The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-11-17

|
the six, twelve, or eighteen month
term. A VOTER.
The Startling CaIamities and a,
Enormous Sins Of thc Present Day.
The Rev Mr. Otis preached a sermon
| on last Sabbath morning from the text
Prepare to meet thy God" Amos iv.
| II. He said that the text is misapplie,
by those who give to it particular ref
erence to the hour of death and the da.
| ofiudgment. He showed that the pro
phet was speaking of Gods providentia
dealings with men and nations in thi
present world, and that his words wer,
warning to his countrymen to prepar,
to meet their God in his daily provi
dences in the issues OF this present life
In application of the text he said:
"When sins become national, they
provoke national calamity. All histO
ry is proof and an illustration OF this
truth. We can see the nations first ris'
ing to wealth and power, and then pass
ing into luxury and corruption, AM
finally overtaken and overwhelmed il
the terrible retributions of Gods provi
dences. Neither the sword, nor the
pestilence, nor the famine, nor fires, mol
storms, nor any other calamities, ever
came, cdHSeIeSSiV, upon people. We
know the amount of infidelity, botE
theoretical and practical, in regard e
this point that is prevalent at the pres
ent day. 1t is the habit of this age tC
trace up fires, and storms, and all dire
full disasters, % their natural causes, and
then, because men can find the seconds
ry causes producing these evils, to deny
that God has anything to do with them,
Just rs if God does not reign over and
control, by his directing and restrain
ing prOYiGences, the operations and re-
suits of all natural causes. We must
either recognize our God as the Jehovah
iireh-the God of Providence who
sends upon men and nations calamities
i'm wrath, or withholds them in mercy,
and sends blessings in favor, or we
must deny that the Bible is a revelation
of his character: for the Bible, from the
beginning .to the end, represents God
as reigning over, in his providences, all
the nations of earth and the individual
men of which they are composed. We
are therein taught that his prOyidences
are universal and particular, general
and special, and retrihutive to both
good and evil in the ultimate results /;
that ihey extend from the fall of man in
Paradise to the falling OF Sparrow in
the hedge, and that they reign over, in
their all-embracing and a'l-disposiDg
control, all events, both great and small, ,
between those two extremes. The pre-
diction of national calamities, made by
Amos and all the other prophets, is ex>
plicable only on the hypothesis that
God is the proyidenIial Disposer of all
national events. displaying his wrath in
national calamities and showing his ia
vor in national properties.
I'VE are well aware where the doc
trine will lead us, when il comes to be
applied TO our national affairs; but, it is
the doctrine which all the prophets and
apostles preached, and which we are
constrained to preach as faithful min
lister ofthe church founded on the pro-
phetS and apostles. We look abroad
upOu our native land-we read its his
tory as recorded in blood and fire for
the last few years-we take up our
morning papers and read the days
news as flashed to us from all quarters
OF oar wide country. and We are inform
ed Of deaths and disasters, diseases and
dcSolariOnS. storms and fires, ship
wrecks and railroad smashes, ana ap-
nalling c4lamities, that are daily occur
ring north. south, east, west, and in all
tn, ceHtra! parts OF our wide land. are
We 10 saw that all this il the work Of
chance? Because each and every one
OF these direful disasters and crushing
calamities can be traced back to their
natural causes, shall we therefore, con-
Guide that God had nothing TO do with
them? that they did not happen under
the control and diSpeusation OF his prov
licences? Because we can trace the tall
ing of the courthouse I'm Richmond,
and the great loss OF life there, TO deiec
tive architecture in its structure; be-
cause the stupendous fire in Chicago
originated in the circumstance of COW
kicking over q lamp in 4 stable; because
the terrible disaster and great Gestruc-
ton Of lite in the explosion of the Fer
rVbOat's boiler in New York City, on a
SUNDAY not long ago, can be attributed
To an original 1e,eCi in the paEe of the
boiler: because the destructive railroad
accident that happened near Nashville
not many months ago, can be traced TO
a rotten beam in bridge; because al
the startling and fearful calamities, &C.
curing in every section OF our country,
with which tLe days Of the past few
months have been crowded. can he
traced to known natural causes; shall
we, therefore, say that they were not
the visitatious of Gods providences ?
with thc Bible in our hands, teaching
Us that his divine providence descends
down even to numbering the hairs OF
our head and watching over the falling
OF 2 sparrow, we cannot escape the con
that Gods providential finger
is manifested in all these disasters and
calamitias. National calamities ara WIS.,
ita,iOns for national sins. We will not
have 10 go far 'tO justify the ways OF
God unto man" in these terrible provi-
dental visitatiOns. In the same daily
papers in which we are informed OF
these terrible calamities. we also read
startling developments of stupendous
and crimes, of hideous sins
and huge !ninuities and dark abOmina~
tons, 81 both governmental officials and
Drivate ciiiZens-Sins that are so preva-
lent that they are national in their char
actor aud guilt;-then, can we wonder
that Gods prOvideutial hand is heavy
on our people in the inilictiGn OF nation
nj calamities? Far be it from us, TO
anything like one section
the country, or one party In politics,
sitting in judgment upon another.
There is no room for such discrimina-
ton: for, the fearful corruptions and
CRIMES, that are being daily developed,
are lnNOlNlns All pftticS IA tnelI Suliti
and the terrible calamities, that are
coming down upon our land, are involv-
ing all sections of our wide country in
their diraful consequences. Verify, the
mighty hand of Jehovah is heavy on
this whole nation. Our whole people
are called upon to meet God in the dali
Iy issues of his terrible providences.
I.et the people repent, let the nation go
down into the dust of humiliation, let
all classes of sinners confess and fOrsake
their sins, and let all the people united
" and earnestly pray to the mighty
God OF proYiuences, who maketh the
morning darkness, and walketh over
the high places OF the earth, and hath
all the low places under his feet, 10 turn
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