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ADVICE TO SOLDIERS. 
 
 ■■ Soldiers ! Allow one who lias devoted himself to the 
 work of promoting your spiritual welfare, to give you ad- 
 vice in reference to matters which pertain to your sours 
 salvation. There are points connected with your duty to 
 God and yourselves, which you, from your situation in the 
 army, may overlook, and a hint in reference to some of 
 them may not be amiss. The writer would earnestly be- 
 seech you each to ask God's blessing upon himself while 
 he is reading the following lines. 
 
 ■ ;ood Conscience. 
 
 The first point that claims your attention is that in rela- 
 tion to your conscience. And I would solemnly urge you 
 to see to it, that you maintain a " good conscience." Ev- 
 ery one has a monitor within him, which reproves for 
 wrong-doing, and signilies its satisfaction in those acts 
 which are right. How pleasant it is to have an approving 
 conscience ! How unpleasant the consciousness of having 
 done wrong! Sometimes the sense of shame and degra- 
 dation which is realized when ve are guilty of mean or 
 base conduct drives us to a state bordering on desperation. 
 And this again reacts upon us producing recklessness and 
 impiety of the most daring character. But after a while 
 by repeatedly disregarding the voice of conscience, you 
 will drown it entirely ; it will cease to speak altogether ; 
 
or if it 3peaks, it will not be heard, The man in that 
 case is said to be hardened, and his condition is well-nigh 
 hopeless. There is no probability of his being reached by 
 ordinary appeals. And God's book sketches his condition 
 and doom in these fearful words: " After thy hardness 
 and impenitent heart, thou treasurest up wrath against the 
 day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of 
 God." .Rom. 2: 5. 
 
 LITTLE SINS. 
 
 Now in order to guard against this condition, allow me 
 to advise you to look well to what are called u little sins." 
 No man is a great sinner all at once. He has reached that 
 condition only after a long series of sinful acts. The state 
 of heart which we have at any given period of life, is al- 
 ways to be viewed and estimated in connection with those 
 which have preceded it, if we would form a correct judg- 
 ment in regard to it. And so with acts. They are always 
 better understood by contemplating those which gave rise 
 to their commission. When a case of manslaughter is to be 
 tried, the acts which preceded and the circumstances 
 which attended it are always taken into the account, being 
 deemed essential to a proper judgment in regard to the 
 precise character of the crime perpetrated. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF SIN. 
 
 The history of all sin is generally this, that what is 
 monstrous and shocking in crime originates in something 
 comparatively trifling. Murder is usually the consumma- 
 tion of a long course of sin beginning in a slight grudge 
 or fit of anger. Sometimes it is committed in the vain 
 effort to conceal some other less flagrant breach of law. 
 The highwayman intending only to rob, often finds him- 
 

 self obliged by fear of detection to destroy his victim. 
 The truth is, eyery sin we deliberately commit hardens 
 the conscionce and tends to destroy its power to perform 
 its true func.tiens. Everyjvrong act committed increases 
 our capacity for wrong doing. And no one should feel 
 secure of haying arrived at the limit of his course of sin, 
 when he has reached a given point before the eye of his 
 mind. No one can truthfully say, " I will indulge in this 
 or that sin, and then stop and do better." No one can 
 flatter himself that because he sins only in one way there- 
 fore he is secure against falling into other causes of sin. 
 The truth is all sins are near akin to each other, and 
 we slide from one species into another insensibly. Thus, 
 we go^ on from lesser to greater sins, and from those of 
 one kind to those of another, until at last we are .cast off 
 by God, and the influences of the Holy spirit are entirely 
 withdrawn. 
 
 We see then the importance of cultivating a conscience 
 which will check us' when in the act of committing the 
 smallest sin. Be on your, guard against little sins, and 
 yon need have but little fear of committing great ones. 
 Train yourself to the habit of heeding every monition of 
 conscience. Some think it unmanly to be particular about 
 trifles. But no one would for a moment favor this view, 
 if.it be applied to acts of dishonesty or even discourtesy 
 towards a fellow man. The universal judgment of rights 
 minded men is that the greater the respect we pay to the 
 property and feelings of others, the more praise worthy 
 our conduct. Then how much more carefully should we 
 cultivate respect and deference for the rights and claims 
 of the Father of our spirits. No. Be assured you cannot 
 be too nice in your observance of God's law, nor can your 
 oonscience be trained to too high or too delicate a regard 
 for what you believe to be right. Avoid, therefore the 
 approaches of sin. 
 
Take for instance the vice of gambling. If you learn 
 how to play cards, you have taken the "firet step towards 
 contracting the habit of staking money upon the game. 
 The one leads to the other by the almost necessary se- 
 quence of cause and effect. 80 too the habit of indulging 
 in intoxicating drinks is contracted by yielding to the 
 tempter in the first instance. If the first drink be not 
 taken, there can be no second, no last.' Sin's demands 
 become the more exorbitant as they are yielded to and 
 satisfied. 
 
 REGARD SLIGHT IMPRESSIONS. 
 
 In the next place, regard the slightest impression made 
 upon your feelings. Are you touched by the preaching 
 of the word ? Has some thought affected your heart and 
 moved you to tears ? Have you become convinced that 
 all is not right with you, and that in your present state 
 you are unprepared to die ? Are you unable to indulge 
 in sinful pleasure and give loose rein to your unlawful de- 
 sire ? Has some mysterious restraint been thrown around 
 you, so that you cannot now as formerly, be gay and frol- 
 icsome ? You are touched by the spirit of God. You are 
 a subject of divine influences. God is calling you. 
 
 WHAT MUST BE DONE WHEN GOD CALLS ? 
 
