Year: 1865

Z
the sun has ever shonc. al


Guard then, ] hcseech YOU, those sa-
cred interests committed to your hands.
Let no consideration whatever for one
moment deter you from faithfully and
conscientiously discharging each duty
which God of nature and grace has
imposed upon you. And may the i'll
heritance of civil and religious liberty,
this priceless and heavenly boon. be
transmitted to generations yet unborn,
and its moulding influence become the
guiding star Of u free and happy people
for ages yet to come.


Our nation ~ now in the bloom of
youth. If itllves and grows to man
hood, its destiny il to rcvolutionizc the
world, and 70 bcstow blessings up
on mankind. Already fearful blow
has been struck at its continuance, and
upon as rests the responsibility of its
preservation. We present to thasworld
the spectacle of Republic struggling
for its own existence, and battling for
the future happiness of man. The
prophecies Of the hour are hopeful--but
we will not attempt to draw the veil of
the future. But we believe that behind
that tiarkening canopy the genius of


Right is standing, ready to appear in


renewed splendor, with a light of daz-
cling brightness upon her brow, the
symbol of primeval brotherhood upon
her bosom and with an air of triumph


before which religious fanatics and po-


ltical dcmagogues may tremble; but


before whom the true Christian, and
Well-mcant reformer may "thank God,
and take courage" And may il not be
that the nations present troubles arc
Gods onportunitics-givcn us to push
forward the world with shout, and Il
song Of triumph, and settle the matter
whether fanaticism aud blind bigotry
shall triumph, or truth and righteous
ness overspread the earth. If we sue
coed in this conflict, the gratitude of
future generations will be our reward


but if we fail, the sun of freedom will
grow dim, and its starry consultations
will fall, and the Goddess of Liberty
mourn in sackcloth and ashes, the loss
Of her first and most beautiful offspring.
But if we fail not in this hour of our
Nations calamity-if we manfully fight
tho battles Of our country, and defend
! the principles for which our foreiathers
c0ntended; if we guard our frcsides
from the ruthless invader, and our
bleeding Republic from the grasp of the
destroyer, the tottering throne of re-


bellion shall come tUmbling down, and


the bulwarks Of insurrection lie mould
ering in the dust. The sun of our Ma
tion's liberty will continue to shine up
on the world, until the scroll shall be
drawn aside, and the powers of Heaven
shaken together. Ana when the ma
ttons perchnnce may be awakened and
come forward to receive their reward,


first and foremost in that brilliant train


will appear America, the child of


Providence, with bcaming eye, rising


from her dusty bed, her crown set with


Il coronCt OF jewels, her sceptor tho


wand of Liberty, her raiment the bcau-
tiful star-spanglcd banner-with joy
ful concourse gathering around her, to
sing in choral anthems, her glory and
her praise. But let us remember that
in order to effect this, Union and
strength are Indispensable. United we
stand, but divided we fall. Let no Sec
tiOnal or minor questions prevent us
from giving our country, and our coun-
try'a cause, Onr united and willing sup
ence to our native land which is our
due, in all our manifestations of regard
and devotion to common cause, we
are MOTTO cherish spirit Of revenge
Let justice be done though the heavens
should fail 4; but Justice, never for
moment goes hand in hand with Re
vcngc. The God IRE worship Is not
being Of revenge; therefore our religion
cruelty. And, my friends, fear to
teach from this sacred desk the scnti-
ment, and dare not, with my under
standing of the great doctrines of Chris
tianity ask of you for one moment to
harbor in your breasts such unholy and
unhallowcd desires. God forbid that
we as Universalists, as bclieyers in a
God Of love, shall entertain thought
Of this kind while with the unsparing
hand of justice we meet out to men their
deserts. A state of mind in which is
found the spirit Of revenge, as its mo-
tive power, is, in our opinion the most
criminal and unhappy by which men
can be distinguished in any condition
Of life. II Is utterly at variance with
both the letter and spirit Of the Gospel,
and utterly foreign 10 the good man and
the Christian. And we must remember
that all nations, sooner or later, suffer
evils,-and because an alarming one ex-
lists in our land must this make maniacs
and madmen Of US, and so entrance our
senses that we can think of nothing
else, and in our phrenzied attempts at
annihilation seek to overthrow Heaven
and earth, though certain in the end to
be ourselves ovcrthrown? or shall we,
while we deplore the evil and seek its
removal by every means in our power,
remember that God ruleth in the armies
Of Heaven, and that the Bible declares
vengeance is mine, will repay, saith
the Lord" and that through the Red
Sea of our suffering, We shall at length
come up to the land of Beanlah where
sorrow and signing shall forever flee
away.


And is not the spirit Of which we
have spoken still beating in the hearts
Of thousands at this time. Throughout
the length and breadth OF the land the
spirit Of '76 is cherished by our young
mon, to whom the Nation looks in this
boar of its pCyilous trouble. They re-
member bunker Hill and Valley Forge,
and 80 long Us there is a tongue TO lisp