aass__flJAZ Book. S E II M N S^atlt 0f mn late 50wisiilnii, I'jjKAcHKii iiv lur: M It lil rvKV. w. E. r>()(;Ain)US, April 'iOtli. 1805. K. P. 1). C. AT U XT ON VILLI- WESTCHESTKK CO. NEW YORK ^Uu* \lovh : I^^AAr' ,r. OTJVEK. STEAM BOOK AND JOC nilXTEE. ■52 Beekman Stbb;et. 18 65. E45-] .S S.:,^. I Eev. w. e. Booaedi-s, Un. ' ,; -' na We listeuccl with pleasure to yura* sermon touching upou the assassination of our hitc President, and re- quest Tou to permit ns to have it printed. Mmj 2d, 18G5. 'T. G. Gkaham, S. Miller, J. W. BoiC'E, "\Vm. Bexedkt, J. W. Fuller, J. B. See, A. ROSELL, A. Yekks, H. Yeeks. Gentlemex, I received your eouiphnient and request, and my Iti'oduciion, thon;^'h it is not so good as I could ^Yisl), is nt your disj^osal. W. E. BoGARDrS, UnionviUe, WcslcJicstei- Co., .V. T". s K 11 ^r c) >r. Job 1 ; 21. '• The Loi-.l giivf auJ the Lord h.itli liiktai :i\vay: bh'ssf'd hn the name of the Lord." He who reigns over the principalities an J powers of Hell, also rules over the kingdom of sin in tliis world. Satan seized the sceptre and usui-]H'd the throne of this world, and op(>ned communieations between it and the realms of dark- ness, through the incarnation of the principle of evil — through his victory over the great progenitor of our race. The incarnation of tht^ principle of evil took [)lacr during that fatal hour in ^\hi(•h Adam listened to the weird music- of the tempter's voice, and " took the fruit of that forbidden tree, whose mortal task brought death into the world and all our woe." That act followed the entrance of sin into the soul of man, and, through that act, Satan established his kingdom in the human heart, and l)ecame the God of this world. To him, therefore, as their direct authtn-, or active and cflii-ient cause, must be attributed all the disorders, dis- harmonies and deformities in the moral or natural w-orld. — He rules in the hearts of the "children of disobedience," and through them produces all the iudiiierent, all the attractive or fa.scinating, and all the shocking or repulsive forms and manifestati(ms of wickedness, which transpire, in the sight of Heaven, upon this theatre of ours — this round Earth. — The laws of nature are, also, to a limited extent, subject to him as the (iod of this world. His jiower in this woi'ld would be unlimited were it not for the purpose of God in Clirist. God, for the sake of Christ's atonement, and in answer to the prayers of His C^hureh, has hitherto so re- strained, and v.'ill continue so to restrain the operations of Satan, and so to regulate the manifestations of human de- pravity, and so to ward off, alleviate or overrule " the pesti- lence that wailketh in darkness, and the destruction that wasteth at noon-day," and the countless other calamities to which our race is heir, that they will result in the fullest possible exliibition of His own glory, and the best possible good of those who believe in His son, and in the triumph of good over evil, of righteousness over wickedness, of liberty over oppression, of truth over error, and of light over dark- ness — a triumph which will l)e all the more magnificent and glorious, because it shall be won by stern conflicts, and shall be covered, so to speak, with the sweat and the dust, the wounds and the blood of hard fought battles. In the chapter from wliich we selected our text, we have an illustration and a proof that 8atan can and does so oper- ate upon the human heart, and so apply the laws of nature, as to accomplish his own diabolical pm-poses : and that lie does both, not at the command, but with the permission of God, and subject the restraints or limitations which God imposes. We read, that the Lord, in order to test Job's faith and to impose upon him a salutary discipline, and to develop the integrity he had planted in liim, "said unto Satan," who had accused Job of serving God from motives of self-interest, "behold all that he hath is in thy power: only upon JdnweJf (this limitation was afterwards partially removed,) put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from tlie presence of the Ijord." A record of the calamities, which soon after fell uj)on Job, immediately follows. Of these calamities, Satan vras the ac-Hvc ami efficient cause.— The Sabeans, wlio fell upon the oxen anil asses, and took them away, and slew Uie servants with the edge of the sword, acted under the guidance and the influence or insti- gation of Satan. The great fire, which burned up the sheep and the servants w^ho attended them, was j)roduced by Satan through a skillfid application of the laws of nature. The Chaldeans, who fell upon the camels and carried them away and slew the servants with the sword, acted under the im- mediate influence and guidance of Satan, their unseen com- mander. The great wind, which camxs from the wildeniess and smote the house in which the sons and daughters of Job were fcnxsting, with such violence that it fell and crushed them, was gotten up by his Satanic majesty, (rod was the author of these calamities, which fell upon his sen-ant Job, so far as tliis, but no further : And thus far and no further He is the author of all the calamities which fall upon indi- viduals and nations. He did not ])revent them. He could most certainly have prevented them, but as a judgment against the sin of oui- race from which .lob was not ♦free, and in order, as I before remarked, to test the faith and develop the integrity of his servant, he permitted Satan to wield hie power, subject to hmitation, as the Gbd of this world. Job felt the weight and the terrible severity of these, to him, mysterious dispensations of di\ine providence ; but his laith in God endured the test, and his integrity of soul proved a tower of strength. " Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head," acts expressive of the deep grief of his h^art, "and fell down upon the gi'ound and worshiped,'" fin act expressive of the dei)th of his imafi'eeted humility, " and said, the Lord gave and the I^ord hatli taken away ; blessed be the name of the Ijord." 