Year: 1865

10 the MethOdlsts OF tennessee.


BgETuERx AND FRIENDs: In the lam
guage of lamented and illustrious


statesman, when the mariner has been


tossed for many days in thick weather,


and on an unknown sea, he naturally


takes the opportunity of the first pause
! in the storm, the earliest glance of the


sun, to take his latitude, and ascertain


how far the elements have driven him


from his true course" Let US, imitatin z


his prudence, and before we float farth-


er upon the waves of this civil war


turn our attention back to the "point


from whence we departed" thence to
the events that spraug up along the voy-
age, thence to the point we have reached


that we may lie the better able to deter


mine the true path for the future.


/ Four years Of civil conflict has bathed


our fair State in blood. Our once bloom


ing helds and happy homes have been
overcast with the mantle Of continual


sorrow, and stern grief has invaded the


hearthstones Of once joyous families.
Relatives and friends, fathers and moth
ers, have bsen torn from each others
embrace, and the bright sunlight of
peace and safety, as Of yore, has been


extinguished by the overshadowing
clouds, that have with unerring and
sure pace followed US Every highway
and every obscure path of life, is found
thickly strewn with the wrecks of the
misfortune and evil of attempted sep
aration and dissolution of the Union.


In four short years our State presents
a change, wondrous, and can not fail to
fill the mind and heart of the thought


ful and truly pious, with emotions of
sorrow and deepest regret The desc
lated homes, the sacred spots in the
pilgrims memory, always endeared to
the soul by thousand ties, Of kind
meas and love, the wasted gardens,
where The rose is left to bloom, without
care, the uncultiyated fields, once
groaning beneath the rich BLESSINGS Of
agriculture, the dapopulated and ruined
cities, once the seat OF elegance, virtue
and refinement, the torn and shattered
condition of our schools and systems
of education, the neglecting of the as
sembling ourselves together at the pla-
ces Of religious worship, the utter
wretchedness and suffering of our peo-
pie, the cold love. the general lack Of
sympathy, the decline of morality, hon
esty, truth, integrity, all, all tell US in
loud tones, of the wondrous change that
has passed upon US. The deep shades
of the midnight hour are upon Us.
And as we stand, halting between two
opinions, the moral sky grows darker,
and the storm more fearful IF we re.
main inactive, heavier moral calami-
ty will inevitably fall upon US Our
society, the good of our State, our in
terests for time and eternity, call for
immediate decision. Every days de
lay adds one more to the general gloom
and fits and prepares us, as well as 9th


ers, for the awful and dreadful moral
catastrophe which ia swiftly following
us. Can we be, will we be idle, and
careless spectators of our moral doom
Shall we fold our hands and say 'lit-
tie more sleep, little more slumber,'
and see the interests of human society,
of our church thus impaired and weak
ened VIII we look on and see thous-
ands thronging the broad road that
leads TO death in consequence Of our
want Of decsion-Our want of action
No, friends, we cannot We profess to
be the followers of Jesus, and it is high
time we were up and doing. We can
not live and escape our responsibility.
Duties are upon us which we cannot
put aside. Our church is unorganized.
We have, in many places, no Sabbath
preaching yea, no preaching at all Our
ministers in other places have left their
docks to wander without shepherd.
Our classes are dissolved and Zion
mourneth because Of the aleepers Of
her pastors and luke-wsrmness Of her f.
flock


Now, this state Of affairs, deplordble /
indeed, is mainly due to US having /
been plunged and forced into war 7
with a government Of our choice a
government againat which we could .
not find aught; a government, good
and free to all its su6jects-one from
which we have derived happiness, pros
perity and peace. If this, our sad con
dition, has thus resulted from our own
actions, seeing the cause Of our suffer
ings, the false and unreasonable con
clusions we have drawn, let US, as wise
men, and as christians, seek to repair
the wrong we have done Let US not
be ashamed TO avow we once were in
error; that We did not see Alright, we
did not see clearly, we did not appre-
hend the arguments Of those who we're
given TO the idea and attempt Of chang
ing our government Few Of US may
have the hardihood to make such con
fessions, esteeming it to be the loss Of
If we were half as anx-
ious to be right, as We are to appear con /
sistent, we would escape a thousand
ills, which otherwise come upon Us.
But this course Of action here iudica~
ted is one Of the most noble and prais e
worthy Of christian character. The
practice Of such q principle always dig
nifes and exalts human nature, and
IN the presence of God is more honor I
able than the gift Of learning, and
more to be desired than the tongue Of
your faults one
toward another" is the Scriptural in