God's Mercy and our own Right Arm. A. s E R m: o ]sr DELIYERKD IN ST. PHILLIP'S CHURCH. CHARLESTON, FEBRUARY 28, 1862, BY REV. W. B. W. HOWE, ASSISTANT MINISTER OF ST. PIIILLIP'S. "Our God, wilt thou not jndg» them? for we have no thankfulness ihat our rulers have not fallen into might ngaii.Ht thin great rompaay that comeUi against ^ (^jg delusion and sn'&re, hut that iht-y have re- u.s neither know we whai to do: but our eyes are upon (, pj.a,edly confesf^ed and manifested iheir reliance Thee. '— Jd Chron., XX., lii. < f^"'^ J . „ j i • . . i „- , ■ , . . , , L • > upon Uivine Providence hy inviting us to make our Wehaveagam my beloved brethren, atthem-,J|^^^^, 1^ y,,,^, j^ g„^, ^^ ^^,„ „pou God in stance ot otir Chiel Magistrate, asseml.led our- , ^^ ^^ ^„^, ,-^g,. selves together within the courts o( ihe Liord s ' / , , , , ,, , > ,. , house, to implore o( God that He would judge be-< And surely, my beloved brethren, when we think tween us and our enemies, and that He would be<"Pon 'h^ Pa^t year-the hrst of our Conlede racy- pleased, ot His infinite mercy, to save us Irom the', we have great reason to say, "Not unio us O Lord, hands of all that hate us, and to gram that we may '. but unto thy name be the praise, for the hrizardous serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteous- ': step of casting ofl old political bonds- and lorming nessallthe days of our life. And I canno; but' new ones, has been en-ered upon and ac^-omplish- eKteem it a most hapoy augury of the ultimate tri ^^^ '" order and without conlusion. ho much ^o, umphof our cau>e, and an earnest and pledge,^ that were it not for this most unnphieous war that these Confedera.e States will be sustained in :^ waged against us by those external to us we might the eventful issue now pending between them and , have laiddown and slept citizensoliheod Union, to their enemies-thai those who have the chief di ; wake up members ol the new Con ederacy, and rection of public aflairs, seem to be fully alive to; n«ver have felt the lea.st shock from the change, or the importance ol invoking divine favor and aid - h«ve Iseen di.-turoed in the securi.y of onr repose, upon onr coun-ry and arms; lor if, as Benjamin c We have been ot one mind, probably more so than Franklin well remarked in the Convention of 87, with regard to iny question which has ever at- a sparrjw cannot i;.ll to the ground wiihont God's ("-acted the public thought. I do not even except notice, it is not probable that an empire can rise ^ elves for the strife, more assume control. Whatever rtgrets some, and prepurinx ihe implements ol war wherewith may have leli on hrst witnessing the disruption oi to overwhelm us. Throughout ihe long summer the Stales, and the breaking up o/ old associations, days their ship yards and (ounderies, their cities have long since, most probably, been dissipated by upon the sea coasi, and their villnges hid among the progress of the war, and the manifest impossi iiie inouiitains, have been resonant with the sound biliiy Of the restoration of the Union as it vns. of the axe, and tlie hammer, and the anvil, Ibrging The most ardent admirer o( tlie old status must the weapons and building the ships to be used eee now that his idol is broken, and that could it against u.s. And not content with the fruit of their be again set up and enthroned, it would not wear own exertions, they niiide the Old World tributary the (brm ol his once loved Union, Ijut nnisl take to the completeness and the mugnitude of iheir the shape of stern subjugation, and even he v/ill preparation. Their t^umerous shi|)-^, in>tead of never worshi[) at such a shrine as this. Between coming home laden with the peaceful fruits of subjugation and confiscation, and the establishment commerce, have returned freighted with arms and of the Conlederacy, none are found to hesitate, all the muuiiionsof war. Their venmrous seamen Though some at the outset may have doulned have been detained Iront the hazards and excite- whereunto this movement would grow, and whelh- ment of the whaling voyage, and kept at home in ents inauguration was ex|)edient, they will hence- order to be leady at the ap|)ointed hour, when all forth, most likely, lend all their energies '.o sustain their pre|)arati()ns against us should have culmi- the expressed will of their sovereipn estates. A.nd iiaied in their purpose to fill our bays and creeks, even, if iu some of the Border States, reverses to run up our river.-, and ravage our coasis, and to our arms should develope exceptions to to hara-s u", at every point possi^ble, upon an ele- this assertion ol unanimity and prove that there ment where, conle.->sedly, wc had no strength, is an important minority in these States, And on land, too, they arrayed against us and our which will athere under all circumstances to the cause a half million of men, thoroughly armed Federal Union, we may safely hope that thi.