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 Ihc ^ation'si Hangct and the Hatiott'is Hutvj. 
 
 A SERMON, 
 
 PREACHED IN ST. JOHN'S PARISH, PASSAIC, NEW-JERSEY, 
 ON SUNDAY .AFTERNOON, APRIL 21st, 1861. 
 
 KEY. M. B. SMITH, A.M., 
 
 HECTOR ELECT. 
 
 r»RTjsrT'iT;r) b y request . 
 
 NEW-YORK : 
 
 JOHN A. GRAY, PRINTER, STEREOTYPEK, AND BINDER, 
 
 FIRR-PROOF BUILDINGS, 
 
 CORNER OP FRANKFORT AND JACOB STREETS. 
 
 1861. 
 
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Site fatw's iangw anil th« fation'is gutg. 
 
 A SERMON, 
 
 PREACHED IN ST. JOHN'S PARISH, PASSAIC, NEW-JERSEY, 
 ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON, APRIL 21st, 1861. . 
 
 EEY. M. B. SMITH, A.M., 
 
 RECTOR ELECT. 
 
 FRUSTTli;!) B Y REQUEST 
 
 NEW-YORK : 
 
 JOHN A. GRAY, PRINTER, STEREOTYPER, AND BINDER, 
 
 FIRK-PROOF BDILDINOS, 
 
 CORNER OF FRANKFORT AND JACOB STREETS. 
 
 1861. 
 
 'm 
 

THE 
 
 NATION'S DANGER AW THE NATION'S DUTY. 
 
 "0 THOU sword of the Lord, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? Put 
 up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still. How can it be quiet, seeing 
 the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea-shore ? 
 There hath he appointed it." — Jeremiah 47 : 6, 7. 
 
 To the devout Christiau heart there is nothing more 
 revolting in the history of a nation's life than war. It 
 is one of those calamities which all should devoutly 
 pray to have averted. The history of war is a record 
 of cruelty and evil over which the Christian reader in- 
 stinctively shudders as he reads. Its horrors are por- 
 trayed in vivid colors in the word of God, and uninspired 
 history is tinged with its bloody stain. What Christian 
 is there here to-day, or who is there in all the host of 
 God's elect — be he a member of whatsoever branch of 
 the Church visible and catholic — who is not ready, in 
 view of this calamity, to use the language of the first 
 clause of the text : " thou sword of the Lord^ hoio 
 long will it he ere thou he quiet f Put iip thyself into 
 thy scahhard^ rest^ and he still f Brethren, we should 
 all devoutly pray for the advent of that day of mil 
 
4 THE nation's danger AND THE NATION'S DUTY. 
 
 lennial peace and glory, long ago predicted by the pro- 
 ])liet of Israel, in which " Nation shall not lift up a 
 6-H)o?'d against nation^ neither shall they learn war any 
 niorey (Micah 4 : 3.) Yet, abhorrent as war may be, 
 and no doubt is, to each one of us, there is little doubt 
 that it often is, in the hands of God, a mighty instru- 
 ment for eifecting his sovereign purposes in the world. 
 
 If you demand the proof of this, I point you to the 
 history of Israel — the Church of the Old Testament ; 
 the history of the reformed churches of continental 
 Eui'ope ; the history of our o^vn nation and of Italy, so 
 long the slave either of civil despots or of a corrupt 
 and overbearing and exacting hierarchy. In all these 
 struggles the hand of God has been seen too clearly to 
 admit of doubt on the part of the God-fearing student 
 of history. War is, we admit, a fearful alternative; 
 yet, terrible as are many of its fruits, its results for 
 good often far exceed its cost. 
 
