PERKINS LIBRARY Uulce University Rare Dooks Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2010 witii funding from Duke University Libraries littp://www.arcliive.org/details/wordsofcounseltoOOclnar / /t^t^^^e^f- <- No. 18. WORDS OF COUNSEL TO CON- FEDERATE SOLDIERS. It is related that iis, on a cortain occasion some years pust, in England, a party of gentlemen were dining togctlicr, among the company v.crc found a colonel of the army antl a bishop of tlie Church of England. The colonel, like, as he presumed, a true son of Mars, ^-.Kiw would wage war upon the eon of the Chuvcii; bub»as it would have been a violation of military courtesy to make a direct personal attack upon him, he determined V» thruat at him through the cloak of religion, /and thus take him at disadvan- tage. In the course of conversation, the colonel let drop many bitter inuondocs and insinuations against rrligiou in gonbral, without any apparent eifect upon his iuti.Mded victim; at length, pifjucd at hifs ill success, he observed that the '>nly rational prayer ho ever heard, proceeded from the lips of an officer just on the eve of a battle ; he repcated\it as follows : "0 Goi>, if there be a God, have mercy upon my soul, if I have jlsouL A^nen." There en^^ued a depp silence, and all eyes seemed to turn upon the bish<»p in expectation of a reply to this searecly covert attack upon religion, both natural and revealed.- /le gravely, and without any a]>parent emotion, observed, that he had- heard of, in his humble opinion, a lar more rea>ouablc aul proper one. uttered under pre- cisely similar eirrnmstances, by a private sobt-cr, viz : ■ l.nu!> floD.il in the heal ol' action I ibr^et Th..' i ! i - ;-:^"' I'l'-- Amen." 2 ^>VORDS or COUNSEL The prompt, \lccided unanimity of preference given hy the company to the simple piety and manly fervour of the latter over the cold aud cheerless scepticism of the former prayer (if prayer it can be termed), was a mortifying repulse to the insolent unbeliever, whose lips were completely closed. While reflecting upon this anecdote, it suggested itself to the writer that the following dialogue be- tween an old pious sergeant of the revolutionary line, and a. clever private in the army of the present day, might prove neitli(?r an unapt nor a weak commen- tary upon it : Sergeant. Well, Thomas, I see you are in the ser- vice of the Confederate States. , Soldier. Yes, I took on about a year ago. Serg. You soldiers of the present day. have far easier times than we old continentals. . Sold. Be it so or not, we thjnk our situation might be bettered. . ^ Serg. Come, now, let us compare new with old a little ; perhaps you will be more content with your lot. Sold. I have no objection. Serg. First and foremost, you're better paid, clothed and fed. In the Revolution we received* but a scanty stipend at best, and that came very irregu- larly, large balances still 'remaining due ; besides, it was in old continental money — mere rags corn-pared ip • actual value with the bank notes you are^paid with. Our food was miserable in quality, often in a spoiled condition, and so scant that we were oftener starving than otherwise ; and as to clothing, we more nearly resembled scarecrows than regulars — many were bl.itjketless, and during our sad retreat through the Jer.seys, our army could have been traced hy our men's shoeless and often bJoody tracks. TO CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS'. 3 Sola. Is it possible ! Those were hard times, in truth. And did none mutiny ? '^ei-g. 3Iutiiiy ! Ah, we had no time for that. We were continually in motion or in action; but above all, our poor fellows were full of patriotism, an.d thought'far less of their own sufferings than of their country's wrongs. Now, I dare say, Thomas — I mean no offence to you — were Congress to reduce the pay of their soldiers now, and to order them upon hard and dangerous, service, with scanty clothing and short allowance, they might mutiny. Sold. I think you are hard on us, my old friend. Serg. Not a whit, not a whit, Thomas. Pardon an old veteran's bluntness, but human natuje is hu- man nature still ; however, I speak not without observ- ation. A year or more ago.'l spent some months with a grand-daughter of mine who is married, and lives in the vicinity of Fort * * * * ; like all old sol- diers who love to " Shoulder a crutch, and show howjields were worv," I was attracted by the rattle of the drum, and fre- quently visited the fort, where T formed an acquaint- ance with the non-commissioned officers and some of the privates. Thus, yim see, I had ^opportunity ol seeing and hearing how thiu;:s are carried on in these times. ITj^ou the word of an old soldier, Lhey com- pare but illy with old times. Sold. No doubt, in your opinion, old folks are sadly prejudiced, one and all. Serg.