The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1870-05-18
SERMON BY REV. M. D. HOGE, D. D.
PREACHED MAY 4TH, 1870, IN SECOND PREsBYTE
RAN CHURCH, RICHMOND, VA, IN CoMMEM-
GRAFTON OF THE DISASTER AT THE
CAPITOL APRIL q.


This is no doubt the most memorable day of re-
ligious solemnity that Richmond has ever known.
There has, indeed, been calamity in its history
greater than the one we commemorate to-day but
then the population of the city was comparatively
small; the churches we're few, and such demonstra-
tons of public grief united with religious observ-
ances as are witnessed to day were of course impos
sible then.
What renders the scene more impressive is the
fact that it is secular day OF the week which we
are now converting into one of sacred solemnlty.
Had the day appointed for this commemoration
been the Sabbath, then to have seen the churches
been no unusual spectacle, for the proportion of
the inhabitants of this city who frequent Gods
house on the Sabbath is so large as to attract the
attention, not only Of strangers, but OF citizens
who are familiar with the spectacle. The closing
of stores and shops warehouses and manufactures
| of city-and the sweet and undisturbed silence
which reigns on the Sabbath is the habltual hon.
age of the people to the sacredness OF the Lord
dav. but much more significant is the closing OF
the marts of trade and commerce. and the arrest f
ing of all the ordinary movements OF social life
on week day, that the entire population may
kneel before the Lord in penitential confession
of sin and supplicatiOn for pardon. There is
something very impressive in the appearance of
CITY hushed to stiffness in the midst of the week
all business suspended, all public Offices and nsti
buttons and places of an, cement closed, while all
the houses of God az zen, and thronged with
neople of every age ana ass, subdued by COM
mon sadness, humbllng themselves together under
the mighty hand of God.
This is just such public recognition of the
Providence of God in human affairs as the text de
mands. 1t is the response Of the people when the
Lord crieth unto the city; and awed by that voice
summoning attention. the answer of the obedlent
and submissive community is: Speak, Lord, Tor
Thy servants hear"
| The Lord crieth unto the city, and 1T is cry
whose tones thrill our very souls.
Never before did we hear one like it. Never
before did we see the uplifted hand of God more
clearly. Never before was devout recognition OF
an over.ruling Providence felt to be more In &C
cordance with the dictates Of the most enlightened
| wisdom"
We say often of our fellow-men that their ac'
tons speak louder than words. Sometimes this is
true of the acts of God; not that they are really
more entitled to our regard than His word, which
He has "magnifed above all His name" but it is
true that the acts of God often arrest and rlyet the
attention Of men more powerfully than DO the az
stract truths of His word; and when these acts
are such as starte and agitate, then the dongs OF
| Providence are for the time more Impressive than
the written revelations of the Spirit and then
too the chief difficulty of the preacher is removed
for the attention of the community is already
awakened-ordinary insensibility and Indifference
are gone, and the word from his lips is word in
season. or, as it is in the original it is word on
,ohees, and rolls rapidly and resstlessy into the
| hearts of men,
IF I were preaching to-day to skeptics | might
think it proper to deliver textua discourse, and
demonstrate the fact that the rod of empire. of
direction control and correction is in the hands OF
God, and that every chaStsement that comes is by
Divine appointment But there is very little in
crudulity on these points in this community now,
and the immediate and practical duty OF the min
lister is not to demonstrate the doctrine of God s
sovereignty, but TO point out and enforce the SOL
emn lessons of the present calamity. Whatever
opinions we may entertain with regard to the sec.
ondary causes of this catastrophe, even though 1t
we're shown to be the result of human neglect OF
the ordinary precautions which ensure safety to
limb and life, still we know that God may over
rule even the negligence or ignorance OF men, for
the accomplishment of His own purposes, just as
easily as He can override the laws of His own
enactment and we regard the calamity which has
plunged our city in mourning as coming by APP
pointment of Him who orders all things according
to the counsel of His own will, and in whose in
finite empire there is 40 such thing as chance OF
accident 1t is otAonly practical atheism to as
lcribe to- second causes The great events which
bring distress upon families and communities, but
it is unphosophica as well; for second causes i'm
ply first cause, and there is no first cause but
God-and if He is omnipresent, then, since DE
pervades every part of the universe with every
attribute Of His being-since In every place and
at every moment he is present In all the tulness Of
His wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness
and truth it follows, by logical necessity, that ca
PRECIOUS chance and blind destiny are simply impos'
sible.
One of the practical results of the recognition
of these truths has already been witnessed in this
city, In the public meeting which was held in the
Capitol Square on Thursday last, there was, as
believe, the most decided and impressive public
testimony ever borne to the truth of the Christian
religion in this city; for there before the Capitol
under the open sky, we're assembled thousands Of
the people, not only all hushed and reverental, a;
is the audience in this church at this moment but
the Spirit of God came down so evidently upon
those who addressed the multitude, that the most
profound and all-pervadng religio-s impression
was produced-an impression which is still deep
ening and extending Had the appeals then made
fallen from the lips of cergymen, they might have
been regarded as professional, or, if not, at al
events only what was demanded from men exer
cisng the sacred Office but, as of old, the Spirit
of God fell upon Saul, placing him for the time
among the prophets enabling him to speak with
a prophet awful authority and with prophet;
power, so did men, not ministers, but members o.
another profession and soon. as trust all of then
to be members of the Church of Christ, warn anG
instruct and importune their hearers, as they elo
quently urged the great duties of repentance, anG
faith, and conservation to God. The feeling now
pervading the community, of which that meeting
was an exponent, makes my task an easy one al
this hour, for the way has already been prepared
in the most remarkable manner for the enforce
ment of the great lessons of this calamity, on the
part of the minister of God, for what was true
of that great gathering around the Capitol has
also been true of other smaller assemblies and as
socations which have been addressed in similar
terms and with similar impression by their presid
ing officers.
/ will not permit myself this day to awaken your
grief aresh by portraying to you the "a awful scenes
of the tragedy which has plunged Richmond IL
such SORROW, and which has awakened the sympa
thy of the Commonwealth and of the entire coun
try. There are agonies which no signs can inter
| pref and which no language can express.
Had we personally witnessed the fall OF the fata
floor and heard with our osEr ears the wall of an
guish which rose to Heaveh from the palpitating
and mangled mass of dying men, we would have
seen only the exterior OF the calamity we coulC
: not have penetrated the hearts of the sufferers
! the tender memories of some, the despair o.
Others the mental and spiritual throes of all
nor could We fathom the depths of sorrow int
which many bereaved families fell in moment
we could not measure the widows woe, or the
child desolaion, or the anguish of kindred wher
the awful idings of the event flashed through the
city and so we turn shuddering from the scene itself
and fortify ourselves by looking to Him who hold
the rod, and learning from Him the impressive
lessons OF the hour.
|. We are taught to humble ourselves under thu
mighty hand of God in profound acknowledgment
of His sovereignty and our nothingness
The Lords voice crieth unto the city, saying
what [ do thou knowest not now-thou shall
know hereafter. BE still, and know that an
S God;" aud we respond, Verify Thou art Goo
that hidest Thyself Clouds and darkness arr
round about Thee-dark waters and thick cloud
of the sky"
yV;tb o,,r f,oul.iac ,ro oonpnt IA