 With true Christian feeling, we may recoil from such 
 an issue. We may command the sword to return to its 
 scabbard ; yet, brethren, may not the question be asked 
 of us as it was of Israel : " Hoiu can it he quiet^ seeing 
 the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashhelon^ and 
 against the sea-shore .^" We may say, when we hear of 
 the coming contest, " Hest^ and he still ;" and yet the 
 voice of inspiration speaks to us as it did to Israel, and 
 declares : " There hath He appointed HT 
 
 The fact can no longer be concealed, that we are 
 living in troublous times ; times in which government 
 is looked upon as a mere figment, and governors as 
 
THE nation's danger AND THE NATION'S DUTY. 5 
 
 creatures to whom none are accountable. Tlie great 
 trutli so solemnly enunciated in Holy Scripture, tliat 
 " The powers that he are ordained of God^'' (Kom. 13:1,) 
 seems, as far as many are concerned, to have lost its 
 place in the galaxy of divinely inspired axioms. The 
 sublime idea of the ruler as God's civil representative, 
 and minister for the terror of evil-doers and the praise 
 of them that do well, as the Christian minister is God's 
 reprensentative in things spiritual, has been so frittered 
 away, that all reference of human authority to the great 
 Giver of this power to govern is forgotten. 
 
 The right of rebellion, which all history and all time 
 have conceded to the down-trodden and the oppressed, 
 is now claimed by those who have suffered no wrong, 
 have been subjected to no oppression, and whose chief 
 aim is to fasten upon the world, for all generations, a 
 system which has no warrant in Holy Scrij^ture, and is 
 alike repugnant to elevated sentiments of humanity 
 and to the spirit of our blessed religion. 
 
 I have seldom introduced such topics as these into 
 the sacred desk, and for this reason I feel assured, my 
 dear people, you will tolerate them on the present oc- 
 casion, and will acknowledge with me, that in such a 
 crisis as the present an occasional digression from the 
 ordinary routine of pulpit instruction is not only war- 
 rantable, but proper and necessary. Whether the 
 ministry do or do not touch upon these topics, the peo- 
 ple will. It' will be tiaa?- all-absorbing topic. And 
 since such will inevitably be the case, it is the bounden 
 duty -of the pulpit to give a right direction, if possible, 
 
6 THE nation's danger AND THE NATION'S DUTY. 
 
 to public feeling, and to utter no uncertain sound, in 
 treating of sul)jects which relate to tlie very existence 
 of the nation and the rights of the human race. 
 
 And what, brethren, are the causes of this unwonted 
 interest on subjects which too frequently are overlooked 
 by the thoughtful and serious, and abandoned to poli- 
 tical tricksters and time-servers ? The rightful au- 
 thority of government — that authority which, for 
 nearly eighty-five years, has, under the blessing of 
 Almighty God, been giving to this land security, pros- 
 perity, and influence, and made its name to be feared 
 and honored abroad — that authority which was esta- 
 blished by a lawful opposition to foreign aggression, 
 and by the l^lood of our illustrious fathers — that au- 
 thority is to-day contravened and trampled upon. The 
 flag — dear to every patriot — which represents that 
 authority, and is its symbol, as the cross is the symbol 
 of Christianity — the flag which floats alike over the 
 bark which bears to and fro the riches of commerce, 
 and over the peace-freighted vessel which carries to the 
 heathen the noble missionary and the blessed Bible — 
 that flag is dishonored, and in its place the flag of the 
 traitor and the rebel floats boldly and shamelessly in 
 the winds of heaven. 
 
 And who are they who are thus defying divinely or- 
 dained rulers, and rending the flibric of government as 
 though it were a thing of yesterday ? Are they foreign 
 mercenaries, or men of foreign blood and language ? 
 No ! They are our own kinsmen ; one v^ith us in his- 
 tory, blood, and language. Are they the down-trodden 
 