- Perhajis so, but let Uh see the result of my discoveries at Fort * ^ * * . First of all, desert ionj; were of every-day's occurrence, and the most trifling causes were alleged. When 1 expressed my honest indignation at so base, so unsoldierly a crime, for- sooth I was laughed at. What! exclaimed I, is it 4 WORDS or COUNSEL no crime to forswear one's self? to be false to our Maker and to our country at the same time? I was only mocked at the more, liittcr taunts were uj^red against religion, and as to patriotism, scarcely one knew^vhat it nicant. Now, toll me, whether such men, if exposed to the privations cheerfully borne by my brave and trusty old comrades, in " times which tried men's souls," would be likely to stand by their colours. Sold. 1 must candidly say, I fear not; and more- over, I regret I cannot ffay that desertions are less fre- quent at my station. Serg. Drunkenness, too, to a beastly degree, com- monly prevailed at Fort * * ''' *, and was not looked upon in general by the men as disgrace ful ; indeed, it was deemed manly to make light of it ; ajid when a man wa« punished on account of some crime he liad committed while drunk, he was viewed as a kind of martyr, because his excuse of ''being a 'little /////A,' and didn't know what he was doing," was not taken. And as to the hmg-delayed and mild inflictions of a modern court-martial, compared with the prompt, efficacious sentence of aji ,uld. drum-head, they only appeared to provoke ridiculcr- every drill and parade the ranks were sure to be disordered, till one or more staggering soldier was sent to the guard-house — some- times when a crowd of ladies and gcnilcmen were present as spectators, this shameful exhibition took place; but 1 never found that those guilty were at all pointed at, or considered dishoiiourcd by their com- rad(4s. But. however men may regard so vile a habit, the words of the Bible will ever be ibund true in the end—At the hist it biteth like a serpent, and sting- eth like ;in adder. I'rov. xxiii, 82.' SohJ. tjnw is that, pray? Sery. Do you ask ? but you are a young soldier TO OONrEUERATE SOLDIERS. 5 yet. Why, the •' 7naii la apofu/' as the doctors call it — the horrours — the being confined on bread and water ill a bomb-proof, etc., are rather biting. Then, squandering their wages, destroying their constitu- tions, bringing on chronic disorders and bilious fevers — beingrtempted to steal, lie, and desert — being often discharged, and shamefully drummed out of service as confirmed sots — rail- these are capable of stinging to the quii])le declares that "the drunk- ard shall not inherit the kingdom of GoD." So/d. These tilings appear very wrong, without going so niucli to the Bible; that will do very well for nervous old women— they are lar readier subjects t(5 be priest-ridden than we soldiers. Serg. Surely, Thomas, you don't mean to cast dis- respect upon the Bible I You read it, sometimes, of course ? ^Sokl Not I, indeed; not since T whs a boy at home : though there are a number im 4 he mantle- piece in my barrack room. Srrnj. Not read God's word in a Christian country? and wliy, indeed ?. Sold. You call it the Word'of OoD. I 'am not .sure that it is ; nor, in trutii, imr I altogether certified that there is such a being. >Scrr/. Amazing I J^'hy, Thomas, you astonish me quite; vfhat, has not your chaplain taken the pains to instruct — but what do I say ; perhaps you have no chaplain in your regiment. SoJd. No, indeed, \ve don't allow such folks to humbug us. Serf/. "Move's the^pity of you, and.shame upon it. But ah I tiie old continental Congress and General Washington, God bless their memory, Wiought differ- eutT)-; so did my old Colonel G. ^nd (Captain M, * V) J^A'^OrJDfi OF COT?NSEL Many and oft are tlie times that I liave seen the general's staff, and the several regimental .staiTs, stand- ing witli hats doffed, while our chaplain offered up, by order of ODngress. at the head of the army drawn up in hollow square, thanksgivings for our past suc- cesses, and implored a blessii\gupon our arms for the future — ah I believe me. *t did us good, it was a cor- dial to our harassed minds, and nerved anew our wearied bodies for battle in our country's cause, ^Sold. ScrgcaT;.t. you are eloquent: but that was . many 3^ears ago — things are altered now ; people are wiser. We are troubled Avith little praying or preach- ing in our regiment, and as to the Bibles and Testa- ments, which the societies furnish gratis (I can't tell how), their leaves are more torn outnhan read. Scry. Yes, many years ago; and then we were familiar with want and danger, were living from hand to mouth, with no other shelter oftentimes but tlie sky above ; were literally naked, hungry and thirsty most of the ^time. and no man could tell when he might fall for his country — thus were we lea by a sense of our frailty, peril and want, to look upwards for help and strength. jSoM. That seems all reasonable. You were on severe, honourable and dangerous dutj'^, and were al- ways employed ; but in time of inaction we, for the sake of excitement, visit the sutlers, or the numerous grog-shops which are by laic pimcidt'd for the loeary , and the thirsty IraveUer within a stone's cast, and stupify ourselves with beer, or get ''' hi(jh'^ upon gin or Avhisky, as it is termed, in order to be lowered below the level of the brute, Ser(j. Much more, therefore, do you nee.d moral inatruotion. It is said somewhere, " that idleness is . the root of all evil/' But if I remember aright, you doubted awhile back the being of a Goi). « . * TO CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS, 7 :^old. Not altogether ; but only that