The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-12-05

children every Where 80 to reallH tie charac
and If the cNgrnc, that thcy shall
bend III PRAYER and application Tor All on pouring Of
tesp ' bem On ean maj them H 10 p,4n m No
fcules.. To mAsc them Wise. Anu WI the result Is
Uod how Deeply snd crdcrv or hearts y earn r tnc
1hs H. lam 81 or there the lana c6rsccriicd nv
a.slum Tor iincr the world Yer the laid Win wic1
q Cod. what Wit thou do unto ihy great name II hi
Christian nation should De- '.yered N rcc.a an n Ia,
whitn We are passing. We leave tnc ease witi llc,
tss SN and " Ten IN ' ry voodu. IN o cT IN
rn{ hi1 a oe s' cn "s'Ds ~ Y % M, sn,
s1d We nan be a,ncd ana ss sy 5 81 he lrec
world without tnd Amen.
The Rev Dr. Armitnve gave out. aud the con-
Rregaton sang the l.'2in nymni
60 I'D s .ns ., e@r . 1s,i,e land
~. Throash =, ,i, I'm, ana might .l,
I f. + s on T oar co ana wy, We
~ Thy great might.
At the close ~ the singing Or. Armitace said:
"The object Of thu meeting j. simply to ~ r
prayer tina; q e blessing Of our Heavenly ther
may rest upon Congress now assembled. and
guide them in their deliberations and findings
in this trying time IN our history. II uv " tch
Is correct II IL now uy the New York time some
seventeen minutes aiter Twelve; md there l.
difference tetwecu NV York and Wasniugt IN
time Of eleven miuut.~: So that We may reason
at ~ suppose that at tins moment the Speaker
of The iIonse has cailed the members TO order
and the Chaplain l. about Offering or has offered
praNers. II seems to me particularly apprupr-
ate that we should ioin in such petitions here.
II occurred to me This morning that there are
some very interesting scenes In the history of
Congress ana 4 YOU will give mo Your atten-
tlon for few minutes will read to YOU some
facts as have iotted them down.
1T Is peculiarly niiing hat our Centennial Con-
gress should be commended to the care and
guidance OF God, especially in view Of the some
what irving times ia which they meet. The
elder fitt said Of tue Revolutionary Congress
For myself must declare and ayOw, that Tor
sOlidity II rea,ouihg force Of sagacity, and WIS.,
dom Of CONCLUSIONS NJ nation or booy Of men
eau stand ~ preference o. the General Congress
at Phiadelphia Iliis T. at road statement. 1t
covers the Roman ~enate. the Greecian Court OF
Aeopagus. and the English Uaruns at bunny
mere. Yet these iustfiouS men 80 tempered
all their yirtle, fortiindc. and giory with trust
In God. that they would not I Ike Sit T. toward
founding the republic I'll they had sked the
blessing o. God upon Them and their plans.
Daniel wsnstg has p,rtreyed The Assembly
ing one Mir Samuel Adam :. with his gray hairs
hanging about has shoulders. ANA with an I'M
pressiSp ,cnsraDlrnes- now seldom met with
srose IN the sempy. md. with the sir Oi per.
feet Puritan. said It did not become men
prOfes-iuV T. De Christi ~ en-. no had come
together for solemn de,!bera ions IN tue hour 81
their eXtrenl To say tnAt here was 80 wide a
difference iu their religious belief that they
c"uii ~ - one man DOW the knee IN PRAYER 10
the Almighty. whose Hdvicc ana assistan e they
tionallst a, ne Wa ana u cuenN oi all Dieitcy
as he wa known 90 be. lac moved that the Rev.
Mr.. Dushe of the lvisco ial Church should adj
dress the hrone ~ Or 80 ~ prayer. saws Mr.
Webster Jonn Adams IN lis letter to his wife
sys that he never saw more m wing -peci cle
MIR. Dushc read the III iscOp ] service Of the
Church of Eng aud nj then, as If moved 10y
the occasion, he bluke into extemporaneous
PRAYER. Aud adds NJ. Webster, those men who
were then about to resort to force 10 btain
their rights, were moved to tears. aud floods u
tears ran down the oh-eks ~ the pacific Ouakers
who formed part of that ntere- ring essen bly.'
From that daS To- ihi-. Dr. Arnitage contin-
ued, "a chapl 10 has always opened the Glib
eTatlons OF Con- ress Win prayer. Now. those
prayers were not more foim with them, but
they emphasized conviction which they were
To aF 4N
Lee, ohn Adams, Jobnst IN. Henry. and kut-
ledge reported an address To- the King, ia which
they say Had our Creator been pleased to
give us existence in a land Of slavery. the sense
Of our condition might nave been mitisated 10y
Die goodness we we're born heirs Of freedom.
