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1
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D
FI
FO]
THE LORD IS ON OUR SIDE
/
SERMON,
DELIVERED IN THE WESLEYAN CHAPEL,
©[D)[ELLf(2)W[M,
ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1839,
BEING THE
FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE,
FOUGHT AT THE ABOVE PLACE,
BETWEEN THE
INSURGENTS AND THE LOYAL VOLUNTEERS.
BT THE
Rev. ROBERT COONEY, Wesleyan Missionary.
PUBLISHED BY REQUEST.
MONTREAL :
PRINTED BY CAMPBELL AND BECKET,
Muir's Buildings, Place d'Armes.
FOR SALE BY WILLIAM GREIG, ST. PAUL STREET ; CAMPBELL
BRYSON, AND ARMOUR AND RAMSAY, ST. FRANCOIS XAVIEB
STREET ; AND OTHER BOOKSELLERS.
1840.
%
TO
LIEUT.-COLONEL TAYLOR, C. B.
AND TO
THE OFFICERS,
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS, AND PRIVATES,
OF THE
LA COLE, ODELLTOWN, AND HEMMINCFORO
VOLUNTEER CORPS,
Cp 4FoUokDtng ^ermon»
PflEACHED BEFORE THEM, AND PUBLISHED AT THEIR BEQUEST,
IS MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED,
BY THEIR OBEDIENT SERVANT,
ROBERT COONEY.
a
c
s
1
e
c
J
"THE LORD IS ON OUR SIDE."
PSALM CXXIV— 2, 3.
" If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against
us; Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against
ti
us.
The presence of so many persons arrayed in military
costume, and assembled in a place of divine worship,
and that for the avowed purpose of commemorating a
victory, which " The God of Battles" enabled them
to achieve, is an object, upon which the poet might
exercise his genius, and the painter employ the delicate
proficiency of his art. Although no remarkable, or very
prominent feature ever characterizes the congregation,
to which we regularly minister in this house, yet is it
for many reasons, both interesting and absorbing. The
external monotony is at variance with the views, hopes,
and fears, by which the mind is exercised ; and a
conviction, that some are in a perilous and degraded
state, while others enjoy peace and an assurance of
Divine favour, awakens the sympathies and affections
of the preacher, and causes him to utter words of reproof,
exhortation and comfort, as the hand of a musician
compels his instrument to emit notes of sadness and of
1'
But the new aspect under which we appear this
morning, is one of the remote eflFects produced by the
unusual" occurrence, the remembrance of which, we
are convened to perpetuate ; but the novelty it exhibits
is not half so attractive, as the moral that it conveys
is picturesque and impressive. The astronomers of
the East suspended their profound calculations to adore
Him "which alone spreadeth out the heavens" and
" that maketh the sewn stars and Orion"— The shep-
perds quitted their flocks to offer praises unto him,
who in the plenitude of time, proved himself to be
" The good shepherd," by laying down his life for the
sheep -, and on this occasion, the farmers have rchn-
quisbed their rural employments to wait upon that
God who "waterest the ridges" of the earth and
"settlest the furrows thereof." The soldiers have
repaired from the parade ground to acknowledge the
goodness of him who teacbeth « their hands to tear
and their fingers to fight !"-the duties of the camp
are exchanged for the exercises of the temple ; the
preparation for the Sabbath is turned into a festival ;
and still, these are but the outward and visible forms,
through which we bless the name of the Lord for
having delivered us from the hands of our enemies.
The verv existence of such a profession as that of
arms, is an 'abundant proof that society is in an irregular
and convulsed state. Crafty and designing men tre
manufacturing plans of mischief in their secret plaris;
demagogues and political mountebanks are always
declafmlng agai. st imaginary evils; and as h.dden
rocks and fierce winds will disturb the course of a
beautiful river, so these intriguing and turbulent
I
I
• thia
ly the
1, we
hibits
mveys
3rs of
adore
" and
shep-
) him,
to be
■or the
relin-
a that
h and
; have
oe the
to ivar
) camp
e ; the
istival ;
forms,
)rd for
nies.
that of
regular
aen ?re
plar es ;
always
hidden
sc of a
irbulent
men trouble the waters of social and political harmony ;
and often cover their surface with the wreck of all that
is lovely, and virtuous, and of good report. Now—
To remove these insidious breakers, and subdue these
stormy winds, force— physical force, is the only appa-
ratus that can be successfully employed ; and hence
arises the expediency, if not the necessity, for main-
taining standing armies. If these were but the gaudy
appendages of the state, their dress, appurtenances,
and evolutions, would be but so many parts of a national
pantomime ; and if they are intended -to reflect the
glory of the Commonwealth, that might be attained by
a more rational process, and at a cheaper rate, by
celebrating public /t?fe5, or by dramatising those histo-
rical incidents which embellish the annals of almost
every nation.
We are not an advocate for coercive measures,
because the religion we profess teaches us to recognize
even in an enemy the face of a brother. No man
detests Intolerance or Oligarchy of every kind more
than we do ; but there are some men whom no lenity
can soften, whom no kindness can propitiate. They
mistake every act of indulgence for an expression of
fear every concession you make is requited by a fresh
proposition, and when the exorbitant or revolutionary
character of their demands forces the authorities to
adopt another course, then disaiFection grows up into
rebellion ; the war whoop of sedition is sounded through
the land ; and they that should cherislx and support
the Government, conspire to subvert and destroy it.
Out of these causes, my Brethren, as from a root, sprung
that species of military force, of which you form so
i
hi
8
distinguished a part ; and such were the men, whom
•' The Loud of Hosts" enabled you to disperse and
vanquish. O! of a truth—
The Lord h King, ond oarth Bubmits,
Howe'er impatient, to his sway ;
Between the cherubim he sits,
And inalies liis restless foes obey.
All power is to our Jesus given,
O'er earth's rebellious sons he reigns ;
He mildly rules the hosts of heaven ;
And holds the power of hell in chains.
And now, in this very place, where he once Ufted up
a standard for us, docs he appear in his imperial char-
acter, as "King or Kings and Lord of Lords."
His dazzling throne is set up before us— He sits on it
" High and lifted uf—lli?> train fills the temple—
an innumerable company of angels form radiant orbs
around him— The heavenly choirs are singing their
antiphon " Holy, Holy, Holy," &c.,— and we are
paying our vows and ascribing our preservation to the
saving strength of his right hand-" Thy right hand,
Lord, is become glorious in power ; thy right hand,
Lord, hath dashed in pieces the eneimj." Ex. xv. 6.
L The abrupt but pathetic manner in which the
psalm, that supplies the text, commences, provides us
with a key to unlock the sentiments and feelings of its
author. It places him before us in the attitude of
thanksgiving and praise, while gratitude, astonishment,
and joy, rush upon his soul, producing their various
sensations, and exhibiting their different effects. For
a moment, lue iv;couev^uOix ^^ \^^x^ ..,.4.^--
he escaped, occasions an involuntary shuddering that
whom
se and
ftcd up
al char-
^ORDS."
ts on it
iniple —
.nt orbs
lij their
we aro
n to the
\t hand,
hi hand,
Ix. XV. 6.
lich the
ivides us
igs of its
itude of
ishment,
■ various
its. For
m which
ring that
spreads paleness over his face, and causes his heart to
wax faint ; hut a conviction of his safety exerts its
animatinginfluence over him ; and then his countenance
grows eifulgent with delight— confidence " in the 7iame
of the Lord" strengthens his inner man ; the congre-
gration fill the tabernacle ; the incense burns ; the
sacrifice bleeds ; the stringed instruments and high
sounding cymbals make a joyful noise; and innumerable
voices send forth avolunieofpraise to "Tin: God op
Battlks." Our ejirs gladly catch the accents of
grateful pietv ; and while the devout Israelites are
attributing their safety to the Almighty, the echo of
their song rises up within us, tunes our voices and
constrainr us to sing—" // it had not been the Lord
who was on our side, when men rose up against us ;
Then fheif had swallowed us up quick, when their
wrath icas kindled against us.'*
II. This Divine ode plainly adverts to some very
grievous calamity that had lately impended over the
Jewish people, and from which " The arm of the Lord"
had miraculously saved them. This gracious deliver-
ance called loudly for an expression of national gratitude
bearing some kind of proportion to the salvation it
conferred ; and to offer this in the form of a public
thanksgiving, the Psalm that constitutes the theme of
our meditations, appears to have been composed.