6 In the light of the priuciple, which I have suggested, re- specting the manifestations of human dejiiavity — the opera- tions of Satan in the heart of man — the judgments or cahxmi- ties which befall individuals and nations, and the conflict which is ever going on between truth and error, righteous- ness and wickedness, liberty and oppression, hght and dark- ness, we ought to stud}' our own experience, the history of the world, and the history of our countrv'. God led those, who were persecuted for righteousness' sake, to seek an asylum in America, and His hand, in our revolutionary struggle for liberty, and in the formation of our government, is distinctly visible. The government of the United States is the best government tliat ever was instituted on earth. It is thoroughly adapted to the expansion of thought, the development of truth, the advancement of liberty and ci'vali- zation, and the ultimate triumph of all the grand principles of Christianity. It grants and protects free speech — not li- centious speech — a free press, a free pulpit, the free discus- sion of the fundamental principles of truth and justice, of right and liberty, of humanity and Christianity ; and where these principles can be freely discussed, no one, who has faith in God, can doubt the result. It encourages scientitie researches and discoveries, and the development of the arts. And civilization inevitably accompanies and advances stej) by step, with the progress of the arts and sciences. It sub- jects the individual tothose restraints alone, which are really necessary to secure to all the largest amount of civil and re- ligious fi'ecdom. It is emphatically the people's government. No man, or set of men, ever ruled over us by virtue of his (jr of their descent. No num, or set of men, ever ruled over us whose authority was se^lf-constituted — whose authority origi- liated i'lX)!!! bis or tlicii- (jwn A\ill. We are all hoc iu(>n. I have ahvays thouju'lit, and still think, that the (lo^truc- tion of our govennncnt would be, next to the fall of Adam, the greatest calamity which e\ev fell upon the hnraan race. The destruction of our i^overuniciit would iuvohu the de- struction of our free, civil, and religii)us institutions, and tho destniction of our free, civil, and religious institutions would be the most terrible defeat which the cause of christiiLnity, and human liberty, and civilization ever experienced. It Mould be a victory on the side of 8a.ta}i and hell. Tb<* causes, which have been at work for the past thirty years or more, tending to the destruction t)f our government, are, therefore, to be explained. I sincerely believe, upon the sound, scriptural hypothesis, that Satan has been executing a vast and intricate plan, and develo[)ing and organizing a treacherous power, for the overthrow of our free institutions — for the subversion of the government whose chief corner stone is Liberty, and the establishment of a goverament whose chief corner stone should be Slavery— for the purpose of driving the huuian race upon the back ti'ack toward bar- barism, oppression, and anti-christianity. Some of these causes arc, doubtless, to be traced to the corruptions in the House of llepresentatives, m tlu^ Senate, and in the Cabinet. But these causes, had they existed olone^ would, I doubt not, have been eventually removed by the free press and the free pulpit. A gigantic evil stood in the way and had to be destroyed, before the minor evils could be effectually reached. The press and the })ulpit, had it not been for the hydra- headed monster, which threatened to petrify every one who spoke against it, and to convert, if agitated, our country— our beautiful palace — into a heaj) of ruins, would have been more faithful to the people, in respect to those corruptions ; and the people would have become gi-adually enlightened. 8 ^nd, as the inevitable consequence, the unworthy men, who represented us, would have been removed, and men of sound integi-ity, of purer moral and religious principles, would have been substituted in their place. The real causes, which have been at work for the overthiow of our government, are not to be loimd, either as some strangely suppose, in the aggressive spirit of hberty ; for the spuit of hberty is the spirit of oul' government, and the very life of our fi'ee institu- tions. The real causes, which have been at work for the overthrow of our govemmeut, are to be found in the ag- gressive spirit of oppression, of the Southern oligarchy, of slaver}', of despotism ; for the spirit of oppression and WTong is clearly antagonistic to our government, and utterly incom- patible with om' free institutions. There was a time, I confess with shame, when 1 thought the spirit of liberty was too aggressive, and that an immense deal of truth respecting Southern institutions, was altered by the Ci-ee thinking men, and the free speaking press and pul- pit of the North, which might better have been suppressed. I was either too prejudicial, or my judgment was not suffici- ently developed to percicve that Sewakd uttered merely a necessary tmth, — that which is true in the nature of things, and not because he said it,— that which no denial, no argu- pient, no law, no possibility, human or divine, could change into an untruth, — when he asserted, in his famous Rochester speech, " There is, and must 1 )e, an irrepressible conflict be- tween liberty and slavery ; for slavery, in its very nature, is antagonistijC to liberty ; and liberty, in its ver}* nature, is an- tagonistic to slaAciT." (I am not certain that I quote the very language.) I was coming, however, by careful reflection, to clearei" light — to the eopviction that my opinion was erroneous.