Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-11-22
PRoCEEDINGs
GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
UNITED STAT ES. &.
sRRMON pY REy. a 3. BEE. DO
First Day.
FoRExooE SESSION.

America mel according 10 appointment, Oh
Thursdss, lhe 2isldas of Noyefnber. A. D.
1867, in the First Presbyterian Church,
Nashville, Tennessee, at IL O'Clock A. NJ,
and affer a voluntary by the choir, Rev.
r. A. Iapsley, DID,, formerly Of Nashville,
led in the invocation and read the first
hymn Of TIE new collection, which was
snnp by the congregation. RevsT. W
Moore. DID, of Richmond, Va, led in
PRAYER, and Rev. DIR. Lapsley read in the
Scriptures the A8th Psalm, and announced
the eighth Hymn.
Rev. A. II. Kerr, DID, the Moderator
OF the last Assembly, prearhed the opening
sermon, as follows, from the text;
Great L. the Lord and gTestly TO be praised
In the city of our God, in the mountain OF hts
holiness. For this God IL our God Tor ever and
ever; he will be our guide even unto death. -
Its moi material to our purpose, nor is Il
necessary in this presence, that we should at
tempt 70 determine whether this Psalm belongs
to the Legitical family OF singers, Athe sons OF
korah) either as authors or performers, or
whether il was the composition ot DAVID; NOT
Is il material to determine what particular oe-
easion IL was meant 10 celebrate. whether the
remarkable deliverance Of Jehosaphat and hts
followers. (2ud Chron. 10Th ca. ls-Z!th hs.J OF
whether it were some other stupendous nisIori-
cal event in the reign ot DAVID thet inspired nis
Calvin refeTs II 20 later date. Junius, Ireme-
Hus and DOdd lean to the opinion OF Luther,
Dsthe, Pool, AinswoTth. Clark; Hengstenberg
and Others agree with Cnlyin Inese Dafied LAM anu
measure, conjectural Perhaps the opinion OF
Matthew Henry is entitled 70 as much consideia-
ton as any. For aught know. he says, II
might be penned By David upon occasion otsoIns
eminent victory obtained in his time; yetnotso
calculated for that but that il might serve any
other the like occasion IN after tunes, an
hOweyg, agree in this that the N1ole fsaiii IA
its application to the church Of God Is receiving
a glorious eonsummation from generation 10
Tbe passases have selected invite US in the
first place and as the grand theme of the whole
Psalm, to the study of the boundless and ineon
ceivable majesty of the Divine nature great
Is the Lord !" and, in the second place, 10 tne
study Of God in covenant with ms elect peo-
pie. " This God is our God tor ever ana ever
he will be our guide even unto death
"The idea Of fthe Supreme Being. = says Robert
Hail. has this peculiar property, that as II aa-
mits ofno substitute, 80, IRON the hrsl IhoLeis
and enlargement. God himself is immutablei
but our conception of his character IS continu-
ally receiving fresh accessions, Is eontinually
growing more extended and refuigent, hy having
tranrfeTred TO it new elements Of beauty and
goodness by attracting to itself az centre
whatever bears the impress OF dignity, ORDER OF
happiness. 1t borrows splendor from an that .
tair suboTdinates to itself all that Is great and
sits enthruned on the riches OF the uaiT erse
10 know God, therefore. to have some Just con-
ception Of his nature, Of his attributes, OF his
word ana works, especially Of his moral charae-
Ter. to comprehend the nature Of the relations
between him and his creatures, invests tue
science of theology with proportions which sub
ordinate as illustrative part OF hseI az 9ther
sciences. The elder Alexander has, think,
wisely and truly said, that as the First Cause,
IL there is one must be from has nature invisible,
The only way BY which he can be conceived TO
make known his existence is by setting before us
sorne work in which his wisdom, power, and
Topduess may be manifested, and By the con
Temptation Gf which rational mind may inler
that being does exist 70 whom these properties
belong" And We may here add, that all the
demon stration that can anywhere be found OF
sgch q cause such q being, such God, IS al tue
same time the evidence and the demonstration
Of his inefabie excellence, perfection and glory.
Because that ehich may be known Of God is
manifest IN them. for God hath showed it unto
| them" For the invisible things of him from
the creation Of the world are clearly seen, beng
| understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal mower and GOdbead." The lines of has
| works by which God would reveal himself ars
eOne ont through aii the earth, and their WORDS
/ to the end Of the world.