Commentators are not agreed as to the precise occasion,
which this religious festival was intended to celebrate.
Some are of opinion that it alludes to the suppression
of the rebellion created by the aspiring Absalom;
others that it refers to the restoration from Babylon ;
and many, .f equal reputation with the two former
13
10
classes, contend that it is a special acknowledgment
tendered unto God, for delivering his people from the
snare, which the malevolent Haman had arranged for
their destruction. " Our soul is escaped as a bird
out oftlie snare of the fowlers : the snare is broken,
and we are escaped" Adopting the last opinion, as
that which hest accords with the whole context, let us,
my brethren keep the feast of Purim,* and refresh our
souls by dwelling on the text — as a situation of immi-
nent danger described; and an instance of Divine
interposition gratefully acknowleged.
First. A situation of imminent danger des-
cribed " Then they had swallowed us up quick,
when their wrath was kindled against us,"
The ancient people of God, on the alarming occasion
wdiich awakened the Psaltery and Harp of the devout
minstrel, were exposed to an indiscriminate and
universal massacre. They were now in captivity dis-
persed through all the provinces of Persia; and an
enemy, at once unrelenting and powerful, had secretly
matured a plan for their final extirpation. Haman,
an officer in the court of Ahasuerus, became, without
any provocation, the implacable foe of the proscribed
Jews, and made his too credulous master believe, that
they were conspiring against his life and government.
The despotic prince hearkened to the words of this
unprincipled minion, and for the effectual prevention
of the imaginary rebellion, he published an edict,
• Pur or Purim is a Hebrew vord which, like the Greek word Kleros, signifies
lot : and is the name of a solemn feast which the Jews instituted to commemorate
the deliverance to which we have adverted.
I
I
dgment
•om the
iged for
a bird
brokeriy
lion, as
, let us,
esh our
f immi-
Divine
ER DE3-
) quick.
accasion
J devout
ite and
vity dis-
and an
secretly
Haman,
without
escribed
5ve, that
;rnment.
1 of this
evention
n edict,
eros, signifies
ommemorate
11
commanding that all the Israelites in his dominions
should be simultaneously destroyed.*
The nature and extent of this danger may
BE inferred from THE FORCE OF THE METAPHORS
USED TO DESCRIBE IT.
The artifice and cruelty of the men to whom this
atrocious murder was committed, is set forth by very
lively and graphic figures. The cruelty of carniverous
animals ; the impetuosity of a mountain torrent ; the
craftiness of a fowler— all these are exhibited in the
plan devised for the total extinction of the Lord's inher-
itance. " Tken they had swallowed us up quick" &c.
Only for the we^tchful care of God they would have
rushed upon them : torn them in pieces, and swallowed
them up, even while their blood was warm, and while
the life was quivering in their mangled limbs. The
defenceless situation of these doomed aliens, and the
unappeasable wrath and fury of their adversaries, are
illustrated by a vast body of waters breaking down the
dykes and embankments that had hitherto resisted
them, and in their devastating progress submerging
the whole country, and destroying all its inhabitants.
" Then the wafers had overwhelmed us, the stream had
gone over our suuL Then the proud waters had gone
over our soul" The other similitude exposes the
secret character of the plot, by which they were to
* A proposal -itnilar to this, was discussed in a deliberative assembly not more,
tliiui haU' a century a^.*. M. De Peysonnel, in describing the character of the
celebrated Hassan Pacha, says, that he preserved the Greeks, when it was d.crreed
in the council of the Grand Seii-nior, to utterly exterminate them, as a puni^^hmeiit
fsr their dcfertion, ftnd to prevent them from enijaoinii in any futmc rebrlliwu.
12
lit
I
I
have been ensnared and ruined ; while their miraculous
escape, and the grateful emotions it excited in their
hearts, are vividly pourtrayed in the conclusion of the
psalm. " Blessed he the Lord ivho hath 7iot given us
as a. prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird
out of the snare of the fowlers : the snare is broken,
and lue are escaped. Our help is in the name of the
Lord, ivho made heaven and eartJi."
"We do not wish to believe that the "iw^n" who lately
"rose up against us" ever intended to commit the
indiscriminate carnage imaged forth by these biblical
comparisons — but if actions grow out of thought — if
execution, or an attempt to execute, be the symbol and
the effect of previous design; — then the insurrectionists
and brigands who endeavoured to take Odell Town,
intended, at least, to destroy or capture all who would
try to defend it. Their rabid and murderous attack
upon the small party of Volunteers stationed in This
Chapel, when more than 1,000 of them, all armed,
rushed upo^i a little, but invincible band of Spartans,
not exceeding 180, justifies us in selecting the text as
a delineation of their object, and an expression of our
gratitude to that God "?r//o liatii not given us as a
preij to their teeth." I see many before me now, some
attirecMn militarj/ dress, and others in the unobtrusive
garb of private life, and I know that they patiently
suffered, nobly contended, and gallantly fought on the
day we are now commemorating, and in the very house,
where we are now worshipping "The God of Peace."
01 my beloved, on that day, the Lord was on your side;
he caused your bows to abide in strength ; he enabled
you to wax valiant in fi<T^ht ; under his fuidanco, the
^
Wi
13
aculous
n their
1 of the
iven us
s a bird
broken,
e of the
10 lately
mit the
biblical
ight — if
ibol and
itionists
Town,
would
5 attack
in This
armed,
partans,
text as
1 of our
ns as a
tv, some
3trusive
atiently
t on the
f house,
Peace."
ur side ;
enabled
1CO5 the
^
I
lifting up c^ your spears made your enemies quail ; in
the secret of his tabernacle did he make your hiding
place ; his wings were spread over you like a pavilion ;
and his truth was unto you both shield and buckler.
The danger to w^hich we were exposed was
CAUSED 13Y unreasonable AND WICKED MEN THAT
ROSE ur AGAINST US.
The instigators and prime authors of the late rebellion
are equally distinguished for sedition and cowardice.
An aversion to every thing that is British, forms the
cardinal tenet of their political creed ; but an intuitive
dread of British valour, is discoverable through all their
arrangements for the gratification of that aversion.
