grossest the worst that ever afflicted the
world 1t was as though one should build q
fortress and then give the enemy the key. History
rpea In respect to Constitution the words Of the
Apostle: AT the commencement 1t was ordained to
live; find to be In IL DEATH and there did not seem
the remotest probability that change could be made
BY Constitutional provisions Up to very late day
the power Of evil was increasing; nor did conceal
nom myself how nearly We came to gull. the depths
Of which line of past experience il long enough to
measure. remember our escape In the beginning OF
this war. more marvellous O thousand times than
our escape at the end OF 1t. When l consider
Of nearly every one The influence OF the Sonth upon
plant and money loving North; when think that a
Union had almost been formed Matchmaking Slavery
putting away forever the day Of universal emancpation
when recollect escape from all his confess my
self be impressed with Gods immediate interposition
N from 30 great peril lean scarcely yet see
owwedid escape. Twas not mans hand certainly.
The great moral OF the Northern States the
rcted patriotism OF the country. the wonderful result
gathered from divided parties TO which at length the
North came TO sacrifice everything earth rather than
let the country be lott could have foreseen. As
toonsoquence OF this mighty upheava seishness and
srstion gave place. ard men began to feel the force
0ustce and proclaimed liberty 10 four million sayes
Bl' as II moved by divine impulse to clear their
hrts of this sin. they set to work 10
tisr the Constitution itself and forever interpose
trrier against IT, The road TO amend Constitution
hard and cireuitous so difficult Is 1t that experts
hare hitherto held that II scarcely possible thing
ssnsnd the Constitutions that there could be such
hance no such condition Of peace aid uninterrupted
hrnony as before Yet and still State after State IL
ntfying the Amendment. until 1t Is not matter OF
teabt but . positive certainty. The work Is done.
laypaase.l The organic law Of America Is hence
ierl and forever Liberty. Applause.l Slavery here
s!sr is treason TO the Constitution. (Applausel
Es,oice ye who have borne upon your beads the sus
feon OF treason for long fidelity TO lberty ye that
vs.ehed and wept, and rejoice 70 noble men that went
9pecre the struggle issued In victory for nov at last
We children Of the Pilgrims and the sons of sires Of
eeffy have been able to the day when Liberty Is
.1,s aud when Slavery is Treason. Immense ap-