I am not quite are in my own mind. Stiiy. When I call to miml, Thomas, your worthy, |)ious parents, who are both now reaping above the. iVuits of their faith and obedience, it grieves, mc to the .bottom of my heart to find a ehiVf of their's so unbelieving. Most willingly would I spend IfOurs, ;iay, days, to instruct you in my poor way, if J be- lieved you sincerely desirous of learning ; but do not play upon an old soldier for th^i purpose of scoffing, I. beg of yon, Thomas — that would be unmanly. Sold. I fear I have, my worthy old friend, given you just grounds to suspect me from talking heed- lessly ; in sober truth, I have latterly associated with so many infidels and bad men as to have caught their slang ; but f^iere arc moments, and j-tju have tou^-hed upon one, wJien better feelings come oVer me : then the early lessons taught me by my beloved parents are remembered, and I feel that I lost them before I was well prepared to withstand the temptations of the world. Not to detain you, I do wish some instruc- tion as to God, and in regard to the Bible, that I may have somewhat to oppose to the boasted scepti - cism of too many of my companions. Sery. Now you talk like the son of a pious father}^ as you are ; and if you will be a patient listener to an old man who desires your best good, I will , endeavour to give you some homely information on such important points as those in' question. As to a. God — without going to the Bible — -com- mon sense tells me that all the objects which I see or feel, about, above, and below me, on the earth and * in the skits, are manifestly to my souses so adap.ted to each other, so fitted.for the purposes to which they arejiaturally applied, that some All-wise, All|powerful Being, far superiour to man, must have planned and 8 WORDS OF COUNSEL made them so. For a plain oxample. you once knew how to manage a patent pluiif^h. as yon now do to handle a fire-lock : but you your;clfoan neitlicr manu- facture them nor liav^^ you seen them fabricated. Now, tell me, when you compare their several parts — wood work, share and coulter of the one, and barrel, stockj'lock and ramrod of the otluer. and .^eo hnw well adjusted they are, and \Yhen joined tok upon j'our hand — is it not wonderrnlly .-oiifrlvcd for all. the uses to which you put it: to ])rovidc- the body with ibod ; to dress and cook it; to convey it to tlie mouth; to manufacture, fit and put on clotJies ; to defend the body; to handle the plougli and tlie '^\m ; to wield the axe; to build, guide and manage sliip.s ; to-write, to sew, et^..] etc. ? Jkdnid your other mem- bers : your eyes, how keen their vision, how delicate their fori^^tion, and how well fortified from injuity, and covered from the lightest dust; your ear, so sen- TO CONFEDERATE SOLDIEKo.. . 9 sitivo to llie smallest iio^se, and yet capable of sus- tainiug tlie loudest; yuiiv tongue, to aid mastication, and to Hpea-k withal, etc. Now. wlio made them thus ? Did your father make them V and so on to Adam'i? Who made him. and of Avhat '/ Who, but that All- wise, Almighty Being we call and adore as God. foi med man of the dust of the earth '( Sold. I see not how to deny your reasoning, or that its conclusion can be refuted, ^\'^hat yoTi have said is simple enough, and yet is more convincing than any- thing I have heard. %Sr.r(j. Because it is the simple truth, and we are not left to bewildering chance. But -enough," they say, -is a feast;" I will not weary you with inore, but go at once to the Bible. S'oM. Aye, do so, and explain how it is the word of (xOD, as you termed it awhile past. That f5eems mysterious to me. hov^ GoD should have spoken to man, whom he made I Sn:j/. That's somewliat owing to your mistaking my njeanjug. ^ have called i^.^rOD's \\\')rd ; but iiot ' ■[{ every word and sentence '\Vas spoken directly g)V ;• tateU to mankind by God himself j but that mea were raised up and Inspired b}' him fi-om time to time with the' substance of its^several parts, the language Iteiug thei*L" ovyU fhiefly. L(^ the Bible speak for itself^ — •• Holy men of God spake jus they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter i,-21.' It is divided you kiiow into two parts, the Old and the New Te^ taments ; I will describe them separatel3\ Sohif. Do so, I'm all attention. ^S(^r(/. The Old Testament consists of the books written by Moses, and by various leaders, judges and propiiets of the Jews who succeeded him. They treal of the creation of the world, the flood, and the history of mankind from Adam to Abraham, and from lU AVrmoS OF OOUN.MEI, iiim, oi' tlio liistoiy, )awi>, rito,^ and wor;;Lip of tlicir Tifitioii down to alHUit lOU years bclbro Ciir.iflT. These le^aslaior.s and profdiots, in their vrritings, claiuito liave perlornuHl miraculous acts jjeibre. tlie vvholc mitioHj and as they ever appealed to theiti as I lie 'proofs of the divine source" of the laws, precepts 'iiid prophecies they delivered to their countrymen, therefore, the acknowledgment b}' the latter of thgir Avritings as .the true annals or history of their na- tion, is a coitidusive testimony to the truth of the miracles performed by them, as well as to the iuspi-. ration of their -several messages ; since God alone could give power ol working miracles. S'lliJ. Pray give mc a distinc't explanation of the Wv">vd '' mivdcnfoui;.