— 9 Ami \y\un\ the frcdclienius }rmrr was develo]ied and organ- ized, with tho avowed purpose vf destroying our glorious Union, and before the blow against Fort Sumter had rever- lierated through tlio land, I tliauked God that the standard of liberty had been lifted up against the aggressive tenden- cies of oppression, and that the i)eople~the majority of the people of the free States had rallied around that standard. I awoke to the clear realization of the fact, that, if the spirit of liberty liad not been aggressive, the spirit of slavery, the si)irit of the Southern oligarchy would ultimately have de- stroyed our free institutions, and made the government of the United States like the government of the Southern States, a government of o[)pression and wrong. I knew, (and who that opened his eyes did not know?) that the base champions of injustice — the slave oligarchy, unable to meet, resist and overcoitie the arguments which were leveled against their institutions — the arguments of truth and justice, of humani- ty and Christianity — and, imwilling to abide by the decision of the people, the decision of a free ballot, and, actuated by the spirit of their institutions, were about to resort to the infamous argument of rebellion ; were about to inaugurate a bloody civil war for the purpose of smashing our free gov- ernment into fragments, and establishing upon the ruins a government of diabolical oppression — for tlie purpose of murdering the high hopes, the noble aspirations, the best possibilities of humanity, and burying them beneath the thrones of anarchy and despotism. I knew, (and who but the man with closed eyes did not know?) that we had reached the crises of our national existence, the crisis of the existence of our free, civil and religious institutions, the crisis of our existence as a free and seK-govemed people, and that, if we would preserve our liberty, we must also pre- 10 serve our I^'nion, because thej were theu, are uow, jrud will ever be, one and inseparable : That if we would preserve our free institutions, and our existence as a-free people, and would not forsake the rights and hopes of humanity, like poltroons, we must not shrink, from the horrors of fratricidal war, but committing our cause to a just God, and to Him Avho came into our world to give liberty to the human race, nuist array ourselves in battle-harness and meet the terrible emergency — fight like men upon the bloody field for our Union and our Liberty, against treason and rebellion. — There were many, however, who did not shrink from the horrors of such a wav. There were few, very few, who did not dread to have the curtain rise, who would not, at any sacrifice, short of the destruction of our government, gladly have been relieved from the necessity of drinking the cup so full of awful judgments, if such had been the will of Heaven. We Avere, as you all, doubtless, remember, in a state almost of distraction and upon the very verge of dissolution and anarchy, which, if it had taken place, would have proved the worst calamity that could have fallen upon the American people — one of the most deplorable judgments that ever fell u})on our sinful race. How near w' e actually were to the verge of dissolution will appoar, if we recall three facts: — 1st. There were millions' throughout the free states who entertained the mistaken notion that the war could be averted by making large con> cessions to the slave states, who were innocently, but, never- theless, dangerously ignorant of the fact, that the traitors at the South, armed to the teeth and prepared for war, de- manded no less, and would at that time, have been satisfied \\i\h no less than the surrender of our capital, the annihila- tion of our government, and the dismemberment of the 11 Union, 2d. There were thousands who absohitely sympa- thized with the armed conspirators in all their diabolical rable wreck, when, fortunately for our countiy, this imbecile was under the necessity of resigning his post to a cninpdrnl conniKiiKJcr — :i man precisely adapted to the position, and whose after history clearly shows that he was the child of Providence — ordained and prepared by God for the high and sublime mission, which, under God, he accomplished — the mission of conducting our ship, laden with the hopes and possibilities of humanity, not unharmed, but safe through the imminent storm — of conducting us, to drop the figure, triumphantly through the crisis of our na- tional existence. That .man was ABRAHAM LINCOLN. His sterling integrity, strong moral and religious bent, firm faith in the goodness of God, clear conviction that wickedness and oppression could not stand l)efore justice and liberty : " His good common sense, shrewd sagacity, readin«>ss of wit, quick interpretation of the public mind ; his rare combination of fixedness and pliancy," which enabled him to adai)t himself to, whilt^ at the same time, he guided and directed public opinion ; and his steady tendency > of ]mii)oso, all taken togcthei-. rcmdercd him peculiarly fitted 12. to