The absurdity of their projects and the crudity of their
plans, are strangely at variance with their proverbial
discretion in the hour of danger. Many of the better
informed among them, are deeply imbued with the
corrupt philosophy of modern infidels. Intoxicated by
drinking at the polluted streams which flow^ through
the works of Voltaire, Rousseau, and others, " .'heir
foolish hearts ivere darkened" they " became vain in
their imagijiations" — the eyes of their understanding
were blinded : libertv assumed an hundred meretricious
shapes and forms before them ; and deluded them into
the hope of taking Canada, of deranging the whole Colo-
nial policy of Great P>ritain, and of erecting upon the
ruins of our beautiful constitution, the hideous Idol of
a Democracy, at whose feet, all would be compelled to
bow down and worship. But the deeds, no less than
the intentions of these men, entitle them to the desig-
nations in this Droposition, " unreasonable and wicked."
i
14
While they were endeavouring to destroy the lives of
their fellow subjects, who could not pronounce " Shib-
boleth" in the same dialect — while they were trying to
force upon the country an Utopian form of government,
adapted to no place but the imaginary dominions of
Don Quixote — while they were showing the people
the way to civil and political liberty by a torch kindled
in the flames of their dwelling houses and barns — while
they were illustrating the principles of honesty by acts
of plunder — and avowing their detestation of sacrilege
by robbing churches — all the time, " tell it not in
Gath : publish it not in Askelon" they were pompously
calling themselves patriots.
But these " men rose up against us when
their wrath was kindled against us."
I
Wrath IS a furious hatred stirred up in the heart of
a person by some deep or serious injury ; and is man-
ifested by an attempt to injure or destroy the object of
its resentment. This passion kindles up the fire of
hell in the bosom, and deforms the visage by stamping
upon it all the lineaments of a fiend. Satan, the Arch-
traitor and primordial incendiary, first lighted this
flame ; restless disobedience — disappointed ambition —
and grovelling cupidity are the fuel that keep it burning;
but here all its eff'orts for the destruction of life and
property, are called the glowings of insulted and
oppressed freedom, struggling to dissolve the chains
and fetters by which it is encumbered. But you, my
brethren, gave these ^^men that rose up against" you
no provocation ; you committed no ofl^ence against
their reputation, their property, their religion, or their
15
e lives of
e " Shib-
trying to
ernment,
unions of
e people
1 kindled
IS — while
y by acts
sacrilege
it not in
Dmpously
rS WHEN
heart of
I is man-
object of
e fire of
stamping
le Arch-
ited this
ibition —
burning;
■ life and
ted and
e chains
you, my
nsf^ vou
against
or their
lives, — you violated no pledge — broke no engagement.
No Their wrath was kindled by the poisonous issues
of a deleterious Press ; by the reveries of visionary
theorists ; by the inflammatory speeches of demagogues ;
and by the artful insinuations of political charlatans.
The Halls of legislation, which should have been places
of sweet and holy council, were transformed into dens
of bitterness and acrimony. The men that should have
been the moderators of the constituency, and the
guardians of the Executive, never ceased to appeal to
the latent antipathies and prejudices of the ^^ Hahitans"
until the smouldering ashes of disaffection were ignited,
and then " their ivrath icas kindled against us ;" and
then it burst into a flame which raged through various
parts of the country, and threatened to devour us as
fire devoureth dry stubble.
The wrath of these infatuated and presump-
tuous MEN INVOLVED US IN CIRCUMSTANCES OF
PERPLEXITY AND DANGER.
I shall not lead you into the gloomy chamber where
the late revolt lies sick and wounded, and stretched
upon the miserable pall *: of poverty and disease. I
shall not lift up the gory curtains behind which the
dying rebellion lies pale and ghastly ; nor will I open
the wounds which a year has partially healed, by
adverting to the endless rumours which obtained pre-
vious to the action at the provincial line. Threats
and menaces of a very sanguinary description were
continually issuing from various sources. Now, vast
multitudes, constantly increasing like the teeth of Cad-
mus, were coming in irom tiic unituu otatcs ; again.
16
6;
it
'«
hords of buccaneers, threatening, with biff swelling
words, to exceed in deeds of blood the fiercest of the
Mohicans, were advancing from the same quarter ; and
as "coming events cast their shadows before" — so the
public mind was bewildered, and for many days a rod
was stretched out over us. But all these, because
" The Lord urns on our side" have passed away before
" Glad tidings of great joij," as the mists which over-
shadow a morning landscape roll off before the rising
sun.
The demon of insurrection was permitted to frown
upon a settlement, where the God of Peace and Love
had so often lifted up the light of his countenance.
Our misguided fellow-subjects came up against us like
ravening wolves, and would have " swallowed us up
quick'* if " Tlte Lord had not been on our side'*
" Their teeth were set on edge" — their words were as
spears and arrows ; and the hot breathing of their
fury seemed to ascend like a vapour which threatened
to obscure our vallev of vision. An armed host rushed
" like proud ivaters'* upon this house, where a short
time before multitudes flocked like doves to their win-
dows. They tried to make our Zion like a ploughed
field — they tried to strew her goodly stones in the dust ;
and to lay their "hands on all her plea sa?it things."
During these troublous times, this and the circumjacent
settlements presented a sight both affecting and instruc-
tive. The women and children were fleeing across
the lines into the contiguous republic ; the men were
marching to their various posts ; this chapel, the only
place of worship in the neighbourhood, was shut ; those
that would have been sitting under the word of God
I
17
swellinof
st of the
:er ; and
— so the
iys a rod
because
IV before
ch over-
le risinfj
to frown
nd Love
tenance.
it us like
d lis vp
r side'*
were as
of their
'eatened
t rushed
I a short
icir win-
loughed
he dust ;
t J lings."
mjacent
instruc-
^ across
en were
:he only
(
; those
of God
with great deli<rht, wore standing forth in defence of
their nearest and dearest rights ; the roads were almost
impassable; the weather wos unusually severe; the
services of religion were suspended ; the statute book
lay closed upon the mountain ; the tranquillity of ouii
Bethel was disturbed ; the light of ouii Horeb was
darkened ; the sacred fire was extinguished upon ouw
Altar; the daily sacrifice was taken away ; and
*' Jerusalemj the citij of our solemnities ,* was trans-
formed into a camp.
The imminency of the danger to which the
loyalists were exposed, may be conceived from
W^HAT THE restrained WRATH OF THESE MEN EFFEC-
.TED.
Some allusion to what mav be called the disastrous
consequences of The Battles of La Cole, and Odell
Town, is an essential part of the present discourse.
The memory of the brave men who fell on these occa-
sions ; the patience and constancy of those who cheer-
fully bore a part in all the privations and dangers
connected with them ; the bodily sufferings of those
who were maimed and wounded ; and, above all, the
irreparable loss of those who were bereaved oi Husbands
and Fathersy call loudly for this retrospection, and
make it our bounden and painful duty. I shall say
nothing of the anxiety that preyed upon our minds ;
nor of the fears that came upon us like an armed
multitude. We shall not include among the effects, pro-
duced by the impotent rage of our insubordinate fellow
subjects, the deep injury done to morality and religion ;
nor the serious impediments that have been reared up in
c
K
/
".
I t
i I
!
<:r
18
the path of public improvement. A reference to the
defiled and dilapidated state of this Chapel ; its win-
dows broken into fragments ; the doors and pulpit per-
forated with balls ; the floors discoloured with mire and
blood ; and the dead bodies of slaughtered volunteero
lying in the pews, will remind you of what 'Hhe restrain-
ed wrath" of the insurgents accomplished. But your
memory needeth not to be refreshed, for as the bard
would say, the history of these things
" Is recorded
In hearts which have suffered too much to forget."