THE nation's danger AND THE NATION'S DUTY. 7 
 
 and the oppressed, who claim the right of tlie oppressed 
 — rebellion under oppression ? No ! You will all 
 agree with me when I say, that not one act of oppres- 
 sion has been committed against them, which, in the 
 sight of an honest man, yea, more, in the sight of a 
 holy God, can for one moment justify them in pursuing 
 a course which may prove their own destruction, and 
 will prove a source of weeping and lamentation' 
 throughout the land for many years to come ; a course 
 which will arrest the progress of religion at home, and 
 the work of evangelization abroad. It seems as though 
 the words of God's prophet were dictated with refer- 
 ence to us, so applicable are they to our case : " Tlie 
 men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the 
 border : the men that were at jpeace loith thee have de- 
 ceived thee^ and prevailed against thee j they that eat thy 
 bread have laid a wound under thee : titer e is none un- 
 derstanding in himT (Obadiah 7.) Those who now 
 threaten to destroy that government which our fathers 
 have handed down to us as a glorious legacy, are in- 
 debted to the Union for the very power which they 
 wield against it. Some of the rebel States were poor 
 territories, purchased mostly with Northern money and 
 Northern blood. 
 
 And what do they aim to accomplish ? What is the 
 object of their revolt and rebellion \ Are they bat- 
 tling for the great principles of human progress and 
 human emancipation ? No ! They have but one ob- 
 ject that we can discern — ^the overthrow of the national 
 government, for the establishment of their favorite 
 
8 THE NATIONS DANGER AND THE NATION'S DUTY. 
 
 system, wliich tlie national Congress lias always refused 
 to extend. They aim at tlie perpetuation of slavery, a 
 system from wliicli enlightened humanity recoils with 
 abhorrence, and which almost the entire civilized world 
 is repudiating. 
 
 Fifty years ago the slave system was viewed by none 
 in a higher light than that of a necessary evil, to be 
 gradually removed. To-day it has, in one section of 
 our country, been lifted to the singularly lofty position 
 of an institution which bears the impress of Jehovah ^ 
 and bearing such an impress, it must, of course, be ex- 
 tended and perpetuated like other divine institutions. 
 
 The word of God itseK is eagerly searched — not for 
 the purpose of obtaining individual light on the great 
 truths of redemption — but to obtain, if possible, a 
 warrant for, and a vindication of, this monstrous and 
 odious system. Laws and regulations in the Old Testa- 
 ment, intended to limit an evil then existing, are quoted 
 as though they were of equal force to-day with the 
 Decalogue, which, of all the Levitical laws, alone re- 
 mains in force under the new dispensation ; and coun- 
 sels in the New Testament, designed to curb and check 
 the evil of Greek and Roman slavery, are cited as 
 though the apostles, and Christ himself, considered 
 slavery man's true and normal condition. 
 
 Con\dnced by those who thus pervert the oracles of 
 God, the South rises up in rebellion against the federal 
 government which has refused to give to this system 
 its of&cial sanction and indorsement, and to-day is put- 
 ting forth every energy to overthrow and destroy the 
 work of more than fourscore years. 
 
THE nation's danger AND THE NATION'S DUTY. 9 
 
 Dear brethren, in sucli an emergency as this — how- 
 ever great our repugnance to war — can we conscien- 
 tiously, can we as patriots, ay more, can we as Christ- 
 ians, when we see the arm of the Lord made bare for 
 our defense, and the sword of justice unsheathed, can 
 we demand, " thou sword of the Lord^ how long will 
 it he ere thou he quiet f " Can we stay the work of re- 
 tributive justice, and say, " Put up thyself into thy scah- 
 hard^ rest^ and he still " f 
 
 The present is an issue not limited by opposition to 
 slavery. Much as we may be opposed to that system, 
 we are not to oppose it injudiciously, either in the social 
 circle, in the pulpit, or in the field. On that question, 
 we are not to be like those fanatics who have so long 
 dwelt upon it that they can think of nothing else, and 
 who have, strictly speaking, become men of one idea. 
 If that question is to be involved in this struggle, God 
 who " hath made of one hlood all nations of men^'' (Acts 
 17 : 26,) will so link it with the conflict, that American 
 slavery will forever be abolished. If God does not so 
 order events, let none attempt to go before their Om- 
 niscient Guide, and make it the sole point at issue. 
 