conduct us through the perils of our national criijis. If we consider him in himself alone, and not in relation to his mission, there are, doubtless, those to whom, in some re- spects, he was far inferior. But if we consider him in his adaptation to the emergencies in which we were involved as a nation, I do not think his equal could have been pro- duced. God raised him up out of his obscurity, and gave Ixim to be the "President of the United States during 'the years in which we needed just such a man. And, in view of the wonderful results of his administration, every one, whc' is not a traitor to his country or an enemy of human liberty, doubtless, feels in his heart to say, " The Lord gave ; blessed be the name of the Lord." Wlien he went to Washington, the gates of treason were open. The traitors in the South had organized a gigantic re- bellion, and seized upon the public forts and arsenals, which belonged to the United States. The traitors in the North S}Tnpathized and were earnestly co-operating with the trai- tors at the South, in all their infamous designs. The people of the free states were tending toward dissolution, and the unutterable horrors of anarchy. The leaders of the Rebel- lion rejoiced in anticipation of establishing their government at Washington, beneatli the foundation stones of which the sights, liberties, and hopes of humanity should be eternally buried. Abraham Ldjcoln closed those gates of treason ; restored unity and harmony among the people of the free states ; defeated the destructive purposes, disappointed the ambitious hopes, and recovered from the possession of armed traitors, the forts and arsenals which belonged to the United States ; checked the progress of, and overthrew the gigantic^ rebellion, when it had almost taken the life of the nation. He did more than this. Under liis administration the foul 13 blot of slaverv was erased from our -Capital, and Wasliing- ton is uow the home only of the fi-ee. Maryland, Missouri, and Tennessee have ceased to b^ slave, and have become free states, through the reforming energy of internal forces, which Avere unfettered, and judiciously strengthened ; and the blow, which we hope, under God, will prove fatal, has been given, which has dashed down the diabolical system of oppression and \n-ong, which had existed and flourished in this country for more than two hundred years. When he left his home in Springfield, Illinois, he was un- known to fame. At the beginning of his first administra- tion, he was scofled at, and ridiculed by the proud, as a man unfit for his position. The prejudices of many against him were so ,st.rong, that his very name was, to them, the omen and the pledge of, they knew not what ; inconceivable woes were to burst, in the future, upon our then distracted country. Already, in anticipation, they associated his name with the downfall of our Piepublic — that licpnhUr which h<^ found tottering and about to crumble into ruins, but which he has left on a solid foundation, stronger, freer, more be- loved, more honore 1, and destined to grow more and more glorious, as we realize the results of the stern ordeal of blood through which we have passed. Blessed be the name of the Lord, for the wonderful things lie has done l)y the hand of om- late beloved President, Abraham Lincoln, whose admin- istration drew on him, at first, the censure and astonish- ment, and then, the respect and admiration of the world ; and who, at the height of his career, \Ahen his tine great- ness, and real excellence of character shone forth in tlieir unclouded bnghtnes.-i, and he had taken deep root in the. hearts of all the people, and the prospect of a gloi-ious fu- ture was opening before him. fell, by the bullet of a base. 14 contemptible, insignifioimt assassin, the most costly sacri- ftee to Liberty and Union, and the vi('tim of the fiendish rebellion iie had already crushed. " The Lord p;ave. Blessed be the uame of the Lord." We will bless the Lord for protecting him from the bullet and the knife of the assassin, until he had restored our Re- public ; saved our nation from overthrow and ruin ; subdued the atrocious rebellion, whose condemnation is ■written in Heaven ; and proclaimed liberty to millions of slaves, whose wrongs were hourly crying to heaven for vengeance. We know He could have protected him still, if such had been His will, and we believe He would have protected him, had wiB not needed the bitter cup of judgment — " had not our eountry needed an imperishable grief to touch its .inmost feelings." " The Lord hath taken away." He did not re- veal the secret, deep, and hellish })lot which had been laid to take away, not only the life of our chief magistrate, but the lives of all the men to whom the destiny of our couutiy had been entnisted. He did not prevent our late beloved President from unconsciously exposing himself to the un- known danger. He permitted John Wilkes Booth, under the influence of the malignant spirit of treason, to strike the cursed blow in behalf of the Southern Rebellion. We mourn our loss, and, since we mourn, we believe God will sanctify the judgment, and bring good out of the e\'il ; and ihough the dispensation is dark and mysterious, our faith enables us to say : " Blessed be the name of the Lord." The fall of Abraham Lingot,\ has opened a deep fountain of- sorrow in every heart that is human, for he was an ear- nest lover, and one of the greatest benefactors of his race. The horrid crime which took him off, especially womids our affections, be^-ausc^ the blow aimed at liinj, Was aimed at 1.3 him, not as a rifizon