The globe on which we dwell we are accns-
/ toned 10 speak OF % the universe. But mag
/ nifeent aud grand as " is. with its mighty
weights of seas and continents II Is not the uni
verse of God" but of man, whose vision eapnol
penetrate hall way across one oi ms snaasif.
horizon. 1t is but one of the countless hablta-
tons Jehovab has built for his worshiPers to
dwell in" And whilst every man, aud beast
and insect and atom of the gi0bsd0. IN the com
pletest and most conclusive manner, estshllsn
| his existence as they demonstrate has Wlsdo4s
| and power in their creations yeti OBTAIN ana na
| 10 carry upon the heart AMI the ming,, WIN en
| The authority and with all the weight oi an
| abiding conviction, a Just, and in some measure
| an adequate conception OF the true greatness OF
| God. we must contemplate him In all the devel-
opments he has been pleased TO make oil hls Won
I In hfe annplpT and wonderful
| works, forby these would be show i0rih MS
glory and OF The same time call forth The praises
| of his admiring and adorlng creatures; Mhat
was Il that so profoundly awakened the plsty y
ofthe deyout Psalmist, and that so profoundly
| impressed him with the littleness of this earth
| and the lttleness Of the men that dwell on its
| face, that be must needs exeiaun, hhAt Is
| man. that thou art mindful of him or the son
| of man, that thou shouldst deiRn 10 visit him
An he had gone up from hiss present surround
iDRs 10 the immeasurable regions OF an unin-
closed spane all crowned with spiendOr, and all
allied with the energy Of the Divine presence.
And as creation rose in its immensity before
him. amid the grandeur and the splendor OF ITS
infinite variety. he leaps apwa.a ireR the ma
| ship Of the still higher and greater majesty Of
! Natures Invisible, bat almighty, and wise. and
PbiIosanhers ieil Us that the number of suns
| and systems visible 70 the upasdef eye OF man
4 does not eKceed thousand, but that Wy TIE as
Fiseauce Of the most powerful telescope yet con
strEcted by the senlas q pan, pc e5n s5sl. IaI.
/ etary orbs there are not exceeding Q talt dozen
that can he disceTned by the unhlded eye AAa
Of these our ideas must have been exeeedingS
crude and Indefinite but Tor the aids Of eultiYA-
4 ted srience. By its assistance, and by process
| ofcomputafiou moi necessary to be explained al
| this time not only the distance. bat even the
/ maRnitude Of some of these bodies have been
| deteTmined The sun. the largest Of them eli
/ though presenting rery mesgre surface Y eal
eyes, has not only been ascertainsd to be elobe
bat many thousand OF times larger
| than our habitation. The moon, too isi
| All the proportions Of Q mighty world; or even
sor.sof the stars that are almost lnTlslble, IN
/ der the powers of the telescope, claim elTrnm
i ference that toutmeasHrest tbe universe on Enlel
/ we tread. And then what are those counties
/ burning luminaries that light up the whole
| vault of heaven with such wondrous spiendef
1 Tbey seem to stand aioof from, and TO be inde
pendent OF. the suns and planets that lie within
| he Sanse OF our observation. Those that arS
| visible to Us oirsle With wonderful regniarlfJ
l and harmony around our sun, ana yield 0leer
ful end ady obedience 70 ms cons asserted
| dOfainion But not so with this counties
| mulfitude Of far-iistani lights. They seem {.
scknowledge no nuthoJtty! they circle around
/ no dominion, and By whose laws tnsy are helc
| amenable. They seem 70 assert soyereiepS
| Thrones and to abide there upmoTed and IN
| movable. But what are they aud Why arr
| thoy3 Has the Greater set them N ithsir place
only 10 constitute a twilight 70 this little eartl
| in the immensity OF creation Are they madi
only 10 dazzle the eye. 10 arouse the speculation
| md 10 excite the admiration and wonder OF
| few entranced aud delighted philosopheTs2 Oi
] do they serve the far more noble purpose. o
| 'lirhfing M ether worlds. and giving inspira
| ton and aefiyitE 20 other systems and planets
thst Acknowledge them as oenters OF power anc
Q. attractionfs
Nov, IN am attempt al q soiaticE 81 .thcs'
auestic ns, that which must be constantly born,
| in mind j. the incalculable, the lInlneaspFahl'
spaoo that inter- enes between these I xed light
and tbs place of cRT habitsii0n Speaking OF
/ this saltect, one oi the profQan0est philosopher
has said that, 'lf the whole planetary sySteu
were hEhted ~ into globe OF tire. Il would e.
ceed by many millions of times the magnitude
of this world. and set oEly sPpeaT small iuciC
| point from The nearest Of them. II body wer'
| project ed from the sun with the Veiocity of
| rauncn ball, IL would take huadreis OF thou sand
| of years before itdsscribed that mighty inteTy a
which sepaFsses tbs nsaFest Of th'
| tired sfars from our san aud from oul
sysfen. IL THIS earth. which moves q
] fhe more than inconFelyahle velocity Of
/ m,ilion ana a hslf mnes = day. wtre to b.
| hurried from It's orbit and 20 take the sam,
| rapld diebt over ttis ian ens0 tract u would no
| have arrived al the termingtl9n OF ITS lOurnsl
affer TAI Ing al the time Nhlah has alapses slnc
| the creation ef the world. These are gresf an "
| bers ana great oslenlations; and the mind feel
is own innpOfsEcy in efismpting 20 grasp them
1 We ear state them IN words Ee can exEibi
| thesn iu figures. We can demo1skrste them b.