 But, in the providence of God, we are called upon to 
 be men of one idea, on the great question of the preser- 
 vation of that Union which began in the prayers of 
 Christian patriots, was established by the divine bless- 
 ing upon patriot arms, and has been perpetuated by the 
 efforts of a long succession of patriots, against whom no 
 political opposition has hitherto been able to stand. 
 
 Shall the sword be quiet % " How can it he quiet, 
 
10 THE nation's danger AND THE NATION'S DUTY. 
 
 seeing the Lord liatli given it a charge against Aslikelon^ 
 and against the sea-sliore f There hath he appointed it^ 
 Doubtless, God's hand is in this struggle, and he will 
 malie our cause his own, if we look to him for help and 
 guidance. 
 
 When we contrast the spirit, the motives, and the 
 acts of the two great opposing parties, which now as 
 patriots and as rebels confront each other, can we fail to 
 determine which side will be favored ultimately with 
 the divine blessing ? On the one side, we see calm and 
 deliberate action, magnanimity, forbearance, and repug- 
 nance to inaugurate the conflict ; on the other, fiery zeal, 
 reckless haste, and eagerness to begin the carnage of a 
 war, which promises to be behind none of the wars of 
 history, or of our own day, in its fearful scenes of rapine 
 and bloodshed. On the one side, only that enthusiasm 
 which is the sign of a patriotic spirit, and only that 
 determination which is awakened by the approach of 
 invading foes, or the encroachments of rebel forces ; on 
 the other, that frenzy which has been awakened by par- 
 tisans and demagogues, and that reckless will, which acts 
 out to-day the wild suggestions of yesterday. On the 
 one side, no hatred or ungenerous acts ; on the other, 
 deep-rooted animosity, and deeds of cruelty which make 
 Christian men shudder. Do I di'aw the contrast too 
 strongly ? Does not the press of the day — even that 
 portion of it which so long favored our enemies — bear- 
 out the parallels ? Whence spring feelings so diverse ? 
 From what fountain do they flow ? Surely, not alike 
 from God. '"''Doth a fountain send forth from the same 
 
THE nation's danger AND TUE NATION'S DUTY. 11 
 
 place siueet taater and hitter T'' (James 3 : 11.) No ! 
 brethren. The one side harmonizes with the princij)les 
 of Christ and of his Gospel ; the other seems only to 
 accord with the spirit of the enemy of souls. The one 
 is likely to be honored with the divine favor ; the other 
 is destined to be stamped and branded with the disap- 
 proval of God. 
 
 But some one may ask, "Can we not compromise 
 this matter, and avert the fearful consequences of war ?" 
 I would that it were possible. But it is all too, late. 
 The government, divinely sanctioned and lawfully es- 
 tablished, is the repositar of a sacred trust, which it has 
 no authority to surrender, or divide with the foe and 
 the rebel. It stands between high heaven and earth, 
 as the civil vicegerent of the Almighty Kuler of Na- 
 tions, and it dare not betray its trust or bear the sword 
 in vain. It must defend its authority, vindicate its in- 
 tegrity, and maintain its heaven-ordained rights, and 
 that at every hazard. It must speak out as boldly in 
 the time of danger, as in the time of security. Its voice 
 must not die away in forbearance and in compromises, 
 but must thunder in the tones of the camp and of the 
 battle-field in its hour of peril. If its representatives 
 fail to do this, they are unworthy of their trust, and 
 should be superseded by those who will maintain — 
 against every foe — ^the cause of government, of human- 
 ity, of the King of kings. 
 
