Delaware State journal and statesman., 1866-04-20
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

The following Is an extract from sermon
nroached in the First Presbyterian Church,
or Washington City, on Sunday evening
last by the Rev. Byron Sunderland, d. d.
uisan eloquent and beautiful description of
the lamenled President, and will well repay
nm attentive perusal:-
The rictim of the deed How shall
sneak of thisY Was the man whom we call
Abraham Lincoln, with those whom he had
summoned 10 the high offices OF stale anu
wor-were these only the victims OF the
blnody deedY II did spare the others almost
n4 by "A miracle-him, alasl IL could not
snnrc "Shall we know this herealtery"
Surely. we do NOT understand it now. shall
moi he thought unmndful in this discourse
of the services and merits OF those dlstln-
ruished men who heve stood around the
President with their aid and counsel In tho
last four years, and some of whom have
served the Republic with confessed ability
and honor for whole generation shali
MOI cspccinly, hope, he thought unmindiul
ni him who has been summoned to succeed
Ia the dignities and duties of the late Chief
Magistrate, and who daily pray may prove
Ia he Gods instrument in the conduct OF our
public affairs no less than he whose place he
is called to fill. -
shall not be thought unmindml of all
these if turning, as we must, from the living
10 tbf dead, we mark lew plain things oil
him-thd plain and honest man. DID they
Kill only 50 much flesh and bonesl lhe lall'
''a,,nt s,ynyinr. swarthy frame-the open,
homeiv. ever 'benignant face, the hollow
,hrk. the wide out-pouting mouth; the
,,nia. placid, laughterloving eye the broad,
l,iab sharp. projecting brow; the massive
.lnce raven but now slightly sllvered-halri
the temnle of a body whose indwelling soul
had made itself felt upon the nation ana the
world as no other mind ol America has done
since we had national existence. Dl1
they kill with him the boy that struggled
with his early poverty, the stout Doa'lnsn 10, OF
the great rivers, the sturdy aXeman OF the
mighty forests of the West, the true genius
and specimen of our American pioneer, who
found the land a wilderness and has made II
as the garden of the Lord? Did they XIII
only the kind husband and father, the good
neirhbor and citizen, the strong, straighll0r-
ward, singularly successful lawyer and ad-
,2cate, whose statements were well sald 10
be ndrmunstraions, whose guesses were
predictions. whose very anecdotes were
arguments. " and who was never beaten IN a
contest of logic when the right was to be
defended and the wrong to he exposed? Did
they kill that mind which looked all danger
in The face without timidity, and bore al
prnvocation meekly without retaliation! Dlu
they kill that reason, that Judgment, tpat
wonderful combination of faculties which
rave TO the world that last inaugural anu INC
alloculion of the 11th of April iollowingl
All this and more, far more, have they struch
down This man had been in Congress III
1917 nnd 40. lie had seen the conclusion
OF the Mexican war, and the secret workings
of Government and legislation behind the
curtains ol the Capitol lie was there lusl
long enough to vote on the Wilmot proviso,
and io hear the sound of the tocsin whlcl
summoned the nation to another coniiicl
with the slave power But he was compara'
lively quiet then, and went back again tC
his Western home and his lawyer clrcults
Wondering many things in his heart. H'
seems o have hecn held there like prophe
III his watcl-tower till the time should come
That time did not long delay. The propose
to ohitcrate the line of the Missouri com
promise was the signal of new STRIFE Ih'
storm of sectional jealousy and party VIC
lencc broke forth anew. 1t was but anothe
struggle between the principles OF liberty
and oppression--tha old Euroclydon OF hu
man nature which under many names ant
with manifold change of forms has shaker
the whole world, and overthrown the irmes
structures of government. In the progress
ol that conflict events of unusual and start
ling character sprang up. The whole natio
was tossed from side to side. New doctrine
were proclaimed, new parties issued int
life, new characters appeared upon the field
Everywhere the mighty argument went on
the plains of Kansas were smoking wit
conflicts of fire and blood. In the Capitol
Senator was smilten with a bludgeOn mig
40 death At llarpcr's Ferry an old ma
with handful of men in the darkness of
Saturday night took possession OF the Gov
Urnment arsenal, from whence he proclaime
liberty as from tribune TO the lowly CHI
dren of oppression, while in one OF I'll
Northwestern States one of the most notabl
political campaigns on record was going o
between two intellectual giants of ama7in
strength, and in which the local defeat {
1858 became the national triumph of 1861
1t was then that Providence pointed out til
man who should take the helm of the vessi
for the coming storm. They brought hi
from his home of contcntment and brougl
him to the capital He had to enter it
disguise by the gray light of the morning
before men had risen from their slumber
A horrd snare had been set for him ON I'll
route The project then failed which WI
four years after accomplished-iOur years
what life! They took him from the pea(
and honor of private association-that hea
full of old Hebrew, squarc-huilt, quaint, m
jestic thoughts that heart, broad and full
human Kindness as his own prairies, an
fragrant with every scented blossom Of h
man tenderness and sympathy. How
came, how he had TO make his way tllrOuf
his own awkwardness; how he met suspicion
ria. .oule, contempt, how he nevertheless la
lis hon. 10 the work and went on calml
modestlv ,Hrmly, never laltering, never d
spairinp. even at times when all men we
conlounded and ."ast down; how at leng
the truth bepnn 10 d wn upon us, and upt
distant nations, that he.' was great ma
one of the greatest in Am. 'rlca, one oil u
best, one Of the most pure an, Hollesl als
yea, and often one of the tenderes, uilii s'l
desti how at last he saw the right, al. Pr
nounced the word with full intent to stl.
the letiers from 4, 900, 900 slaves; how me
that priced goodness and justice eveTywhel
came at length TO know him, to love and
trust him; how his name grew like hous
hold word in all lands, among all peopl
how he went on slowly, cautiously, fro
step to step but surely, never taking stt
back, until he did seem gifted with somethir
almost of the old prophetic spirit, and Il
nation leaned upon him as the tribes did u
on Moses in their wilderness Journey Tn
they renewed his term of office amid Il
congratulations of the worlds patriots al
sages, ''and thus had he borne himself
faculty so meek, and been so clear in L
great office, y that well might ''his virtu
plead like angels trumpet -tongued again
the deep damnation of his taking off,"
this point perhaps YOU may put the questio
WAS he really a Christian" tell you
cannot judge his heart profoundly ho
he was. In the Judgment Of our comm
Christian orthodoxy his record would ha
been more satisfactory if he had been knoN
Openly us a member of the Christian ChurC
81 tar AS | know he had no vices. He W
nat proiane, impure, inebriate His examl
as To the use of the Sabbath and frequent
a