And yet we must forget them, that we may love our
enemies, and at the same time r3member them, that
we may love our God, *'ivho hath not given us apretf
to their teeth." If to these deplorable occurrences, so
inimical to the happiness of the community, the pros-
perity of the country, and the interests of religion, we
add a large amount of private property destroyed ; an
infirm state of health in several cases superinduced ;
eleven men wounded; and eight men killed^ leaving
behind them widows, and orphans, deprived of their
chief earthly comfort, we have before us a mirror that
'reflects the imminency of the danger to which we were
exposed : and a balance to weigh the results effected
by " the restrained wrath" of the men that " rose up
against us"
Finally. The misguided and unreasonable
men, to whose wrath you were exposed, rose
up against the established government.
Acts of popular riot and insubordination arc very
1
1
19
ence to the
il ; its win-
pulpit per-
il mire and
volunteero
te restrain-
But vour
IS the bard
ly love our
them, that
us apref/
[•rences, so
, the pros-
jligion, we
royed; an
rinduced ;
'd, leaving
id of their
lirror that
h we were
ts effected
((
rose up
ASONABLE
ED, ROSE
r.
I arc very
m
I
i
■f
great evils in their simple operation and abstract con-
sequences. They degrade the national character and
disturb the public tranquillity. But the pernicious
tendency of their very nature, which leads to sedition
and incendiarism, and the fatal reaction they produce,
are among the principal reasons why they should be
lamented and discountenanced. Taking up arms
against the established Government j flinging the
gauntlet of defiance in the venerable face of lawful
authority ; and trying to establish a crude and epheme-
ral dynasty upon the ruins of an ancient and hoary-
headed monarchy, are the chief of the political offences
which the statute law denounces and punishes. In
every civilized state these are dedared to be capital
crimes, and are visited with the extreme penalties of
the law, unless the benignity of the Executive interpose
in behalf of the culprit, and rescue him from his fate.
But all overt acts of treason and rebellion are to be
deprecated for another reason, namely, they furnish
the chief magistrate with a plausible excuse, for extend-
ing his own prerogatives and contracting those of the
people ; and to accomplish this, ancient charters are
abolished — corporate and municipal privileges are cur-
tailed — and a military cordon is formed round the
throne, in the midst of which, the assaulted monarchy
flourishes with increasing splendour and accumulating
power.
%.
Rising up against the established government^ and
striving, by force of arms, to wrench a conquered pro-
vince from the dominions of the Crown, as the men did
to whom we are ndvertinfT", is virtually to conspire
against the life of the reigning sovereign ; and hence
20
the crimes of arson, robbery, and murder, committed
by the malecontents in this colony, imbibe a deeper
hue from their contem])lated regicide. Yes, my breth-
ren, and if ever treason was an offence against the iu.v?
of God and man, it was in the instance which trans-
ferred you from the avocations and pursuits of peace,
to the strife, pomp, and panoply of war. The Canadian
rebellion exhibits ingratitude and parenticide in their
most repulsive forms. Here we see a cherished subject
endeavouring to overturn a Government that has loaded
him with favours. Here we see an indulged child try-
ing to rend the bosom upon which it has been nursed
into maturity, and attempting to stab the very author
of its political existence. England spread over the
Canadas her ample and invulnerable shield, and saved it
from the indescribable horrors of the French revolution.
While Robespierre, Danton, and Marat, and the other
monsters of the conciergerie, were, like modern Dracos,
writing their laws in blood ; while the Sans Culottes were
marching from the faubourgs, crying «M la lanterne,"
and murdering everyone that had the misfortune to look
respectable ; while the pseudo patriots were exemplify.*
ing " the tender 7nercies" of the maiden republic, by acts
of rapine and murder— while these advocates for *'the
rights of man" were manifesting their abhorrence of
dominant principles, by laying on the people burdens
too grievous to be borne ; while these humane philo-
sophers were making the headless bodies of their
slaughtered fellow-citizens the stepping stones of
their ambition ; while they were, from the ashes oUhe
Throne and the Altar, constructing a pedestal upon
w..ich to set up their filthy and abominable Dagon ;
Yes, my Brethren, during these dark and evil times.
21
ir, committed
il)e a deeper
es, my hretli-
linst the iu.v?
which trans-
iiits of peice,
he Canadian
icide in their
ished subject
at has loaded
;'cd child try-
been nursed
very author
id over the
and saved it
h revolution,
nd the other
lern Dracos.
'ulottes were
a lanterne"
•tuue to look
B exemplify,
iblic, by acts
tes for " the
horrence of
pie burdens
nana philo-
)s of their
stones of
ashes of the
iestal upon
ie Dagon ;
evil times,
while crovvnless Kinffs and robeless Priests were ffrow-
in^ pale with fear — while Thrones were tottering —
diadems falling — sceptres crumbling — national land-
marks vanishing — and Kingdoms passing away — all
this time, Canada reposed in security within the
encircling and sustaining arms of The Buitisii Con-
stitution.
During this eventful period, while anarchy, proscrip-
tion, and murder, were spreading through IVance, like
an overflowing flood, the Justice and Piety of Great
Britain were *' The vine and Fig tree" under
which the Canadians worshipped God in peace.
The strength of the nation was their A^k of safety ;
The religion of the state, though differing from their
own, and protesting against it, was their Guardian
Angel ; and while the voice of weeping and wailing
was uttering its loudest cries through every part of the
Gallic dominions, the French Canadians rejoiced in
the strength of England, and felt its law to be their
security, and the monarchy thereof their house of refuge.
While " darkness that might be felt" brooded over the
land of their fathers ; while the waters of politi* ^
strife and confusion were roaring, and ^^the mountains^"
the Princes and the Nobles of the land, *' shaking with
the swelling thereof" — then did the Constitution of
Great Britain flow through this colony " like a river^
the streams whereof" diff*used joy and gladness through
every habitation. Then did her virtue, her tenderness,
and her bravery, mingle their eflTulgent hues together,
and spread a rainbow over her favoured subjects in this
country, assuring them, that ** the floods ofungodlif
men" which were making their ancestors afraid, should
il
I
2^
soon subside as did the waters of the deluge. But now
our cotemporaries, by risincr up against this paternal
Oovernment, are trying to cancel the obligations under
which their forefathers wevc laid, by wickedly endea-
vouring to destroy the Ark that saved them, and to
extinguish the beacon that guided ^d cheered them.
Having disposed of one branch of the text in the fore-
going deductions, it now devolves upon us to take up
the second, and examine it as—
Secondly. A case of divine interi'osition
GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGED.-" 7)^ /^ had TlOt been
the Lord who ivas on our side, ivhen men rose up
against us : Then the,j had swallowed us up quick
when their wrath was kindled against us."
The Lord was on their side ; not merely lookino- on
but espousing their cause. The God who dwelt in ilio
bush was in the midst of them. He was not nu'iMly
for them, expressing a wish for their deliverance;
but along with them, working out their salvation with
a high hand and a stretched-out arm. The Israelites
felt their wt./Kiuss: their insufficiency; their total
dependence npo^ the God of Jacob. They felt their
help to be -' in the name of the Lord who made Heaven
and Earthr The Lord was on their side by his wis-
dom, arranging a plan that broke the snare and saved
them from becoming a prey to the teeth of their enemies.
The Lord was on their side by his providence, supplv-
mg them with influential and devoted friends to advo-
cate their interests. The Lord was on their side by
his power, making his strength to fight for them, and
against their adversaries. Nor can this assembly
IJut now,
i paternal
jns under
ly endea-
i, and to
ed them,
the fore-
' take up
'OSITION
lot been
rose up
p quick.
cing- on,
It :: I the
merely
erance ;
on with
raclites
ir total
It their
heaven
lis wis-
l saved
lemies.
upply.
