Year: 1865




Just now There is no doubt Oftheir destruction


The assurance is given, only SOME things must
be patiently borne till the pit is ready for the
wicked to fall into. % --


But the TEACHING is now our main point
| What thoughts does God teach US first now, out
of his law? That law is not an abstraction, not
a bald theory. tis illustrated and enforced by
providence. Twill present some thoughts which
the principles of the divine law, as they shine
| upon us through the medium of providence Just
now, suggest TO my mind. In them we NAV
discern the teaching of our Heavenly Father
! /. There is lesson of tbdRkJ JtiIlesS- Thank
fulnessl' do you say2 Is there anything to be
| thankful for in such clOund of Judgment and
| grief2 Rather let me ssk if the clouds are
altogether too thick to be pierced by a ray of
sunlight? Is there no CLEAN of mercy? Thank
| full for what2 ! answer Thankful that this did
not occur at critical point in the history of
our struggle. Be thankful that the original


plot did not succeed, when Abraham Lincoln


was first on his way to Washington to take the


reiDs of government. Be thankful that this
deed was not done at some Of those points in
our career when the tide Of military fortune
seemed to he setting strongly against us. There
| have been times when this occurrence would
| probably have produced chaos. But the Pres
ldent was spared till our cause acquired ascend
ant power. The day begins to dawn, and we
can better bear this fearful stroke than at any
previous point of our struggle. Surely there
Is matter for gratitude here. t st-
| H.. We have for our future instruction this
exhibition OF the genuine spirit Of eRemisS--
| MurdeIl assassination In them behold the le-
gitiwate aud matuTed fruits of slavery and re-
belliOu. Just such things as these monstrous
crimes have always tended to- Years ago the
Southern chivalry- persOnified-attaeked


Northern Senator sitting at bis desk iO the Sen
ate chamber. The same spirit now seeks the
murder of the heads OF the government, the spiT-
| it of violence and blood. Do you say that the
leaders of the rebellion will not approve this aet2
that they viii deplore 1t? | do not doubt they
will deplore it, but for very different reasons
from those for which you and / lament it, If
you think the spirit OF cruelty and malice ~ not
| in them ask Have you ever heard of single
protest from any one Of them against the sys-
tematie starving OF ouT prisoners IN their hands?
l Have you ever learned of single effort made
| by one of them to prevent that starving? or to
! make the condition of our men tOlerable2 You
have heard ofnO such thing You cannot doubt
that they generally animated by the spirit
which has eliminated in the murder Of the
President crime which all things considered,
marks depravity deeper than anything be-
fore reached in the whole history of earthly sin.
This exhibition of the spirit ofour enemies may
! be for our warning aud instruction., and may at
| least teach US caution IN our forbearance.
I Ill. We have lesson of dSSudRce--assurance
that this event viii not delay the success of
our cause. Consider the spirit which it will
lmpart to cur troops a spirit not of revenge l
hope but of determination never to yield be-
fore such generation of vipers. Consider the
withdrawal of moral power from the cause of
our enemies which it Will effect. Let the world
look upon 1t The natural allies of the great
rebellion are the pistol and knife of the assas-
sin How will it strike the minds of the Sow
ereigns of Europe? How will it rest upon the
thought of Louis Napoleon? His life has been
ATTEMPTED by the assassin. Frequently have
the lives of SOvereigns been attempted by as
sassins. viii he be more fsvOrablY disposed
towards cause that resorts to such measures?
So will it be In the breast of every monarch.
The loss of moral power to our foes viii be tre-
mendous, only for the query-whether there
remained to them any tremendous moral power
to lose. The act must be to their great disad-
vantage while our cause viii go on to complete
triumph.


". We have a lesson of determination. We
must stand to our cause with new resolution. 1t
behooyes us TO be not content to say, We must
succeed, we cannot fail Say rather, We IUW
succeed We will push this contest till of the
great ediice of slavery and rebellion there shall
not remain one stone above another that shall
not be thrown down. The murder of our chief
magistrate will help us to the unconquerable
determination.


v. We have alesson of confidence in the God of
Liberty. He is our friend forever. We seek
to establish here permanently free govern
ment. We seek to maintain freedom of wor-
ship. God has done too much for the cause of
civil and religious freedom to desert that cause
at this day Mo- 1.-The Lord will not cast off
his people neither will he forsake his inherit
ance" He is not Indifferent to our efforts. If
you never believed in him before, you may be-
lieve in him now, and be assured that he viii
not abandon us to the will Ofour enemies. Call
it not our cause It is his. As the departed
said: 1.-The question is not whether God is on
our side, but whether we are Gods side. -
SO long as we are we can be courageous and
confident.


Thus, in this great afflietion, may we learn
lessons out of Gods law. lessons wherein he
chastens and teaches US. In these lessons we
may find rest from the days of adversity until
the pit be digged for the wicked


So, to-day does this great nation say Fare
well'' to the chosen head, her trusted and honor
ed leader. Wherever true American heart
beats, there are emotions gushing full of love
aud sorrow. No patriots eye is to-day with
out the tear. No lover of liberty without pain
and anguish to-day No genuine philanthro-
pist to-day refuses to be mourner Farewell
to the homely but sound judgment of an honest
man, that solved Perplexing questions in a sim
pie, but practical manner, ever tending to good
Farewell to the kindly heart, almost too full
of forbearance and good viii. Farewell /! to the
manly breast that every other manly breast
trusted. Farewell to the character, nurtered
in labors and trials, and possessing the ring
of genuine virtue. Farewell to the soul un-
polished by the tinsel of societys convention
alities, but ever shining with the solid gold of
substantial worth


But, farewell to his memory Never Yet


Weep not for him who dieth,


For he sleeps and is at rest


And the couch wheTeon he heth,


Is the green earth g quiet breast.


And the temple wherein his memory is en-
shrined is the inmcst heart of brave, and /
free and loving people. The serene resting |
place which is to hold his dust shall be sacred /
spot Thither the noble-heaTted patriot states
man-whensoeVer God shall give us such-wilI |
love to make his pilgrimage and as he stands |
with uncovered head and reads the name of |
Abraham Lincoln, he will feel bis soul expand |
with yet larger patriotic love. There shall
many warrior, used TO hardening sights on |
the field of carnage, and unused 20 weeping I
feel his whole heart melt into tears Thither /
win slaves and crutches bear many, many l
MANNED soldier, to look with honest sorrow up
on the burial-spot OF the nations leader in her |
sorest trial On that hallowed turf will kneel /
many, many humble black man, to thank
heaven for a name indiss0lubly linked with the
of his race from the thraldom of a
tiendish slavery. There viii levery lover Of the
Union of these States and of the equal rights of
man. love to tarry, and love to weep. That
tomb is destined 30 be embalmed by the tears
Of all the good, all the truly noble, all who de-
tn hs,f frao fhara L
er grave than that. But let no disloyal foot ev-
er pollute that hallowed sod The traitor, and
his sympathiser let them never dare look up
on the memorial of a man whose blood they
have helped to shed. Let their breath never
poison the atmosphere that moves around the
sacred place. Only honest souls, only candid
minds, only clean hands are fit for proximity to
an honest patriot ashes.


The hand of the elastardly assassin can plunge
nation into mourning, even as the act of de-
mon could introduce diseord into heaven. But
40 power can blot from the nations soul the