and blood the end will come, no human sagacity can forsee. It is a day of extreme distress and fear. God has a controversy with us, and has risen up to punish us. And if we will not repent and give glory to him, he will cause yet greater darkness.

The Christian patriot in such a day of evil will follow the example of Daniel, and instead of quarrelling about the agencies which have brought this sore trouble upon us, or crying "peace, peace," while the causes of the calamity remain in full force, he will hear the voice of God speaking to him in the inflicted judgment, and will enter his closet and make it a matter of personal concern between his soul and God, and will join with the people in saying: "O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces as at this day." The obvious duty of every citizen is, to accept the present state of our country as a matter of fact, and shape his course by it. Not a soul of us can say that he had no agency in bringing it about, and before God and the world shares none of the responsibility of a speedy and righteous deliverance from it. Instead of speculating about the political reasons of our calamity, or the share of this or that section or party or policy in producing it, let us, on this occasion at least, go deeper and search for the moral causes; let us put ourselves in relation with God, and see what abundant occasion we have for humiliation, confession, and repentance.

God deals with nations as with individuals. As nations exist only in this world, they are more fully rewarded or punished here than are individuals who will exist in another state. In their history God will sooner or later vindicate the principles of righteousness, and honour his moral government. The operation of the great laws of God's moral and providential government will and do secure the like results on nations and on individuals. Righteousness is as sure to exalt the one as it is the other, and sin is as sure to work evil and ruin in one case as in the other. A nation can no more sin against God and prosper in the long run than can an individual. Political economy, a wise and equitable constitution, a sagacious and vigorous administration; good laws, standing armies, and immense resources are no defence or security to a people when once God's favour has been forfeited. His providential government is superior to these, and will override them all, and work out in the long run such results as shall vindicate his moral administration. And to bring this about-to overwhelm a nation with just retribution—it is not necessary for God to work miracles or arrest the natural course of things. Sin punishes and ruins an individual without using any violence or supernatural agency, but simply by corrupting his principles, vitiating his tastes, gradually undermining his virtue, and leading him on step by step in the way of transgression till he is ripe for ruin. And so with nations. The causes of ruin are not from without; nor are they sudden and violent in their growth. They will be found to be inherent in the body politic-deep-seated as are the sentiments and habits of a people-in-woven into the very texture of their national character and life, slowly diffusing their poison into the life-blood, and silently sapping the foundations of public virtue and strength till the whole superstructure is rotten and ready to fall. There are moral causes operating through natural channels and agencies to bring down

retribution on the people who have transgressed. We are amazed at the suddenness as well as at the extent of the calamity which has come upon us, and leaving God and moral causes out of view, no adequate reason for it can be assigned. But if we will carefully review our national history, we shall find that there have been moral causes long at work and gaining force year by year till they have culminated in a tremendous Divine judgment, which at one fell swoop levels all our pride and greatness and confidence in the dust, and makes the nation tremble for its very life. It matters not that you can put your finger on political heresies, and party corruptions, and sectional interests which tend to bring about such a calamity; deeper than all these, and more potent as elements of retribution, there has been SIN in the national heart and life-moral offences which have at length brought the God of Justice forth to punish us with a swift and inevitable retribution.

It has been the method of God's government in all the ages past sooner or later to overthrow and destroy nations that have grown wicked and corrupt. From every page of history the truth is taught: "Verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth.” A voice comes to us to-day from many a fallen city and kingdom warning us against those sins which caused their overthrow, and declaring how vain are numbers, wealth, and greatness; how vain armies, navies, and the munitions of war, when once the anger of a righteous God is kindled against a people. Looking back over the tract of history we see little besides the shadows and fragments of thrones, scepters, and nationalities, which were, but now are not. Where are the glory and renown of Assyria and Babylon? The grandeur of Memphis and Thebes and of ancient lettered Egypt, the mighty scepter of the Ptolemies and Pharoahs, have departed. Carthage, which once ruled over three hundred states, now slumbers on the African shore. Tyre, Balbec, Nineveh, and Palmyra are in ruins. The Grecian, the Macedonian, and the Persian empires have long ago past away. And the gates of the holy city are desolate, and the chosen people of God have been cast off.