> advo-
ide by
n, and
embly
i23
recur to the perilous incidents which it is commerao-
rating, without being convinced that the Lord was on
the side of the loyalists, affording them wisdom which
was ^^ profitable for direction" standing by them as a
friend in time of need, and strengthening them by his
might *' in the inner man" The Lord was on our
side.
This may be deduced from the goodness of
our cause.
Self preservation, obedience to lawful authority, and
submission to the ordinances of man for conscience
sake, were the motives that influenced, and the princi-
ples that animated the loyalists. This may, perhaps,
be the truth, in reference to every part of the province;
but however that may be, we are bold enough to say,
that it is undeniably so in that district comprehended
in Colonel Taylor's jurisdiction.* The peaceable and
contented inhabitants of these neighbourhoods did not
perform watching, endure fatigue, take up arms, or
engage in deadly conflict, to obtaii. plunder, or to
destroy life, but to uphold the Government and to demon-
strate their loyalty. We appeal, therefore, to the good-
ness of our cause as a proof that the Lord was on our
side ; but this will be readily admitted by all who view
loyalty in a proper light. Loyalty is the brightest and
* A writer in the New York Albion, who is evidently a military man, under
the assumed, but appropriate name of " Miles" speaks of the gallant Colonel in the
following commendable terms. " In this business" (alluding to the battle of Odell
Town) "ii was fortunate that the Loyalists were commanded by Lieut- Colonel
Taylor, a man of rare intrepidity and ability. He is one of several distinguished
officers sent out by Lord Hill, last ivinter, to train the Militia of both Provinces."
•M^'
24
richest pearl in the casket of political gems. Diplo-
matic inrrenuity, financial sagacity ; and an expertness
m the management of foreign and domestic policy, are
beautiful and of great value— but loyalty— unsophisti-
cated loyalty, is the most precious and the most beau-
tiful of them all. Submission to the laws ; an attach-
ment to institutions whose utility has been proved ;
cheerful obedience to all that are set in authority over
us, not for wrath, but for conscience sake ; and a dis-
position always to acknowledge in Kings, Rulers, and
Governors, the representatives of him " Who is the
blessed and only potentate^ is the loyalty inculcated in
the Bible ; and we must be careful to make everv thino-
according to the pattern exhibited in the holy mount".
Loyalty is the corner stone ''polished after the siinili-
tude of a palace ;" and it gives lustre, grace, and dura-
bility to the social edifice. It forms an impervious
bulwark round the throne, the component parts of
which are chivalry, patriotism, and bravery, all ce-
mented together by that religion which says, " Submit
yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's
sake ; whether it be to the King as supreme, or unto
governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them
that do well. For so is the ivill of God, that with welL
doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish
men ; As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak
of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour
all men. Love the brotherhood, Feay God, Honour
the King,"— I, Pet. ii. 13-17. But if ever loyalty
was a virtue in the subjects of Great Britain, it is now,
when a throne, which so many renowned Kino-g have
ennobled, is occupied by a Fenuile. If a hand^should
i
IS. Diplo-
expertness
policy, are
insophisti-
most beau-
an attach-
1 proved ;
lority over
and a dis-
ulers, and
^ho is the
ulcated in
I'erv thino-
ly mount.
tlie siinili-
and dura-
npervioiis
parts of
y, all ce-
" Submit
he Lord's
', or unto
m for the
e oftliem
mth well-
^f foolish
y a cloak
Honour
Honour
r loyalty
t is now,
igg have
1 should
ever be stretched out against her, the gallantry of her
subjects should be interposed to shield her from the
assault. If a voice should be lifted up against her,
tlio eloquence of her subjects should utter its most
plaintive and powerful tones in her defence ; if ever
treason or faction should conspire against her crown
and dignity, the religion of her subjects should " be
instant in pra^jef' that their politics might be con-
founded, and the authority of Her Majesty maintained;
and iiprcdatorii hordes from without oy faithless traitors
from within should try to offer any kind of violence
to her person or government, then should all who revere
her illustrious family, and acknowledge herself for one
of God's \^icegercnts, prove that the Lord is on their
i3iflc, by boldly rebuking all her opponents— exclaiming
—Touch her not, harm her not, for she is the Lord's
anointed.
The delivera.nCe we experienced abundantly
PllOVES THAT THE LoRD WAS ON OUR SIDE.
The salvation that the Jews experienced on the
occasion to which the text is supposed to advert, was
so unexpected, and so palpably miraculous, that aston-
ishment and gratitude almost overpowered them. And
to give a suitable expression to their feelings, they had
recourse to their own figurative language, and thence
selected the strongest comparisons, to describe the
danger to which they had been exposed, and the secu-
rity they now enjoyed. They compare the rescue
which God accomplished for them, to the escape of a
iamb from the jaws of a wolf; and to that of a bird
from the snare of a fowler. The loyalists in this, and
I
! )
i :
.**
20
the surrounding settlements, were, contrasted with
those that rose up against them, very few ; Insurgents
well acquainted with all the features of the country
and liberally provided with arms, surrounded them on
every side. These men had all their plans arranged
at secret meetings, held during the summer. They
rose up suddenly and simultaneously ; and at a time
when many, who were marked out to be their prey, had
no suspicion of their intentions. The Volunteers were
men acquainted only with rural pursuits ; they were
hastily collected together, almost totally unacquainted
with military tactics, and, from habit, very much averse
to scenes of strife and turl)ulence. For several days
before the actions took place, which have added this
extraordinary service to our usual ordinances, an attack
from the rebels was anticipated and dreaded. The
regulars were anxiously enquired after, but no satisfac-
tory intelligence concerning them could be obtained ;
and appearances intimated that no succour would be
received from that source. The people were, in fact,
hedged in by difficulties, dangers, and enemies, on
every hand. If they fled into the adjacent territory,
their property would become the booty of the rebels ;
and if they set their faces in any other direction, they
were sure to be captured by some of the enemy's pic-
quets that were prowling in every quarter. All felt
their weakness ; and that their strength must come
from God. We trusted in him and were not con-
founded ; he sent us help from his sanctuary, and
strengthened us out of Zion. And the deliverance wo
experienced from the suspense we endured, the anxiety
iclt, and the dangers to which we were exposed, is
ntrasted with
v; Insurgents
i the country
nded them on
lans arranged
nmer. They
and at a time
beir prey, had
•lunteers were
s ; they were
unacquainted
^ much averse
' several days
v^e added this
ces, an attack
eaded. The
it no satisfac-
bc obtained ;
our would be
fvere, in fact,
enemies, on
3nt territory,
f the rebels ;
rection, they
enemy's pic-
5r. All felt
must come
TO not con-
ctuary, and
liverance wo
, the anxiety
exposed, is
27
a clear and sufficient attestation that The Lord of
Hosts was with us.
The Battles in which You were engaged, and
; THE Victories that resulted from them, are an
UNEQUIVOCAL PROOF THAT THE LoRD WAS ON THE
SIDE OF THE LOYALISTS.
You all remember the anxiety and trepidation into
which the country was plunged immediately before the
battle of the 7th. All the men that could be collected
did not exceed two hundred. These were greatly
fatigued by marching from one post to another ; and
by other harassing duties. This little, worn-out but
determined band are now drawn up at Messrs. Odell's
store, at present Major March's head quarters. The
enemy, amounting to more than four hundred, have just
entered the province from Rouse's Point. They are
all well provided with arms and assorted ammunition,
and supported by a field piece. Now they are forming.-
they have taken up their position ; the cannon is dL
charged, and the danger seems to thicken and approach.