^' Srr;/. It means s<.)niething done contrary to or superioiir to the usual laws or course of nature — such as healing the sick, raising the dead at a word, with a tou(tl». et43. Another unanswerable evidence is to be found in their predictions, exactly foretelli-ng particular futrn'o events as to nations and as to indi- viduals — the judgmef.,.s' of God upon their own nation, itnd the pagan people around them — the rise and history of particular men- — to the nicest degree, thousands of years before their fulfilment. • ^old. Give me an example or two ? , Serf/. I approve of your curiosity much, and will cheerfully gratify it ; — there was the Babylonish cap- ti^'ity — that the Jews for disobedience to God's pre- cepts should be conquered by the King of Babylon, their temple be destroyed, and themselves carried cap- tives to Babylon — that al'ter remaining there a num- ber of years, they' would be restored to libierty and tn) their native land, and enabled to rebuild Jerusa- lem and the Temple ; again their continued idolrftry and wickedness, aud their final subjugation by the tlo- m^aus. TO CONFEDERATE S0LBTER3. 11 The coming of Chuist, and particular evcntsjn his personal liistory, viz : to })e born of a virgin — to be of David's family — to be born in l]othlehcm«— to ride into Jerusalem upon an ass — to bo a man of sorrows — to be sold for thirty pieces of silver — to be scourged, buffet- ted and spit upon — tl5' be numbered'with malefactors', that is, to be crucified between two thieves — ^^to have gall and vinegar given him to drink — to be mocked while hanging on flie cross — to have lots cns^ for his garments — to niakc his grave with the rich — and to rise from the dead on the third day without corruption. Isa- liii; Dan. ix, 26. It was foretold that Christ should perform many notable and beneficial miracles — that the "eyes of the blind should be opened" — ^Hhe cars of the deaf unstopped " — "the lame man leap as a hart," and ''the tongue of tlic dumb sing." Isa. XXXV, 5. . It was also predicted that ho should appear before the sceptre departed from Judah, tiiat is^ the final overthrow of the Jewish government by the Romans. • Sold. But how do 3'ou know that these facts were not written after they had occurred? Serg. I have told you already that the Jews had acknowledged for ages before Christ came, the Books of the Old Testament as their nationfil annals, contain- ing the prophecies I have just mentioned. They guarded them with the^most watchful care, and to prevent the smallest alteration or addition, even counted the num- ber of the words or letters : they liaiidcd them down from father .to sou, from generation to generation, as their true national history — as the genuine vrritings of tlieir prophctt, legislators, etc. There coukl havt? been no possibility of being deceived, as S OF COUNSEL walk ;'\to the leper, ^^ I will, be thou clean ;" to the widow's son, '^youug man, I say unto thee, Arise;" and to the nobleman, ''Thy son liveth,'' etc. : don't you sec the difference ? Sold. Yes, OiiRTST speaks as one who eommands aiAl is obeyed in his own right : but have you not di- gressed from the chief matter in hand? Scrg. Somewhat ] but owing to your own invita- tion : we will return to the Gospel. The hiatory of the life and ministry of CllRlST Is mainly contained in the four gospels or books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which, thou2;h in separate narratives, give most impartially, and with winning simplicity, a connected and harmonious history of the birth, actions, precepts, death, resur- rection, and ascension of Christ. These men were poor and unlearned lislicnneii — two, of whom, the first and the last, were amongst O-'kist's immediate dis- ciples. How can we- account then that'thesc simple narratives of so many intci'estiug, wonderful and su- pernatural events ; so.iuuiny pure and heavenly doc- trines and precepts, unknown before to the must eminent human sages and moralists, arid subversive of the most favoured prejudices of both Jews and Pagans, could have been sustained against the incredulity, the inveterate and bitter hostility of the whole world, save "a small sect everywhere spoken against ;'' could have dis.seminated the Oluistian faith and doctrine among so many kindrtMls, tongues and people, for above 1.800 years, 'and are even now being multiplied l)y Uic power of the press, beyond enumeration, for circulation over the whole earth, unless from the truth of the facts contained in them, indelibly impressed upon the mind;.: of the more civilized nations of the f'.^,lobe — unlesn the chain of tebtiniony from the Old.| Testament to the New, and tlieuce through the Churchl TO CONFEDERATE sOLDIERS. 