In their address 10 Their constituents. reported
by Lee Lvnsston and Jay. they say Above
all things We earnestly ,ntreai you,wilh devotion
OF spirit. penitcnce OF heart. nd al amendment
OF life. 10 humble yourselves and impiore the
favor OF Almighty God. We fervently beseech
His divine goodness to take YOU into His Rra-
cious protection. Here this Congress also tell
us that theV prayed for their country, and alter
ward they tell u that their PRAYERS were
answered. In their address 70 the sever states
ana boast Of America thai the nights Tor which
she contended were me rights OF human nature.
BY the blessing Of the Author Of tnos. rights on
the means exerted for their defence. they have
prevailed AGAINST ali oppression and formed the
oasis OF thirteen INDEPENDENT States" And as
sn Congress 40 10 the Constitutional Convention
OF l,eI our fathers sought divine protection. On
she SSth Of June when the Convention had been
vi stsrlpu "a lhhNtui III arose anu sara
MIR. Presideut the small progress have made after
four or nve -ees,' close attendance and continual
amost every rubJrct j. ne anchoiy PROOF OF the M
perfection Of human uud,rstandng. Ia This situation
OF tins assembly cropping ~ It were ~ the 4srA 20 mud
potGa f1' "ho 'sss' t9t 10 s,sIinSg'p II Ttrn
that We have not once thought of humD, app yins
,he Father Of lsns 10 Illuminate our IN lersi.noing-
ere sen.ible a. dtnerf, had daily prayers TINS
rere heard, and hey graciouslj answered.
nus. "e'e ,r ,essa no. .nc 'egRs
..SSefrnksesSSng rEsSacsce ia Spr tor To-
.pportany o. e.nsatng ~ peace on the means OF ci-
taoi.ing our future nitional felicity. Have Tor.
no longer nave lived sr a ionR
isoe that 'cagoSsinr ~ tie sGnrs u men II .par
row cannot tan iae fr, und without ms notice i.
have been a.,9reg ~ n me sacred writings that en-
SSaiI ! anS'y SssysG. -ai isi'o seIisyc 5si
pontca buGing n" bette ,ha NE 'ald min ~, LIZ t
Bible. therefore b,s eave 10 move mat cnco TORN
blessing do ioetalion- be made Ia hi assembly
ONE s'o more Of O, The es. u TIL ely BE- q s o
ehicste In TUT service.
Roger Sherman seconded the motion.
All this was IN general harmony with the spirit
OF those times Col Temple told Weems. one o
washington's DiOgfaphers, that he had frequent.
y known the General TO read the Scriptures aud
pray with his regiment on sunday. Major Lewis,
one Of his bUdy guards. saws that he often found
Bought him despatcnes Vslley Free S'V oftn "e
witnessed his earnest petitions 10 God on behalf
oil the nation. as ala hs letters to the Governors
of the St,t,s on the sth Of June 1884. his e-ig-
nation OF his military commission Dec. %. 1873,
ana his farewell address to his country, In all
OF which he either Offers prayer or solicils it ON
behalf Of his country
" There may be individual members 81 Con-
gross " lao 10 not erteem prayer as highly AS he
DID, or d. these fathers aid but many " them
are men 81 prayer and believe each represent
th'lVe IN Congress a. day whether he j. d pray
Ing mhn hlusclf OF not, Will he graceful for your
cement rance a. the throne of grace. 1t as
lheieior" to-dhh l.y aside party preferences ana
commit lungress iu WashngtOu's own words,
10 GOd's holy kecIiug
pr hriillaeo cal.ed for PRAYER, from and one
DE- hepW mn rec commended that "a few min
utes be spent iu sueht uT4yer.
The whole congregation bowed their heads for
brief space, auu tntn Or. Hepworih prnyed
fIe thanked God for Iils interest NOT nnly In HE
welfare OF ouf houis pui ia our daily lives. lie
Bhd
Again ana again TtIu hast shaped events Tor us
again ana AGAIN thou mart taVed us iron calamity aud
nov, when thcIe are dire DOltents I'm The ~ nUN,
Teigns supreme. ARK that Thy strength mAy take
toid OF on hands and shaJe them according Ia Thine
own loving kindness VIII 1uou lnrrtisr hrufhery
love eYervRh'rcf VIE Thou taxi aWay an i-rrk.
ans all de-lr for emo uinnnit ami gam al ambition
Tor mace Hnd rru'uce among our nigh places and send
my nos Slll Win such power among them thU they
~ btr"mt hnY piNt arc We Zee. - bnd M
Ne can NN'N lhf AlNf urchurc Wt hnON tnIf mt
name IL the sfnonyuo victory. tier We would tlrt
a. truth mat AN luttl'f may trumnh. We won Il fhat
~ men NuuId fNtf"f party Hun partisan