Miouts, loud and long, and designed to intimidate, are
heard mingling with the hoarse voice of their only
piece of ordnance. But this gasconading will be of
short duration ; for see, two hundred effective men
from Hemmingford, well officered, and under the com-
mand of Major, now Lieut.-Col. Scriver, have iust
arrived, and imparted strength and confidence to all.
At this moment a party of Volunteers headed by Major
btott, of St. Valentine, have gone down to attack the
advanced nost r»f fhr. «,.i..>i„ * rr^i ,
__f ::: "^ ^"" -^u^is. xhey ha ve already
II
^^
28
begun the assault, and are destroying a bridge to pre-
vent the rebels from advancing towards Napierville ;
and while a detachment of the enemy's rifles are vainly
striving to interrupt this heroic achievement, I.ieut.-
Col. Odell, with the main body, consisting of from 350
to 350 men, and supported by Majors Scrivcr and March,
have engaged the main body and rendered the action
general. The order of battle adopted by the Volunteers
on this eventful occasion, evinces a great deal of cool-
ness and determination. It shews that they were wise
in debate, as well as valiant in war ; and that reflection
had convinced them, that it was their paramount duty
to uphold the supremacy of the law, and preserve the
integrity of the country. Major March and Captain
Straker occupied the right ; the men under Colonel
Scriver composed the centre and the left; and to
Captains Fisher, Weldon, and Hays, was assigned the
hazardous duty of flanking. The numerical force on
both sides was nearly oqual ; but the Insurrectionists
had the best position, and this, with their field piece,
gave them a decided advantage. This action conti-
nued for nearly thirty minutes ; and then the rebels
fled in the utmost confusion, leaving eighteen of their
party dead on the field, besides nine wounded, two of
whom died soon after. Among the fruits of this victory,
were the cannon, a large quantity of ammunition,
nearly 300 stand of arms, and sev en prisoner s.
M'Callum. Esq. of Odell Town, Mr. Duncan M' Galium of La Cole, and others
wnose names I have not been able to ascertain. Major S. and his fa.nily reside in
the midst of disaffected persons; but none evinced more coolness and bravery than
himself, his sons, and the few Loyalists that live in his neighbourhood. J. M'Cal-
lum Esq. is Paymaster of the Battalion, and performed the duties of that office,
dnrlncr the first Rebellion, to the satisfaction of all parties concerned. It should be
added%hat Mr. D. M'Callum, mentioned above, while trying to cut the beams of
the bridge, received a severe fall, the eifect. of which he felt for some time after.
I
: to prc-
lerville •,
•e vainly
, Lieut. -
rom 3.50
I March,
le action
)luTiteers
I of cool-
rere wise
•eflection
(lint duty
^crve the
. Captain
: Colonel
; and to
igned the
[ force on
ectionists
eld piece,
ion conti-
:he rebels
n of their
d, two of
is victory,
munition,
'S.
lole, and others
Family reside in
id bravery than
od. J. M'Cal-
;s of that office,
. It should be
ut the beams of
ne time after.
'29
But the title which stands at the head of this propo^
sition will he further sustained, hy an allusion to the
action that was fought within these walls. The people
who delight in war were only scattered for a little
while. The crest-fallen leaders of the revolutionary
army sallied forth from their strong hold at Napier-
ville, breathing threatening, vengeance, and slaughter !
and this day twelve-month, nearly at the same hour
too, did they, at the head of hundreds of their deluded
followers, come up against you " to eat up ^/our flesh"
but " thej/ stumbled and fell," for the Lord was with
vou, ''the God of Jeshumn who ridefh upon the
'heaven" went before you and was your rereward.
Bare deliverance would have satisfied his people, but
this did not satisfy his love, and therefore he gave them
a complete victory. When it is remembered that the
Volunteers, in this affair, did not exceed 180 men ;
that they resisted, for more than two hours, an inces-
sant and furious attack from more than five times their
number ; and that they eventually compelled them to
retire broken and discomfited, none but those that are
wilfully blind could require clearer evidence that the
Lord was on our side. The arrival of Col. Taylor,
who just came in time, with a seasonable supply of
ammunition ; his judicious distribution of the little
force under his command ; his presence and example ;
his bearing and manner ; and the total defeat of the
rebels, without any succour from the regular troops ;
and the salutary effect that impressive fact produced,
are the ''great cloud of witnesses" to which we appeal
in support of the assertion—" The battles in which
you were engaged, and the victories that resulted from
' '-.1
m
80
thenii are an unequivocal pj'oof that the Lord was on
the side of the Loyalists"*
All these circumstances constitute a body
OF evidence which shew that the Lord is able
to deliver his people in the hour of danger.
z^-
This dogma, or established principle of our faith,
rests not upon the casuistry of men ; but upon the
promises of God. All who admit the divine authority
of the holy scriptures will acknowledge, with gratitude,
that the Almighty is able to " compass them about with
songs of deliverance" The Lord, in his word, is
represented as a light to them that sit in darkness ;
and a defence to all that are helpless and weak. " Tlie
Lord God is a sun and shield ; he ivill give grace and
glory, S^c" Nor ia he, in accomplishing a temporal
* In these actions eight of the Volunteers, viz., Captain M'Callister, Corporal
Flowers, and six privates, were killed. Eleven were wounded, none severely, how-
ever, hut Lieut. Hiram Odell, and private James Kidd, the latter very severely.
Many were saved, as by the skin of their teeth. But the following instances only
have come to my knowledge. A rifle ball tore open Major March's cap, and was
found lodged in the wadding of it after the action was over : a ball from a musket
entered the cartouche-box worn by Ensign Van Vleit, and dropped down among
tlie rest of the ammunition. A bullet struck the breast plate of private Patrick
Armstrong, of Capt. Straker's company, with such force, th.itit was indented, and his
breast discoloured. The captured gun was effectively served by Lieut. Curran,
of the Hemmingford Militia, assisted by Sergt.Beatty of the First Royals. Lieut. C.
was for several years in the Royal Forge Artillery ; he served for v,ome time in the
Netherlands, and was present at the Battle of Waterloo. He and his colleague, at
present an Ensign in Captain Woolridge's company, contributed materially to
the results of the day; and while superintending the cannon, had the powder horn
twice shot out of his hand. The Officers commanding the detachment of dragoons,
now stationed here, were not present at either of these actions ; but other oppor-
tunities were not wanting, in other places, and of them they promptly availed
themselves. This no one will be disposed to doubt, when they are informed that
the gentlemen, to whom we have alluded, are Captain Sweeny, and Lieut. David,
both of " The Royal Montreal Cavalry."
d was on
A BODY
) IS ABLE
DANGER.
our faith,
upon the
authority
gratitude,
hout wit] I
word, is
larkness ;
:. " The
p'ace and
temporal
ister, Corporal
jeverely, how-
very severely,
instances only
I cap, and was
Voin a musket
down among
rivate Patrick
lented, and his
ieut. Curran,
lis. Lieut. C.
ne time in the
3 colleague, at
materially to
I powder horn
t of dragoons,
; other oppor-
mptly availed
informed that
Lieut. David,
31
deliverance, any more than in communicating the
salvation of his gospel, a respecter of persons. " Great
deliverance giveth he to his King ; and sheweth mercy
to his anointed, to David, and to his seedforeverynore"
" This POOR MAN cried, and the Lord heard him, and
saved him out of all his troubles." Thii^, comfortable
truth is abundantly corroborated by the personal and
national deliverances recorded in the Bible. The
Patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into the hands
of Ishmaelitish traders ; and after they had apportioned
the price of their brother's liberty among them, they
endeavoured to conceal their baseness by propagating
a deliberate falsehood. But the Lord conducted him
thr^' ^h the meshes of slavery and the miseries of a
dungeon ; and raised him up from the pit to the vice-
regal throne of Egypt ; and gave him great honour in
the sight of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The Lord
stretched out his arm and rescued Moses from the
yawning grave into which a jealous despot had cast
him ; and placed him in the very first rank of Histo-
rians, Legislators, Prophets, and Thaumaturguses.