15 of Christ down to us has remained unbroken,, and proof against the malice of wicked angels and iiien. The testimony of Jewish and Heathen writers corroborates, in the chief particulars, and controverts in none, the plain narratives of the humble fisherman of Galileo; the great, the wise, the learned and the good, have reposed their faith upon them as^the in- spired repository of divine revelation in every age : and what is far more, the authors themselves^, and their fellows, the primitive Christians, staked tlieir lives upon their truth, and were given some tu tlie sword, some to the_ cross, and some to the tiery stake. The writers of the New 'J'cstamcui state thenu selves to have been present e^t the miraculous evenis they describe, and would not Iravc risked their lives unless satisfied beyond doubt by the testimony of thcM senses, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching, of the truth of what thoy aihrm. Is it reasonable to think that any man would expose himself to the most sure, cruel persecution and suSering, and finally peril his life, upon a lalsohobd i Sold. Not at all, I'm free to admit. Well, my good old friend, 1 am objiged to. you for your brief, but most clear and interesting account" of the Bible, iiud will now thank you to return to the nature of Christ. What you have already said seems, to mc very strange and mysterious! Serg. Well may it do so, when the inspired .St Paul writes in bis epistle 'to Timothy, "Great is twc mystery of godliness. God was ni.mifest in thf ilesh,^' etc., but it is plainly written in tlic Bible, and if v/e do indeed believe that to be the wird of God, we mu-t believe \i, though in its nature it be out of tbt reach, of, but not contrary to, our uuJeratandinus-. Sold Can a matt' believe what he does not oompre^ hcnd'^ 16 WORDS or COUNSEL '« Sciy. We do believe )nany thiugs wc do not un- derstand nor can explain fully: for example, we be- lieve that when wo sow any kind of seed, it will, in due season, take root downward, spring up, blos- som, p.nd bear fruit; but wc do not eeniprchend how God, who said, -'J^ettho earth briii-' forth £^ss, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit «ftcr his kind" (Gen. i, 11), performs so won- derful an operation. Wc believe, unless a miracle intervene, the sun will rise to-morrow; but do wc understand how God will cause the earth to turn round upon its axis, that the sun may apparently rise to us ? I might add many litore examples, but will only draw a conclusion from vfhat has been already said. Wo see 4he^v/orks of creation; we behold their order, method, fitness'; wc behold unerring wisdom in their plan, almighty power in their execution; wc, therefore, acknowledge and adore Go.i>, but wc under- stand not his manner of existenec. iSold. I sec you are I'ight, and th:it wc fain must be- lieve man/ things we cannot couipichcnd ; but [in- terrupt you. Scrt/. The Bible declares that all men are, in the sight of Goj), sinners, and under the curse of, tlic perfect law of Goi>, which dochireth, '' The sou/ that sinneih, it shall die." And, my young friend, can our own consciences, or our o,vn' observation; assure us that we, individually,, or our relations and associates, are not sinners against tlio pure laws and precepts of our Maker, our Preservei;, our Master, and our King 'f And when God, who cannot lie, sulenj'nly tells us in His Word that we arc all found wanting, and con demned, and under sentence by .thfs law, siiall wc rather believe the word, and oui own deceitful h-ail. and be at peaCe, rch^n, 'fo tji^. u)ic/rr;els themselves with folly." Job iv, 18;" . The Prophet Isaiah saith : '' And he saw that there was 7io man, and wondered that there u-as no inter- cessor : therefore, his arm brought salvation unto liini ; and His righteousness, it sustained Him.'' Isaiah lix, 16. Yes, God's mercy and goodness " have laid help upon one that is mighty. Psa. Ixxxix; 19. GoD, in the person of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, took upon Him our nature, that human nature which ha'd sinned ; -^Christ, according to the prophecies of the Old Testament which went before on Him, " was born of a virgin," and " became a man of sorrows " — He was poor and despised. He was persecuted, calum- niated, betrayed, scourged, spit upon, and cruciffed as a malefactor; but He was without sin, and fulfilled in every p,oint the divine laws which our race iiad all broken, and '^ once made by His body upon the cross, a full, perfect and complete satisfaction and atonement" for all men. But He was God as well as man ; there- fore, when He spoke it was "as never man spake :" it was, "Verily I say," and when He commanded, <* lo ! the wiuda and the »ea obey Him/' it was as 8 18 WORDS OF COUNSEL when God in the boi^inning said, ^^ Let there bo light, and there w:is lit;ht." lu the Ijible wo tind the names and attributes of (jOD bestowed upon Oiiuisr, as well as the name, character, and pl.ysi(^al iuliriniti( .s of man : Ife must needs be, therefore, (Jod and man, or the Scriptures are untrue. Hut pray, is it a whit more marvellous for Almighty Power to unite His own srlf'-oxistent nature with the human n?it,uro created by lliiu, in the person of the holy child Jesus, than that Me should have formed n»an of tlio dn-^f,, sfi.l hare breathed into llim a living soul ? aS'oA/. Both are, in trnlh, hoyoiid nv.v rdiuprohcn sioQ. Did you m(';i!i, wImmi you smtaMl just now • that Ohhtst mado a full atoiuMuent for all men, that all are without exco/pti'Hi pardoned on acccmnt of it-t' Sen/. Alas ! no. >St. l*etcr says, "- To llini ^ive all the prophets witness, that throuijh His name who- soever belioveth