And wherefore, this decay of national life and greatness? Why these ruined cities, and empires, and nationalities? If we turn to the Scriptures we have the answer. These very cities and kingdoms we find were warned by God's prophets, while yet they were mighty and flourishing, that sin would work their ruin; that, persisting in their evil ways, utter desolation would one day come upon them. And history steps forth to-day and testifies that God's prophetic word has been signally verified. Natural causes, doubtless, had something to do with their decay and ruin; but the main cause was a moral one. God's providence vindicated his broken law and fulfilled prophecy; and the Jew is accordingly to-day an outcast, and Babylon and Nineveh are no more, and the mighty nationalities of former ages have been swept into oblivion.

And have we given no occasion for a similar visitation?

Is not God

as righteous to-day, as truthful, as determined to vindicate the right as when he overthrew the governments of antiquity, and swept the people to ruin? Is sin any the less hateful, any the less potent as an element of national ruin? See we nothing in our past conduct to explain and justify severe dealings with us to-day!

par

Let us search out and specify in our confessions, as Daniel did, the ticular sins for which we have reason to believe God is visiting the nation with judgment. Among the moral causes of our national calamity I

name

I. THE DECAY OF THE VIRTUE OF PATRIOTISM.

That there has been a fearful falling away in this particular during the last three or four decades of years, among the people generally, and among those in office, cannot be denied. Feeling secure, and intent on gain, the mass of the people have thought and cared but little about our country, and have resigned its legislation and the administration of its affairs into the hands of the mere politician. They had ceased, to a great extent, to feel their individual responsibility for the nation's integrity and prosperity; had ceased to teach the stirring and heroic history of our fathers to their children, and had suffered their love of country, and love for its free and glorious institutions to grow old. Previous to this visitation, the feeling of nationality, heroic virtue, jealousy for our liberties, a sense of individual responsibility, and a high-toned patriotism had almost disappeared from among us. And not till the fall of Sumter lifted the curtain, and disclosed to our dismay the ship of state already reeling and plunging amidst the breakers, did there seem virtue and life enough left, either in the Government or the people, to make a vigorous effort to save even the nation's imperilled existence. And no less a judgment would have taught us our folly and sin in entrusting the interests and destinies of this great nation to our professional politicians; or have served to bring back into the nation's heart the life-blood of patriotism, and made the individual citizen to feel that he owes a solemn duty to the country and Government which nourishes and protects him-a duty which he can not neglect without sinning against God and endangering the nation's welfare.

The people have sinned in thus suffering the fire of genuine patriotism to go out on the national altar, and in neglecting the first and most sacred duties of citizenship. And our politicians have sinned in taking advantage of this indifference, and neglect to get into power and rule the nation for merely selfish or party ends. I do believe that this class of men have far more to answer for to God and to our bleeding and suffering country than is generally supposed. I would not deal in sweeping declarations. There have been honorable exceptions. I speak of that large class of politicians who have made a trade of politics, and have sought to use the ballot-box, and office, and official patronage for corrupt, or personal, or at best, merely party purposes. This class of men have had their own way for a long while past. They have originated parties and shaped their policy, created platforms, rallied the people at the ballot-boxes, put in office and disposed of public patronage, and thus really controlled our national affairs. This class belonged to no one political party or geographical section, but to all, and they had filled the land and the high places of trust and power with corruption and rottenness. Not the people, in their virtuous choice, but a class of politicians, by their intrigues and unscrupulous tactics, have managed to control the ballot-boxes of thirty millions of people, and fill our offices, and make and administer our laws, and grow fat on the spoils.

And not till they had brought the nation to the very verge of ruin did there seem any way of deliverance from their dreadful thraldom; the people seemed only too willing to have it so.

But the day of reckoning has come at last to this class of evil-workers, and their power is mainly gone. God grant it may be for ever! The instincts of the people, now that they are aroused, teach them where the main fault lies, and repentant for their delinquency, they have risen up in righteous indignation to cast their party hacks and party tools to the moles and the bats, to overthrow the tables of our political moneychangers, and scourge from the temple the men who have long polluted its shrines. It needed some such tremendous visitation to make the people conscious of their sin, and force them to take the power into their own hands, and break down and sweep into a common ruin the old corrupt organizations and party cliques and ties and watchwords, and leave the nation free to build again on new and better foundations. The lesson has been dearly bought, but it will not soon be forgotten.