Daniel was thrown, at the instigation of his enemies,
into a den of hungry lions, but He who " is strong to
deliver" stopped their mouths and did not give his
servant "as a prey unto their teeth" There is one
national deliverance described by the prophet Isaiah,
in the 37th chapter of his prophecy ; and although
there may not be the slightest analogy between that
remarkable interposition and the one which is the
source of our rejoicing, it will, nevertheless, form
a suitable conclusion to this class of references. Jeru-
salem, the city of the living God, is now encompassed
the elite of th« Assvrian armv ; one hundred and
by
.ssy;
army
ll ■
It'.
3'2
eighty-five thousand warriors, headed by the infamous
Sennacherib, are besieging Mount Sion, the gates
of which, the Lord loveth better than all the dwelling
places of JacQb. The virtuous King, Hezekiah, is
growing pale upon his throne ; and his kingdom is about
to become the booty of uncircumcised Gentiles. Fear
and dismay have come upon his counsellors and sena-
tors ; and the Priests and Levites are gathered together
in the temple making intercession unto God. Their
cries come up before him ; he has respect unto the
terms of the covenant ; and he directs an angel to arm
himself with a suffocating wind, and therewith instantly
attack and destroy the enemies of his people. This is
accomplished ; the whole host, horsemen and footmen,
are exterminated ; the angel has laid his report at the^
feet of Jehovah ; and the King and the people are
praising him for their deliverance, and singing, with •
cheerful voices, " In Judah is God hiown ; his name
is great in Israel In Salem also is his tabernacle,
and his dwelling place in Zlon. There he brake the
arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the
battler
This divine interposition calls loudly for
OUR PUBLIC THANKSGIVING AND V\\MS\^.—'' BlcSSed
be the Lord who hath not given us as a prey to their
teeth. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made
Heaven, and Earths
Some of the superstitious insurgents that came up
. , - ,A. ov"""-!^ fr» imnmnp! that thev saw
against us, were vvctiiv euurix^rz v.- -—o
the Virgin Mary frowning upon them. The danger
which they brought upon themselves disordered their
I
33
ic infamous
the gates
he dwelling
ezekiah, is
lorn is about
:iles. Fear
•s and sena-
red together
od. Their
ct unto the
injxel to arm
1th instantly
le. This is
nd footmen,
•cport at the
people are
inging, with >
; his name
'. tabernacle i
\e brake the
ird, and the
,OUDLY FOR
— " Blessed
urey to their
d, who made
hat came up
lat they saw
The danger
irdercd their
nerves ; they were polluting holy ground and God
rebuked them; they were doing wickedly and the
terrors of a guilt} conscience swaEowcd up their
courage ; and, under the influence of these feelings,
some imagined that they saw a figure of the blessed
Virgin directly over the chapel, and looking very angrily
upon them that were assailing it. Constantino before
his memorable battle with Maxentius, on the Milvian
bridge, saw soon after mid-day, it is said, a large
luminous cross in the heavens, directly over the sun,
with these words inscribed upon it, " In hoc vince"
By this conquer. He herewith renounced idolatry,
embraced the Christian religion, and had the pole of
the national standard made in the form of a cross, and
the figure of a cross wrought in the flag. But we trust
nbt in shadows but in the substance ; our confidence
is in realities not in effigies ; we exercise faith not in
the mediation of the mother, but in the intercession
of the son j we hope for salvation, not through the
picture of the cross, but through the atoning sacrifice
of Him, " who bore our sins in his own body on the
tree" Our help, my brethren, is in the name of the
Lord — in the name of the Lord who made heaven and
earth ; and we should give thanks unto God, by spend-
ing this day religiously ; we should offer praises unto
Him by reverencing his name — by acknowledging his
authority and dominion — and by advancing the inter-
ests of his kingdom. On this occasion particularly,
parents should give thanks and praise unto God, for
shielding the heads of their children in the day of
battle ; wives should sing aloud unto God their
strength, because he has saved them from the worm-
wood and gall of widowhood ; and children should
u
81.
!ii'
;,! \'i
bear their part in acknowledging " this Divine inter-
position" forasmuch as he hath delivered them from the
miseries of orphanage. But we are all assembled to
make ** our public thanksgiving^** therefore we should
all with one accord " Sing unto God, sing praises
unto his name : extol him that rideth upon the heavens
by his name Jah, and rejoice before him**
But the unreasonable men, whose defeat
occasioned the anniversary we are now cele-
brating, by rising up against the government
violated the law of god and resisted his au-
THORITY.
The practical virtues of Christianity arc at once the
attestations and the fruits of religious influence ; and
amongst these, obedience to lawful authority has
always filled a distinguished place. Loyalty is as old
as the New Testament ; and respect for the Govern-
ment, under which we live, is inseparable from obe-
dience to God. There cannot be ultra-loyalty any
more then there can be ultra-religion. A subject of the
state can no more have too much loyalty, than a mem-
ber of the church can have too much of the mind that
was in Christ. The men, therefore, whose attack upon
the Government you frustrated, by that attack vio-
lated the law of God. The Apostles of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and the multitudes which, by their zeal,
were turned from darkness to light, had to endure
great and unmerited persecution from both Jews and
Gentiles. The bigoted followers of " the circumcision**
denounced them as proper objects for Ecclesiastical
vengeance, because they withstood the claims of an
lijiiie inter'
)m from the
ssemblcd to
) we should
'ng praises
the heavens
SE DEFEAT
NOW CELE-
)VERNMENT
3D HIS AU-
at once the
lence ; and
;hority has
ty is as old
le Govern-
e from obe-
loyalty any
ibject of the
ban a mem-
3 mind that
attack upon
attack vio-
■ our Lord
' their zeal,
to endure
h Jews and
'cumcision"
sclesiastical
aims of an
abolished ritual. The ferocious Gentiles exhausted
the fertility of their invention in devisinjyf means to
torture and destroy them, for not bowing down to the
num(?rous Gods, which their absurd mythology had
created. The illegal confiscation of property was
scarcely an item in the catalogue of their oppressions ;
imprisonment and exile were submitted to as the
decisions of clemency ; and whensoever they attempted
to complain, the remonstrance assumed the form of a
supplication. Emperors and Kings clothed with abso-
lute power ; Princes and Magistrates rankling with
fury ; Priests and Elders blinded by superstition ; and
Scribes and Pharisees swelling with rage — all, — all
these, my brethren, were leagued against them ; but
they endured every thing patiently for conscience sake.
Every threat was acknowledged by an intercession ;
each decree that was published against them, elicited
a new prayer for the salvation of the inhuman legisla-
tor ; the torrents of calumny, vituperation, and slander,
that were poured out upon them, were requited by
good wishes and blessings j and the only weapon they
ever employed against their persecutors was the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God — O j
" la them let all mankind behold,
How Christians lived in days of old ;
Mii;hty their envious foes to move,
A proverb of reproach and love."
