The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-05-09

we are nation and yet we are at peace
Earthly courage did not decide the con
flict. The upper forces of the text. The
tell us there was battle fought above tn
clouds on. Lookout Mountain but Their
was something higher than that,
Again. the horses and chariots of CO.
came to the rescue CT this Lation in 1876
at the close of presidential election ia
nous for develish ferocty. A darke
cloud yet settled down upon this nation
The result Of the election was in dispute
aud revolution, not between two or three
sections, but revolution in every town an(
village and city of the United States
seemed imminent. The prospect was tina
New York would throttle New York, an(
New Orleans would grip New Orleans
and Boston, Boston, and Savannah. Savan
nah. and Washington, Washington. Some
said Mr.. Tilden was elected; others sale
Mr.. Hayes was elected ; and how near We
came to universal massacre some of us
i guessed, but God only knew. / ascribe oul
escape not to the honesty and righteous
ness of infuriated politicians, but ascribe
it to the upper forces Of the text. Char.
! lots of mercy rolled in, and though the
wheels were not heard and the flash was
not seen, yet all through the mountains of
the north and the south and the east and
the west. though the hoofs did not clatter,
the cavalry of God galloped by. l tell you
God is the friend of this nation. In the
awful excitement at the massacre OF Lin
coin, when there was a prospect that
greater slaughter would open upon this
nation. God hushed the tempest. In the
awful excitement at the time of Garfield s
assassination, God put his foot Oh the neck
of the cyclone.
To prove that God is on the side of this
nation, argue from the last eight or nine
great national harvestS, and from the ma
tional health of the last q uarter of a Gen.
fury, epidemics very exceptional, and from
the great revivals of religion, and from the
spreading of the Church of God, and from
the continent blossoming with asylums
and reformatory institutions. and from an
Edenization which promises that this
whole land is to be paradise where God
shall walk in the cool OF the day.
If in other sermons I showed you what
was the evil that threatened to upset and
demolish American institute ens, ana en-
couraged more than can tell you as I see
the regiments wheeling down the sky, and
my jeremiads turn into doxologies, and that
which was the Good Friday Of the nation s
crucifxion becomes the Easter morn of its
resurrection Of course God works through
human instrumenialities, and this national
betterment is to come among other things
through scrutinized ballot box. By the
law of registration it is almost impossible
now to have illegal voting. There was a
time-you and remember it very we'll
when droyes of vagabonds wandered up
and down on election day. and from poll to
poll, and voted here and voted there. and
voted everywhere, and there was no chal-
lenge; or if there were, 1t amounted to
nothing, because nothing could SO sud-
denly be proved upon the vagabonds, Now,
in every we'll organized neighborhood every
voter is watched with seyerest scrutiny. l
must tell the registrar my name; and how
old I am, and how long have resided IN
the State, and how long l have resided in
the ward, or the township, and if / misree-
resent fifty witnesses will rise and shut me
out from the ballot box. Is not that great
advance? And then notice the law that
prohibits man voting il he has bet on the
election. A step further needs be taken,
and that man forbidden to vote who has
offered or taken bride. whether it be in
the shape of free drink or cash paid
down, the suspicious cases obliged to put
their hand on the Bible and swear their
vote in if they vote at all. so through the
sacred chest of our nations suffrage, re-
demption will come.
| God also will save this nation through
an aroused moral sentiment. There has
never been so much discussion of morals
and immorals. Men, whether or not they
acknowledge what is right. have to think
what is right. We have men who have had
their hands In the public treasury the most
of their lifetime, stealing all they could lay
| their hands on, discoursing eloquently
about dishonesty In public servants, and
men with two or three families of their
own, preaching eloquently about the beau
ties of the seventh commandment. The
question of sobriety and drunkenness
is thrust in the face of this nation as
never before, and to take part in our po
litical contests. The question Of national
sobriety is going to be respectfully and
deferentially heard at the bar of every legis-
lature and every house of representatives
and every United States Senate, and an ON
nipotent voice will ring down the sky and
| across this land and back again, saying to
these rising tides of drunkenness which
| threaten tO.overwhelm home and church
and nation THUS far shalt thou come
but no further, and here shall thy proud
waves be stayed"
have not in my mind shadow of dis
| heartenment as large as the shadow Of a
house fly's wing. My faith is In the upper
force, the upper armies Of the text. God
is not dead. The chariots are not un-
wheeled. If you would only pray more and
wash your eyes in the cool, bright water
| fresh from the we'll of Christian reform. it
would be said of you as of this ole OF the
| text 1.-The Lord opened the eyes Of the
young man; and he saw, and, behold, the
mountain was full of horses and chariots
of fire round about Elisha7
| When the army of Ambiguous went into
battle his soldiers were very much discour-
aged, and they rushed up to the general
and said to him, "Don'tyo see we have a
few forces and they have so many more ~
and the soldiers were affrighted at the
SIN ain ,ss Of their number and the great
ness of the enemy. Ambiguous, their com
mander, Strengthened himself up and said,
with IN ligpation and yshemence, "How
many do you reckon me to be ?" And when
we ST Q the vast armies arrnyed against the
cause of sobriety it may sometimes Re very
discouraging but ask you id making up
your estimate OF the forces of righteous
uess-I ask you how many do you reckon
the Lord God Almighty to be ? He is our
commander. The Lord of Hosts is his
| T how 1,o bnot