II. Nearly allied to this, and in fact growing out of it, is THE SPIRIT

OF DEMAGOGUISM WHICH HAD GROWN RAMPANT IN THE LAND.

Time was when the ballot-box was looked upon as sacred. But it is idle to say that under the system of things which had grown up among us it was so any longer. Bribery had become a common thing, and was carried to a fearful extent. Party discipline and official patronage and influence had come to sway a tremendous coercive power at the polls. Demagoguism had become a power in the nation, and its hand was on the elective franchise of the people, debasing it to its own low and wicked

uses.

Time was also when the best men were chosen to office. During the first half century or more of our Federal existence, no country in the world could show more wise and good and great men in public life than our own. Our national Legislature, in point of talent, wisdom, and integrity, stood out conspicuously before the world. The same was true of our Presidents and their cabinets, our foreign ministers, and our State and municipal Governments. Men of ability, worth, weight of character, probity, and capacity, were put in power. A man's availability, or party services, or skill in political tactics, or his clamor for office, did not then constitute, the main claim. But it were an insult to the character of the American people to say that the men into whose hands the legislation and administration of the nation have been for a long while past were the best it could furnish. The learned professions of the country were never better filled than during this same period. There was never a higher order of ability and worth in the men who control and carry on our mighty commerce. There was never before so much intelligence, sagacity, and thrift among our farmers and mechanics. There has been a high order of talent, character, and thrift everywhere, save in the legislation and government of the country. There we look in vain for it, as a general thing. The fact is so notorious that no one pretends to deny it. Men have filled the highest offices of trust and power who had nothing to fit them for it. Our national Legislature had sunk from its high position low character and public estimation than I dare to characterize it.

The men who have made and executed the laws of this nation for not a few years past-who have controlled our vast governmental wealth and shaped our policy, and who have represented our institutions before the people and among the nations of the world-have failed, to a very great extent, to command respect and confidence. Often have they disgraced the legislative hall and official position by mental imbecility, by political empiricism, by the low arts of demagoguism, by language and manners befitting a ruffian, and by the most shameful peculations.

It is a sad day for a people when the reigns of government are held by such hands. The government is shorn of its chief strength. The force of law is impaired. Legislation is perverted and thrown into chaos. The people are corrupted by such examples. And the ship of state is liable to founder, as ours has, during the first storm which overtakes her.

This evil had grown to such a magnitude that men of real ability and fitness were unwilling to accept office; to enter the lists with unscrupulous competitors who had no character to lose; to fight with demagogues and gladiators, and come in contact with corruption and profligacy which flaunted so unblushingly in all high places. Or, if willing to make the personal sacrifice for the country's good, they were seldom available men. Real talent, a large experience, incorruptible integrity, true independence, and a high-toned character have been, for no little time, rather damaging qualities in candidates for office. Such men are not manageable, and the demagogue politician is afraid of them. A man of no character, or of easy principles, of no marked capacity, no high sense of honor and integrity, was a more pliant tool, and more available for party purposes or for evil and designing men. Availability, and not personal fitness, had grown to be the common test for office. And under this system the places of trust and power, for the most part, were filled with weak or reckless and corrupt men. Had not the Government of this land become thoroughly demoralized in all its organic functions and departments, and morally effete, the calamity which we deplore to-day had not come upon us. God is punishing our sin in the very line of our offence. But for imbecility or moral weakness on the part of those high in office, Rebellion had been met and crushed at the outset. But for official corruption and betrayal on a scale so vast as to astound the nation and the world, this conspiracy had been without arms or material resources to sustain it. Through the fault of the people demagoguism had virtually shut wisdom, integrity, and moral worth out of the high places, and crowded ignorance and weakness, corruption and profligacy into them; and hence, in the day of the nation's trial, rebellion is here fostered and armed, and the Government and people are shamelessly betrayed by their own official representatives.-This spirit of evil is receiving a just rebuke. God is pouring out upon it the vials of his wrath. Let the people see to it that it never lifts its head again among us.

III. THE WANT OF A DUE REVERENCE FOR LAW AND ORDER had become a crying sin in the land.

Law must be respected and reverenced by the people, and by those who enact and administer it, or it can not secure the ends of good government.