in^ TJim shall receivij remission of sins. Acts X, 43. To believe in Him is the ooudi- tion on whicli sins are remitted. I will explain this by a kind of parable. Suppose a nam})er of persons confined in jail under sentence of death for sonic notable offence, and some benevolent rtn'd great man interests himself in their behalf, and, after nmch en- treaty, obtains from governnuMit the lives of the pris- oners; h\\i on condition that they sign a solemn pledge to remove, by a certain day, from the country for«ver. If these persons do not put faith in this promise, and refuse to sign the pledge, or if;, afj;ersiga-^ ing it, they should begin to think that government*, would wink at their remaining after the appointed day, and should fail to go, they would justly be put to deatli under their original sentence^ wou Id thev not ? &oIil, To be sure. TO CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS. 19 Serg. The Bible (you do not wonder 'now, I see, a- you did, x\t my frequent i-otVrenee to this book) declares that Qhrtst ''died for our sin», and rose ti'^fiiin for our justification." 1st. That our actual sins eliould be pardoned, in virtue of His bcarina; tlic punishment due unto them, in the same n.ature as our own, and of his perfect obedience lo the perfectly pure laws we have vio- lated, conditional upon our hearty trust in Iliiu as our sole, all-efficient Saviour, and upon our " bringing forth fruits meet for repent?ance.'' Mntt. iii, 8. Christ died to save us from, and not in our sin.'^. St. Paul says, '' I>ut if, while wo seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is, therefore, Christ the minister of sin >* Xjod forbid. For if I •build again the things which 1 destroyed, 1 make my- self a transgressor." Gal. ii, 17, 18. As if those criminals mentioned aboye should return whence they were banished, and commit the same or other offences, surely the mediation of their i-nterces.sor would be of no more avail. Docs this seem clear to your mind ( Sol;ht little on it : I always slighted it as mere enthusiasm and cant. Sei-ij. I pray that you may henceforth regard it as ft most reason:ib]ibles and their pious com- rades would be their comfort; but above all, their habits of prayer would bring down assurances and con- frolations above what earth can give, and which, in uiomouts of pain, and sickness, and death, neither in- fidel nor scoficr can intermeddle with. Sold. Ah !' my own brief experience tolls me what fi blessed aspt'ct a garrison would put on under such circumstances. What a pleasant thing to be a sol- dier it would then be; every one would do his own share of duty, and not throw it upou his moro inno- ceut comrades by getting confined ; the only strife, if such at all, would be who should excel as a ready and clean soldier. Sercj. Aye, aye, then ^' would the desert rejoice and" blossom as the rose.'^ (Jsaiah xxxv, 1). Every sol- dier would be a Christian gentleman. None by in- toxication or vulgar conduct would put himself- on a TO CONrEDERATE SOLDIERS. 25 pjir with the brute. Should war arise, what an army of heroes, of conscientious, high-principled Christian soldiers to defend our country ! Mutiny, desertion, cowardice, drunkenness, and sleeping on duty, etc, etc., would find no place. The banner under which they fight would be honoured by such defenders, and they would deserre a general such as Washington, who, after the disastrous aflairs of Brandywine and Gcr- mantown, while the army lay at Valley-Forge, dur- ing the severe wiuter'of '77 and '78, in a very desti- tute condition, was in the frequent habit of visiting alone a secluded grove. This excited the curiosity of a neighbouring Quaker gentleman, named Potts, who sided with the Tories, and led him to watch his move- ments on one of these occasions, till h" perceived this great and good man upon his knees, and en- gaged in prayer : such was the impression made on him, that on retUlming home he related the circumstance to his family and exclaimed — " Our cauae is lost," etc. Surely, when a man like Washington thus "acted, no officer or soldier of our army should view himself as doing an unbecoming act, or as being justly open to ridicule in ''praying to God always," and in all things setting a pioas example to his fellow- beings and companions in arniS. God forbid. Sold. A most striking example, indeed ; one which no true-ht;arted Confederate soldier should hoar with- out emotion. I pray never to forgot it. Sevg. His wonderful preservation on Braddock's bloody field, and on otiior occ^siou.s. — his calm and undismayed demeanour in the most gloomy and dis- heartening circumstances — and the final success of the American arms under his auspices — may well be attributed in part to his manly prayers, and pious trust in an overruling Providence. 