But now, and that too, under one of the mildest Gov-
ernments that ever existed, every half-fledged fopling
who is too indolent to work, or too arrogant to beg ;
every needy adventurer, or broken-down speculator ;
every lawyer, to whom briefs come, like angels' visits,
7'.. ^'1
.»>
3C)
and
few and Jar Wtiveen ;" and every doctor and surgeon,
whose predilection for j)hlehotomy, cannot be gratified
by the circumscribed operations of the lancet, tries to
obtain distinction, by becoming either a manufacturer
of grievances, or a spouter of sedition and treason.
The unreflecting multitudes look up to them as oracles,
and reverence them as the apostles of a new political
dispensation ; their example rouses up the fiercest and
wildest passions of the people ; the laws of God, which
say, ^'Let every soul he subject unto the higher powers"
are trampled on ; the supreme authority of " the bles-
sed and only potentate'' is set at naught ; a crusade
is formed against " the powers that be " the standard
of revolt is unfurled ; and a futile attempt to overturn
the Government is declared to be the combined effort
of philosophy and patriotism, striving to illuminate the
benio-hted, and disenthral the enslaved. But the
sacred Scriptures, which speak " the words of soberness
and truth" call it resistance to the ordinances of God.
"The powers that be are ordained of God.
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, re-
sisteth the ordinance of God ; and they that
RESIST shall receive TO THEMSELVES DAMNATION."
Finally. In resisting and defeating these
MISGUIDED AND UNREASONABLE MEN, THE MiLITIA
AND Volunteers of this frontier evidenced
THEIR Loyalty, and displayed their Courage.
:l
m
The manner in which you deported yourselves in the
''troublous timesy" and on the trying, very trying
emergencies, to which there has been such frequent
reference in the progress of this discou se, has fur-
I
ind surgeon,
be gratified
icet, tries to
lannfacturer
md treason,
m as oracles,
new political
3 fiercest and
f God, which
her powers "
of " the hies-
t ; a crusade
the standard
t to overturn
nbined effort
lluminate the
1. But the
s of soberness
ances of God.
3D OF God.
; POWER, RE-
\ THEY THAT
DAMNATION."
\TING THESE
FHE Militia
L EVIDENCED
I Courage.
irselves in the
, very trying
such frequent
use, has fur-
i
I
37
nished a theme of admiration to the surrounding colo-
nies ; and has been elocjuently praised in the parent
country. Your intrepidity in the hour of danger ; your
loyalty at a period when treason was declared to be a
virtue ; your unflinching courage in battle ; and your
mercy to the vanquished, are incidents in your history,
upon which, through all the stages of after life, you
may look back, and behold, reflected in them, the evi-
dences of your fealty, and the manifestations of your
courage. The prompt and effectual manner in which
you put down the late unhappy revolt, tht. I distracted
every part of this Province, has been dul} appreciated
by the Home Government ; by the conservative part
of both Houses of Parliament ; by the Constitutional
portion of the press ; and by every one, both at home
and abroad, who wishes to see the connexion now sub-
sisting between Great Britain and this country perpet-
uated. But in estimating these rewards, you must not
be indifferent to the "great recompense^* which you
may obtain from God. Better, O infinitely better
than the laudation of Governors, and the praises of
Senators, is the approbation of Him who " is the Gov-
ernor among the nations" and " who teacheth his sen-
ators wisdom." Seek, O seek this with your whole
heart, cry aloud for it now ; let your prayers for the
blessing, that maketh rich, now enter the ears of the
Lord of Sabbaoth ; he is now in your midst ; he is
waiting to fulfil your desires, and to endue you with
that plenteous grace that will always enable you to
persevere in the practice of true scriptural conserva-
tism, and " Render to Ccesar, the things that are
Ccesar*s ; and unto God, the things that are God's"
I
88
Once more — the side upon which you arranged
yourselves, under these untoward circumstances, con-
tains more than an evidence of loyalty, or a display of
courage. It declares that you are proud of being
subjects of Great Britain, and that you Lre determined
so to remain. We are a component part of an empire
that is the glory of all lands. Her territory reaches
to every climate, and enters into every latitude. Her
ships are navigating every sea ; her flag is waving in
every breeze. Within her jurisdiction, all the babbling
dialects of the earth are spoken ; and her subjects
comprise " all nations^ tongues, kindreds, and people"
The rental of her nobles exceeds the revenues of
second-rate kings ; her merchants are more wealthy
than continental princes ; not a slave ex^ .ts through
her wide-spread dominions ; and the numerous reli-
gious institutions, supported by the Christian liberality
of her people, place her in the van of the Protestants,
and to all the world exclaim, " See how righteous-
ness EXALTETH A NATION.
»
And now, turning from the country to the Sovereign
whom the Lord hath set over it, we shall find another
reason for maintaining those sound and biblical princi-
ples, we are at this moment publicly and solemnly
avowino' before the Altar of the ever blessed God. Our
gracious Lady the Queen seems as like a creation of
romance, as a subject of history. Her Sex, her Youth,
her responsibility, her exalted station ; — all — all appeal
to every pious, intelligent, and courageous heart, that
throbs in her dominions, calling on them for their
prayers, their advice, and their support ; and this ap-
peal is addressed to the loyalists of this cuuntry 5 and
39
arranged
ices, con-
display of
of being
etermined
an empire
y reaches
de. Her
waving in
) babbling
' subjects
d people"
venues of
3 wealthy
s through
rous rcli"
liberality
'otestants,
GHTEOUS-
Sovereign
d another
cal princi-
solemnly
iod. Our
reation of
er Youth,
all appeal
eart, that
for their
d this ap-
itry 5 and
to " the Militia and Volunteers of this frontier"
especially; and it is our duty, in the fear of God,
promptly and cheerfully to respond to it. Were we
among the privileged classes that attend the levees
of Her Majesty, you would behold that which would
awaken in your heart the voice of gratitude and the
song of thanksgiving. I could shew you Welling-
ton, the Ajax of the British Array, the hero of an
hundred fights, from Assaye to Waterloo, illustrating
the force of obedience, by laying his invincible sword,
and imperishable laurels, at the feet of a Monarch,
young enough to be his grand-daughter. I could shew
you Peel, the pattern of sound statesmanship, uphold-
ing the Throne by the integrity of his conduct ; and I
could shew you Lyndhurst, the Apollo of the British
Lords, waving round it the splendid tissue of his elo-
quence. But in the absence of this touching spectacle,
we can look upon the one before us, and, connecting
it with the day we celebrate, perceive abundant reasons
for revering the Monarchy, and ascribing our salvation
to him, whose Kingdom ruleth over all. " If it had
not been the Lord who ivas on our side, when men rose
up against us ; Then they had swallowed us up quick,
when their wrath was kindled against us."
The following appropriate verses from the 465th
hymn, were sung at the conclusion of the service :
Sov'reign of all ! whose will ordains
The powers on earth that be,
Bv whom nnr ritrlitfiil TVfm;qr4>li
Subject to none but thee j
t'U rpiirnq
"roi<,
f
•I i ' •
,1.,
40
Lo I in the arms of faitli and prayer
We bear her to thy throne ;
Receive thy own peculiar care,
The Lord's anointed one.
With favour look upon her face ;
Thy love's pavilion spread ;
And watchful troops of angels place
Around her sacred head.
To those, who Thee in Her obey,
The spirit of grace impart :
Her dear, her sacred burden lay
On every loyal heart.
Still let us pray, and never cease,
Defend her. Lord, defend ;
'Stablish her throne in glorious peace,
And save her to the end."
■
IKI' !'
MONTREAL : PRIlfTED BY CAMPBELL AND BECKET.