 And what are you to do ? Now the advice you need is 
 rather in reference to what you must not do, than to what 
 you must. I beseech you, do not make an effort to remove 
 these impressions. Shake them not off. You may, if you 
 choose, resist the calls of God. It rests with you to de- 
 termine whether you will yield or not. Oh ! do not strive 
 to banish concern and quell the clamors of conscience. 
 You may by entering into gay society or by taking one 
 
drink of ardent spirits, remove, for the present, these gra- 
 cious impressions. But think of the consequences. Think 
 of the state of torment which awaits those who are finally 
 impenitent — of the bitter regrets which you will experi- 
 ence, when even the least hope of improvement in your 
 deplorable condition shall be forever gone. Think that one 
 false step now may seal your doom and consign you to the 
 " blackness of darkness and despair forever/' When the 
 feelings are aroused, and the attention turned seriously to 
 the subject of religion, it is dangerous beyond measure to 
 resort' to expedients for banishing concern and stilling the 
 alarms of conscience. This is God's work — a work carried 
 on at his own time and in his own way. And be sure that 
 you interfere not with God, nor strive with your maker. 
 Attempt anv other rash measure. Rebel against your 
 earthly sovereign. Interfere with his plans and bring his 
 purposes to naught. But oh ! trifle not with the spirit of 
 God. Many of you are touched by the kind and affection- 
 ate appeals of mothers, wives and sisters, who implore you 
 with tears to turn from your evil ways. They are pained 
 not only at your absence, but the uncertainty of seeing you 
 again in this life ; and they long to be persuaded that 
 whatever may befall you in this war, they will meet you 
 in heaven. Their appeals have brought the tears to your 
 eyes and melted your hearts. Will you not yield to the 
 impressions thus made and ; < seek the Lord now with the 
 whole heart V Oh ! do not allow the current of feelings 
 to be frozen and your hearts again to become hard and 
 callous. Be assured you will bitterly regret your folly 
 when death overtakes you, if not before, as the following 
 cases prove. 
 
CASES IN POINT. 
 
 First case. A gentleman attended a religious meeting 
 at which many were deeply concerned for the salvation of 
 their souls. He was unusually attentive and signified his 
 desire to be conversed with upon the subject of religion. 
 The preacher found him lamenting his condition. He had 
 no hope — was shut up to utter despair, and spoke of his 
 doom as fixed. Yet he could not feel. He had been fre- 
 quently impressed and even moved to tears, but had as 
 frequently managed to shake off his impressions. And 
 now his judgment was convinced. He knew he was a 
 sinner, exposed to God's wrath, but he could not feel pen- 
 itent and yielding. In this condition he remained to the 
 day of his death. 
 
 Second case. A lady had had very deep convictions of 
 sin in early life. But contriving to remove the unpleas- 
 ant feelings under which- she labored, she determined by 
 entering into lively society and avoiding church, to prevent 
 a recurrence of the disagreeable sensations she had expe-' 
 rienced ; and to carry her point more surely she became a 
 Universalist. Then she was so armed that she could ven- 
 ture any where. For to be a Universalist is oftentimos 
 only to have a pretext for not being a christian. She was 
 now bold and went frequently to church. On one occa- 
 sion while the preacher was expatiating upon the threat- 
 enings of God's law,. she deliberately shook her head- 
 thus expressing her dissent from the preacher's positions 
 and in such a manner as to attract the attention of many 
 in the congregation. 
 
 About three months after this, the preacher on visiting 
 the church in his usual round of appointments was met by 
 a professor of religion who announced to him the death of 
 the lady in question. " Ah !" said he, " did she die a 
 
Universalist ?" ,l Oh no." was the reply, " she died in 
 utter despair." 
 
 "Not so your eyes shall always view, 
 Those objects which you now pursue, 
 Not so will heaven and hell appear 
 When death's decisive hour is near.*' 
 
 ATTEND UPON THE MEANS O! 
 
 Lastly. Attend upon the lnisistrations of God's word 
 in your midst. Many of you have regular preaching and 
 prayer meetings in camp. Neglect no such opportunity, 
 as these occasions furnish, of learning the way of the Lord. 
 Oh ! how it cheers the hearts of loved ones at home to 
 heai that you are constant in your attention to the duties 
 of religion. Said a dying man to the writer " Oh ! if I 
 oould hear one more sermon JBBut, be so good as to write 
 my wife, informing her that iTiope God has converted my 
 soul since I have been lying here on this bed in the hos- 
 pital." 
 
 How soon may you be lying in tho same condition. 
 Think of this, and improve all present advantages. And 
 may God's grace be abundantly shed down upon you, so 
 that when you return home, if God spares your life, your 
 wife or mother or sister may be enabled to say, " Rejoice 
 with me. The lost is found, the dead is alive again." 
 
THANKSGIVING FOR VICTORY. S. M. 
 
 1 With brave but beating heart, 
 
 We marched to meet the foe, 
 "Uncertain what should be our part — 
 Who should in death lie low. 
 
 2 We longed the day. to win, 
 
 And drive the invader back. 
 Thus we would help a peace to gain,, 
 The blessing that we seek. 
 
 3 Thy goodness, Lord, we tell, 
 
 We bless thy wondrous grace. 
 While bullets flew^gted many fell, 
 We did not end Wr race. 
 
 4 A victory we have, 
 
 Because thou helped us Lord. 
 Else we'd been covered by the wave* 
 And fallen 'neath the sword. 
 
 5 To thee the praise is due, 
 
 To thee our thanks we give. 
 O help us love and serve thee too, 
 And to thy glory live. 
 
 6 And when comes our last h'ght, 
 
 That fight which all must make. 
 Bring us off conquerors, through th\ might. 
 For our Redeemer's sake. 
 
 CXXIV Psalim verses 4, 5. 
 
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