* will and provided for the work which has been given not be ;ound the case in the heart of our Cuiifed- them lo do. Th*ise things are known to us all. eracy; but that the Cotton Sl-ites will continue to And how stands the case with n.s ? We have be united as one man through the luture, as they ( scarcely any showing at all upon the water when have been, by the bleising of Providence, during compared with our enemie-*. Our pons have been Ihe past year. , closed to the imporiaiion of arms, and our means At all events, whatever distractions may be in, of manufacturing them at home are not at all ad- store for us among ourselves, thus far at least the equate lo our necessities, to say nothing of the Lord hath liel|)ed us, and for this we thank Him. ■ scarcity of material. Our troops are numerous, But though we have been blessed in this respect, , and fired with zeal for a righteous cause; but, how- as also ill the inaintaiuence of personal rights, and ever l)rave, let us not f^ill into the delusion that in the security of life and estate, we nevertheless n they possess all the courage, or "'that five of them cannot conceal from ourselves that we have nows will chase a hundred, and a hundred of them approaclnid, in the onward j)ro^ress of this great ^should put ten thous-ind to flight" Has there not struggle, a most critical period in its liistory."^ been too much of this proud boasting among us ? Our powers of endurance, the sincerity of our ) And was there not a lime last summer, and until convictions, our laiih in God, our willingness loS we were startled out of our dreams by reverses, l>ear sacrifices, will ail now be putto the lest. And I ) when we had a mo*t supreme contempt lor the foe, pray, thai in iliai hour, (;ome when ii will, we ' ami when we thought that a few earthworks and ishall not be louiid to have failed in counting up the 'a floating; batiery or two would be amjily sullicient tost. ) to lest his meitle? I presume we are all unde- if any of us havelormerly llalteredourseivesihnt) ceived iiow, however, and realize ihat there is no we could enter uj)on the enjovment of the b'es- - holiday work before us. And as we thus siand sings which have been held up to our view with- ' looking at tne reality of things, and take into view out paying their price, that delusion no lonserr' the lull magnitude of the contest upon winch we exists — the veil has been lifted, and we now stand in ^ have embarked, where lies the hope of our ulti- the presence of a war terribly iu earnest — a war, inmate success? For no one I presume permits which ere it is concluded, may call upon us, a- it (, himself to be so fiint-heiined as to question t/iat. has already done upon so many oihers, to yield s, We may have much snllering be'ore us, and we up our lives and our fortunes, and ever\ thiiist \ may be called upon to endure privation; |>erhaps save honor and faith in the purposes of God And*) we may be overrun by the enemy as witn a Hood, hence it is we are here to-day, like the Jews of ^ but this will not be subjusjaticm — we should but old, with our wives and our children, to humbleS reireat from our toivns and river banks and en- ourselves before God, to confess to Eiim our sins, ^iirench ourselves among the hills, while ulti- and to beseech Him, that He would be our shield ■) maieiy the foreign wave will be driven back, and our defence. "Our God, will Thou not judge i But still, where, as things stand, does our them? for we have no miijht against thii great ^ hore, and the hope of this Conlederacy lie? Is com pany that cometh against us; neither know^ it in the intervention of foreign powers? Do we we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee." ;stand or fall in this contest according as they With an energy which, in a better cause would > recognize or do not recognize us? I rcust confess GOD'S MERCY AND OUR OWN RIGHT ARM. that 1 think we have look d somewhat too anxi- noi see (it to viiidicare their own declarations, but ously ill this direction. We have weighed the ■ choose to put up with their acknowledged viola- words of European state*men and kings. We lion, we, certainly, who have as yet no recognized have built expectations upon iheir necessitie-, and ' place among the nations, have no occasion lo be have drawn the conclusion, time and aa;ain, I hat more jealous for their honor than they are them- the day was at hand which mur-t see them come 'selves. In every light, then, it would seem to be to our aid, and yet the 'lay has not come, and at', better if we could forgti Europe altogether, and this moment seems (unher off than ever. When 'hoping nothing, and asking no favors, and exptsct- the Jews were threatened wiih invasion, and ,ing nothing at her hands, work out our political turned to their powerltil neighbor Egypt 'or as:-is» , sal vation with our own hands, as God shall give tance and sup|)ori, instead ol fighting their own , us the ability. bailies under an unwavering trust in God, the , If we believe our own declarations we are com- prophet was bid to bear to them this message: peteni to this end; if we are not, if we cannot "Woe to I e rebellious children, saiih the Lord, maintain ourselves, or if we are unwilling to en« that lake counsel but not of me; and thai cover counter the privations incident lo a protracted war, with a covering but not of my spirit — that walk to 'then we h.id better never hove undertaken this go down in'o Eijypt and have not asked at my matter, and subjugation will be the due reward of mouth; to .sireUitthen themselves in the strength len millions of men, who, wiih the best of causes, of Pharaoh, nml to tru-t in ihe shadow of Egypt! and on their own soil, could not, or, what is worse, Therefore shnll ihe sirengih of P.iarauh be great would not defend it against twenty millions, shame, and the trust in the shudow of Egypt great • If, then, we cannot, and what is more, ought corruption." And so perhaps in a measure with not lo look to others to take up our cause, ourselves. Il would jirohably have been better ihe question again comes back, what is to in- for Us ihis day — we should now be in greater sure it^ success? Is it its justice,? We forwardness to meet ihe (oe,if we had never given, know that he who has righteousness wiih him is from the very beginning, one solitary thought ihrico armed; but we know, too, or we have looking towards EuropeMn interveniion. If from :' read the fact lo little purpose, that justice and tri- the ouiset we had looked only unio Gud and ours umph do not always go together. Indeed, what selves, instead of awaiting anxiously tor inielli- suiggers men when they see in private life the geiice by ihe latest steamer, and pond^'ring upon good man depressed and the wicked exalted, holds li.e remark of' this lord, or that lor'i in Pcirliaineiit, jfood on a lar^e scale in respect to nations. Here, and being buoyed up wiih hope to day, or depres- , aUo, the unjust are in prosperity and the righteous sed to morrow according as it was inierpreied in , brought into !»ubjection. Wiui'iss, among many our favor or against us. I believe we should this S instances, that most marked one of the crusade in day be far beiier off. Uncon.sciously to our.-elves, Nihe ivvelf h century against the Albigensians, inci- perhaps, the lielief, which has t:iken such sirong) ted by Pope Innocent III , and conducted by that hold of the ()0|)ular con viciions ihut the manufac- i noted captain, 8imon de Montfort. Three hun- turing inierests ofEurO|re, and particularly En- dred thousand men of arms invade the beautiful gland, could noi lont; endure the blockade ofour S)uil; of France, though Count Raymond, of Tou- ports, has p.ilsied souiewhat our energies. If, as louse, had done all in his power lo obtain peace We believed, England must in sheer seli-preserva- .from Rome, and lay it waste, and transfer the do- lion intervene, why should we, at vasi expense, minion to the usurper. prepare tor a war which will be virtfially ended "Never," says the historian, "in the history of with the opening ofour ports? The triuh is, we man were the great eternal (>rinciple8 of justice, seem to have iiiiscalculited almgeiher England's , the fiit'i of treaties, common humanity, sO iram- abiliiy todo wiiliout us. and have built loo mu,.h'i(>led underfoot as in the Albigensian war. N>:;ver upon our supreme imponaiice to her exis'ence.S was war waged in which ambiiion,the conscious' She is abundanlly able, if she plea in this instance ( fore Him who sees not as man sees, «nd who is of The only right, strieily s|ieaking, we have lo loo pure eyes to look upon iniquity, and who expect that foreign poA'er.s will iniervene to o|ien charges His a'lgels wiih folly. our ports is, that according lo their own priiici|)les \ No, brettiren ; our strengiti and our hope lie not of international law, the blockade of our (!Oasl is >' here, in resting upon oar own r ghtmusnesx \a. void * But, then, so long as European nations do y his war; but after we have done all ihat it be- ^C'lTies us to do, then to humble ourselves before ♦Congress of Paris refuses to recogDize any block- S ade not effective, &c. '- * Milman's Latin Christianity, toI. iv, p. 122. 