 The day of forbearance and compromise has passed, 
 and the government has spoken. And the people are 
 speaking, too. Every man must speah. This is no time 
 
12 THE nation's danger AND THE NATION'S DUTY. 
 
 for neutrality. If such a tiling ever was possible, it is 
 imj^ossible now. The voice of commerce must be heard 
 speaking for the interests of the nation and of human- 
 ity ; the scholar and the professional man ; the artisan 
 and the agriculturist ; the man of daily toils and the 
 man of leisure; ay, and the pulpit too, must speak; 
 and the voice must be no uncertain sound of the trum- 
 pet, but one mighty voice, that shall echo throughout 
 the length and breadth of the land, until every soul 
 shall be alive to our danger, and glow with patriotic 
 devotion to that Constitution which is the great charter 
 of our freedom, and with loyal allegiance to the gov- 
 ernment, which under God is commissioned to save that 
 Constitution from destruction. 
 
 But is there no alternative but war, to save our be- 
 loved country ? As a Christian, as a lover of peace, I 
 would there were. But war seems inevitable. Ab'eady 
 it has begun. The clouds are gathering thick about us. 
 The National Capital is threatened by the lawless rebels. 
 The match has been applied to the train, and no human 
 power can extinguish it. God alone can stay the aveng- 
 ing sword, and he will do it when it has accomplished 
 his purposes. 
 
 Dreadful as is the alternative, who would not deem 
 it preferable to a perpetual reign of lawlessness and 
 anarchy; with no acknowledged government — no re- 
 cognition abroad — no work of evangelization carried 
 on — ^no security at our firesides — no light in the future 
 of our country's history ? To-day, war upon our foes is 
 not only justifiable but righteous. Yet in the conflict 
 
THE nation's danger AND THE NATION'S DUTY. 13 
 
 there should be no desire to gratify personal revenge ; 
 let no acknowledged public or private rights be inter- 
 fered with. The cause of our country, and of human 
 freedom, is too noble, too strong a cause to warrant the 
 use of any of those base subterfuges and expedients, 
 which alike merit the reprobation of Christians and of 
 the civilized world. Let the same noble. Christian 
 spirit which animated Washington and his compatriots 
 in the earliest period of our nation's history animate 
 those who engage in this righteous war, and the Lord 
 of Hosts shall be with us. And "if God he for tis, who 
 can be against us V But let none forget that prayer is 
 a mighty weapon. Let that weapon be kept well bur- 
 nished. Christian brethren, that weapon you and I es- 
 pecially are called upon to wield. Let us reverently 
 invoke the God of heaven, from whom cometh every 
 rightful victory, and commend to him the cause of our 
 beloved country. Let us j)ray that he would continue 
 to bless this heritage of our fathers, which he has so 
 often and so richly blessed. Let us pray for those noble 
 men, who are going forth to meet the foe, that they may 
 be subjects of God's converting grace, and that they may 
 be preserved from the evils so often connected with the 
 camp. Let us pray that these conflicts and tumults may 
 soon be at an end ; and that our government may 
 emerge from the cloud more firmly established than 
 ever before, and be for many generations the bulwark 
 of liberty and the defender of religious and social rights. 
 If we pray with faith, God will hear us, and the 
 sword will again rest in its scabbard, and the Lord shall 
 
14 THE nation's danger AND THE NATION'S DUTY, 
 
 no more give it a charge concerning the sea-shore, nor 
 appoint for it the work of destruction. 
 
 But be assured, brethren, that that sword which 
 Omnipotent Justice hath unsheathed, will not return to 
 its scabbard until it has done its work fully and well, 
 and accomplished every purpose of the Mighty One 
 who hath given it a charge. Perhaps not till every 
 oppressed son and daughter of Africa is freed from bon- 
 dage, and the slave stain removed forever from the na- 
 tion's character. In all our troubles let us look to God. 
 Let us give our hearts to that Saviour who alone can 
 make us free, and, relying on God, go forth — whether 
 pastor or people — to discharge whatever duties may 
 devolve upon us, as men, as patriots, and as Christians, 
 and victory shall assuredly be ours. For we may con- 
 fidently rely upon that Almighty arm, which has ever 
 been stretched forth in the cause of truth and freedom, 
 and is not yet shortened that it can not save. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 011 933 355 6 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 llilill lliililili 
 011 933 355 6 
 
 HoUinger Corp. 
 pH8.5