'Tis true that great matters were at stake in those timeii, and cal- 26 ^V0R1)S OF COUNSEL culated to drive U3 to our knees ; and so it is uow ; but, if it were not so, we have no reason to doubt but that God wil! regard U3 in the day '' ai amall tilings/' nor forget at any tiiue those who liumbly call upon Hira, since he has declared that ^"^'not a sparrow fal- Icth to the ground without Uin)/' aud that he " will ever temper the wind lo the shorn lamb." There- fore, my dear young frieud, do not omit in your youth and manhood, wlicn all thiug.s are apparently smooth and prosperous to you, to oifer with constancy, faith, and devotion,- the sacrifices of- prayer, thanksgiving}^, and praise to Him who is tlic^iuthor of all your bles- sings, that you may not be '- ashamed in the evil time" ^ of misfortune, war, bereavement, vsickness, old age, temptation and t-ial ; aad your own sliort experience has told you how uumorous, treacherous, and powerful, the temptations to v/bivdi a soldier is co9^'f/ (hii^i and lioiLr exposed. We are about to part, perhaps ncyei' to meet again in this v/orld ; let my last words be then impressed upon you as the legacy of a 'poor, old veto-* ran^ as to this world's goods, to tlie son of departed friends. The Bible is like a golden mine ; prayer is the only instrument by whioft its treasures may be dug and brought to ligiit, and what now is more ra- tional, more suitable to a dependent and accountable creature than to supplicate aud worship his Almighty Creator ! Sold. Ere we part, accept my best thanks, my good old friend, for y^ur patience and preserviuico iu en- deavouring to instruct one as ignorant and wilful as myself. Your remarl^s, at once so clear aud so true, aud so charitably urged on one, 1 fain ho])e will not be lost upon me. I am.detcrmiucd as God shall help me, whatever my comrades may say, no longer to de- spise and neglect the Ijiblc, but attentively to read it; and I hope shall never be ashamed hereafter to follow TO CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS. ^t the example of so brarc a soldier, so groat and good a man, so true a patriot, as G-corge Washington ; and to kneel in prayer to God wlio made, who prcservcth, who hath redeemed, and v/ho will finally judge me. I hope we may again meet, and renew our interesting discourse. • Sera. Most heartily say I Amen to this. I am not worthy of so much commendation, since, when I have done all, I am '' still an unprofitable servant,'' and have only done mybounden duty; but I am thankful we have met, and pray'that God will bless those truths I have uttered in flis name for want'of a better spokes- man ) because they are those He * has himself, in mercy and compassion to our proud and ii^noraat race, caused to be proninlgated in His blessed Word. Fare- well. " Blessed Lord, who hast ciused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning ; grant that we iimy iu such wise hear them, read, mark, Icaru; and inwardly ' digest them, that by paticuce and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace and ever ht)lu fast the blessed hope of everlasting Hie, which thou hist given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen." No. 19. 'THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE. We read tliesc words : '' If our heart condemn Uf?, God is grcntcr than oar hoart, and knovvcth all things. Beloved; if our licarfc condeaiu us not, then have we confidence toward me." Nov/ ^hc Apostle here speaks of our heart as though it wore a kind of judge Avithin u^, accusing or excusing us according to what we have done. And so it is ; our heart instructed bj the Spirit of God is set as judge over us ; it tells us this is right and this is wrong ; when we do what God wills, then we feel in our heart that wc have done right; when we do what God has forbidden, then we feel in our heart that we Jiave done wrong. All our life through we are subject to these judgnients of our heart; and God in these lesser judgnients reminds us of that greater judgment of the last day, when we shall be judged by Ilini who is gre'ater than our hearts and knoweth all things, who will judge more clearly and more strictly, who cannot bo deceived nor led astray, who cannot be blinded nor confused as to what is true, who knows the heart better than the heart knows itself, and who can pass a greater sentence whether of praise or condemnation. Indeed, it is God who now speaks through our heart or conscience, but then lie will speak face to face ; now He speaks through this inward trumpet, but then He will speak with His own voice; now lie juc^ges us by ourselves, then He will judge us by His Son our Saviour; now He makes our heart to pa.ss sentence upon us that we may continue in that THE VOTOE* OP CONSCIENCE. 29 which is good and turn away from that which is evil, but then Mc will Himself pas.'^ .sentence upon ua through His Son, after whiidi tlierc will be no change ; wo shall not bo able to mend our wny.s y we have done evil, noitheu -shall we again^ be tempted by evil if we have done well. Now if there is so great a judgment about to come, and also an unchangeable seMfeucc to be passed ou every one of us by the voice of Christ Him.self, h6w great a mercy it is that we have this gift of conscience, this lesser judge seated in our hearts, who warns us to avoid the evil and to choose the good. As God will condemn sin, so He gives us knowledge and conscioua- ness of sin that we may not in if^norance put our hands unto sin. Wo do not sin wittiout knowing it. We speak of " the voice of conscience," of ^^ the sting of conscience," of "the rebuke or prickings of con- science," of "the answer of a good conscience;" all