4 GOUS MERCY AND OUR OWN RIGHT ARM. the Divine iiiajesiy, and to plead ift.vmffrr^. This (, do nothing unto ua, save uliat la wtiiien liy ihe is the example set us in the chapter Iruin whence (finger of God, and so long as we can look up and my text is choi^en. ,*>*y Abba, Father, we need not fear thatihe weight Moab and Ammon invade Judah viih a greatSotihat finger will be ii-ed to cru.»h us ''Thea muliitude from beyond the sea, and Jehosaphat^ upon Jahaziel ilie Son o( Zecharinh, a Leviie, came proclaims a fast, and stands with all Judah before the Spirit o( ilie Lord in the iiud.»i of ihecon- the Lord, "with their little ones, tlieir wives, and ^ gregatioii — and be said: Harken ye, nil Judali, and their children," and says : "O, our God, wilt thou;ye inhabitants of Jerusnk-iii, and thou King of not judge them ? lor we have no might against j/Jehosaphat. Thus saith the Lord unto you, be this great company that cometh against us; neither 1^ not afraid nor disniaytd by rea^on ol ihis great know we what to do; but our eyes are upon ^^ company; lor the biiitle is not yours, but God's." Thee." / In the meantime, also, we liave eveiy temporal And so let «.' stand before the Lord our God this J inducement that a people can have lo contend day, humbling ourselves before Him in the con'es-, unto the death, and to suffer the loss ol all things sion of sins, and of those things especially whereof, if necessary to the cslahli.-hment of our cause, each one's conscience is most afraid, and beseech ( We contend for the traditions of our lathers, ing Him to acknowledge us as His people and ihci for the sanctity of our homes, for the rights of sheep of His pasture, and that (or His great name's; property, nay for our very exisleuce. Whatever sake He would noi suffer us to be giveu over into/terms the victoriousfoe iiiightgruntto the people ot the hands ot our enemies. ^ the other States Confcderaie with us, we know full We know that all things are in His hand, and ', well would not be granied to Already, in anticipation of final success, we hear which He eave unto their fathers. of petitions sent in to the Northern Congress to When Nineveh was threatened with a swilt de- ; destroy the name of the Slate and to divide it be- struction, the King thereof published a decree, ) tween our neighbors North Carolina and Georgia, saying, '-Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock ; But whatever might be the fate reserved for us ta.-le anyihing; let them not feed nor drink water; by our enemies, in the hour of their triumph, who yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and , is there among us, that doubis, whether it would from the violence that is in their hands." "And, not be a worse one than any that will be likely to God saw their works, that they turned from their befall us from a war prolonued till they ihemselvea evil way; and God repented Him of the evil thai? sicken of it? So long as God gives us the ability He said He would do unto them, and He did iti' to bear arms, it were a thousand limes better to not." And so if we, this day, throughout these suffer all the hardships, and losses, and honorable Confederate States, thus humble ourselves, and ^ deaths, which come in the train ol war, fearful put away the evil that is in our hands — if we, from? and heart-rending as they might be, than to come the least to Ihe greatest, plead not our own righ-^ under the yoke of a foe who would laugh at our teou^ness, but God's mercy, we shall not fail ol^ a calamities ^id mock at our fear — when our fear blessing. Either God will avert the disasters we came as ilesolation, and our destruction came as so much fear, or if, in His wisdom. He permits, a whirlwind; when distress and anguish came them to occur, they will be so tempered with mercy '. upon us. and loving kindness as ultimately to work together^ Let us then, reposing upon Divine mercy, and for our good. \coiivinced of the righteousness of our cause, and When then we see tlie preparations that have)in spite of the reverses whiih have already over- been made to ovprwhelra us, and they are truly '.taken us, and not fearing overmuch the threaten- formidable, and contrast with then our means of ; ing aspect of things belore us, go forward from defence — when we hear of the fleets which threat- _) this day's renewed dedication ot ourselves unto en our coast at various point>, and of armies inov- j God, with our dcierminaiion more firmly establish- ing down upon us from so many quariers; and ) ed than ever, either to win the great object of our when we aie tempted to fear lest we liave no ; struggle, or else, if such be not ihe divine pleasure might against this great company that cometh; and purpose, then, while bowing to that pleasure, against us, and know not what to Ao, then ht our} \o ha known An\onf:. men only as a people, who eyes be iiyov Gor/; and while doing, with all our^fought unto death for all that made home dear, might, what our hands find to do, wait jiatiently ) and the n.iine ol their country laudable, honorable, till the day of our salvation draws near. Man can J^ and glorious. c. pH8.5