these terms are good and true ; they show us what conscience is and jyhat it does. Every man will boar witness, that a sort of inward voice has called out to him, and spoken to him, and pleaded wikh him, and tried to restrain him when ho has turned his feet to evil ways, and commended him when he has resisted sin or done kind deeds. Let any man say if he has been dishonest whether ho did not feel he was dishonest i! Was there noj something like a hand laid upon him dragging his arna back from his neighbour's good's! ? Or when he was tell- ing a lie, did not something seem to stop his tongue and tell him of the sinfulness of a lie ? Or when he was minded to follow youthful lusts, did not his heart sometimes smite him on the way and persuade him to turn back ? Or when he over-reached his neighbour, did he not feel uneasy in his gain and despise himself in the very moment of his guilty success ? Or when he •';0 TJfE VOICE or CONSCIENCE. has broken Sabbaths, has ho not bocn displeased with hinisoir, :ind felt the day hanj*; lonn: upon his bauds and (KMMi We:iry of hiinsulf ^ Or wh(^n a lunn has fuliilled riirist'.-i Imw. has In; not had p;|v;\fc pcac«^ with hiinself ? Whon iu' lias battled with last and turned away from t!ie L::i)^pf«*r'.s v:)ie:\ has lie. not felt a IJL^htnes.s of heart, within hin» hs though soino jj;ood friends were speak- ing approving words ? When he has helped a neigh- bour in tinje of neoing. and eau-ed Iwm.t^o go on his way rejoicing ? [ ask you, whetiier you have not felt tiiis judge within you, this voice of conscience, condemning you for that which has been done amiss, and praising you when you have obeyed the motions of the Spirit of God ? A great mercy it 'is tliat our heart is thus moved to act within us as a judge; if is a great thing that we have not been able to be altogether eas}' under our sins ; it is a great thing that our heart condemns lis when we rush forward at the impulse of the natural !(iun towards eternal death., ii :ip..y are they and wise according to the true wis- 'loiti, who bless God lbr"the gift of conscienc"e, who iiy by tho iio]y law of (-■hrist. It i,> only l)}^ t]\\< cotisrr.nt, scarchinji^ and judging tiul sweopini;' of tiif s,ml, th:it\vo cnn k^i'p it in any wise fvoo IVoni sin; oQonc'or^ like wood* are of qn'io]^ growth ; soon is our inner Ivousir tilled with dust unless wo ore continuidly at v/ork to keoj) it pure and . cleifn. It is only hy eonfinually askin;.;- our heart whetlier it. h:i« aught whereof to condemn us, that we ean get the answer of a good conseienee. The purer we keep the (thambcr of our soul, 'the more distinct and clear does tho voice of coascienee become. Thei'b is the more room for the echoes .'.i! 1 reverl)era{.li)ns of its kindly voice; the sound is not niuHiod ti.»i' choked up, but comes out with all its -proper streiigth. • VVe must bo careful how we use our conscience, lest we weaken or stifle or pervert it. tt is not such a gift that it cauDot be spoilt ; it ia not such a friond that it cannot be rebuffed. \Ve may so resist it as t-o make it speak less clearly ; at last by resisting it for many days we may bo brought liot to know what it says ; such confused sound^i. will \f^ within us that we shall not be able to distinguish the teaching of God. We can liarden our lu^arts by continual sin. Woe be to us if we fi'dl into so evil a state as to hoar nothing when we sin, and to feel no compunction, and to have no fears. I pray you to be very tender with your conscience, and to deal with it very tenderly ; let it- not speak in. vain j open your ears whether it ap4>.roves or blames ; wince not if it blames, but hear it out; do not try to drown it, for it would be the drowning of a friend ; go whither it presses you to go, go aot where it seems to forbid you and to draw you back ; make uoc yourselves deaf, for it speaks within you for your good. God the Holy Ghost teaches your heart to lead you the closer to Christ. Though sometimes Satau may cor" J- THE YOICK OF CON -SCIENCE, rupt cnn^,rit^ii.-.\ tfinii:',li it. is nut :i porffct f^ui«le, yet thii lUi.re wo o\n'y its ivnlior tones, tlit; K'sh will Satan bo abl^ to ppiviMT it, tlie inorfi^etiliitily will it btv ia- structiMl bv tlio Spirit uf (;loil, (ho inon^ we \n:\y trust anJ follow it. Listen tbon lu vuur heart, to that first judge which is on the iudtitucat neat within you, that you may estiape the wrath of thiU grtiatei Judge wlio will sift you to the very eore, who knr»«vcth all things, and will avtM]'i.v llirtv^H!f,».M »;]' - ouiied. THY WIJ.L BE DONE. Not. in the glorious mori^i of life Wlien pleasure is speeding llie goMeii hour.?, "When the be;ui with a thousand hapes isjife, And leys with the vi-orld liken becanionf^flowei^ : \Vhoii our hvaviest grleT is a «ose-leaf prest, Can we learu this lesson : "■ So best— so best He do'eth all thifig3,well !'" Bill when youth and its lairy vision's gone. We faiut with the burden of weary years, And each ros}-- hope i:^ fojever flown, '^ And life's beaming sunlight has set in tears; From the depths of a sjjirit, that longs for rest, We say, bioken-hearted : " So best — so best He doeth all things well!'' Viola. PrQtettant Episcopal Church Publishing Association, Charloiic, ^\ C.