P' Class— Book- -x o f^ Cr ^^ THE VOICE OF THE LORD: A SERMON PREACHED IN CHRIST CHUECH, GEORGETOWN, D. C ON THE SUNDAY AFTER THE LATE MELANCHOLY CATASTROPHE ON BOARD THE U. S, STEAM SHIP PRINCETON BY THE REV STEPHEN G^G A S S A W A Y RECTOR OF THE CHURCH PUBLISHED BY REQUEST. WASHINGTON: ALEXANDER AND BARNARD, PRINTERS 1844. -^.i / THE VOICE OF THE LORD: A SERMON PREACHED IN CHRIST CHURCH, GEORGETOWN, D. C. ilL ON THE SUNDAY AFTER THE LATE BIELANCHOLY CATASTROPHE OX BOARD THE U. S, STEAM SHIP PRINCETON. BY THE REV. STEPHEN G. G A S S .V W A Y , RECTOE OF THE CHURCH PUBLISHED BY REQUEST. WASHING! .KLE.\.\. -N" D E R .\ N D BARNARD. TRIXTERS. I 3^6 '•^2-^ III compliance witli a request signed by the members of the Vestry and other members of the congregation to which he ministers, the author has been induced to permit the publication of this discourse. It was, of neces- sity, hastily prepared, and preached for the most part extemporaneously, and of course without any view to publication. In endeavoring, at the request of those whose judgment he respects, and for whom he feels so much affection, to recall it and reduce it to writing for the press, he has tried to adhere faithfully to the language and expressions employed in its delivery. He trusts that this may help to excuse the deficiencies in its style, and its rather diffusive length. He will only add that a part omit- ted in the delivery, has been inserted, in the hope that as it may be seen by some who were not present when it was preached, it may, by God's blessing, do good In a wider circle than it could otherwise have reached. That it may be so much honored of God, as to be made instrumental in impressing His sacred truth savingly upon even one heart, is the highest ambition, the most exalted wish which the author cherishes, in giving his unpretending effort to the world. Georoetow.n, D. C, March, 1844. SERMON. " Be still, and know that I am God." — Psalm 46 : 10. The topic on which we must speak to you this morning, beloved brethren, seems too clearly and emphatically indi- cated, to be passed by. God opens before us two sources of knowledge of Himself and His will, the events of His Providence, the word of His Grace. Emanating from the same author, these two volumes are coincident in their teachings, and often, when read side by side, throw light each upon the other. And therefore, the minister of God, who desires to be wise in winning souls and faithful in de- claring God's whole counsel, while he draws the truths he proclaims chiefly, as he is bound, from the revealed Word, will yet fix an observant eye upon the other and study its intimations. Thus full often will he gather lessons ot sacred wisdom to impart to those who hear him, or learn what truths of Holy Writ, rather than others, should be dwelt upon. In so doing he will be following the example of his Divine Master, whose instructions were usually based upon passing events, and adapted to the circumstances in which his hearers were at the moment. But there are periods when this course, always the min- ister's privilege, becomes his high and imperious duty. There are events which cannot be passed by in silence. There are events which force themselves upon the atten- tion of all, events so solemn, so marked, so impressive, that they arrest the most careless and unreflecting, impress the most frivolous and the most hardened, and compel the most unthinking and unbelieving to acknowledge the hand of the Almighty. In such circumstances we are at this moment placed. The awful catastrophe of last week, which has been so much in all our mindSj and so saddened all our hearts, is an event of this class. Whether we consider its sudden and terrible character, the amount of suffering and death it has caused, the elevated stations of those whom it has swept awav, or the wonderful Providential circumstances connect- ed with it ; whether we look at it in its national, social, or individual bearings, it has unprecedented claims to our thoughtful, solemn attention. It is an event which comes home to us no less than to others. We are interested in it — as citizens of this nation, whose government has been so sorely stricken ; as connected with yonder city, which it has clothed in mourning; — as members of this congrega- tion, of which, one honored family, in desolation and an- guish, is mourning a fondly cherished member, and another in silent awe and trembling thankfulness is rejoicing that its head and earthly stay, with others who are among us as guests and sojourners, was snatched as by miracle from the very jaws of death. Thus pressing itself upon our attention it would be wrong, if it were possible, to let this solemn event pass by us un- improved and unnoticed. We were " like the brutes that perish " could we do so. Were it only that we might comply with the inspired precept, and "rejoice with those who do rejoice and weep with those who weep,-- it would claim, at least, passing notice. But we have higher duties in connexion with it than even this. " When thy judgments are in the earth,"' saith the prophet, '^ the inhabitants of the world will learn right- eousness." That they may do so, are they sent, and it is our privilege to use them for the purpose. To endeavor to draw from the present occurrence its high instruction, is our present aim. We are aware of the danger in our way. Our Blessed Savior cautions us against certain inferences which many are too apt to draw from like awful events. " Those eighteen," said lie on a similar occasion, '" those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all the men that dwell at Jerusalem.'^ I tell you nay ; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.'' We are not permitted to draw any conclusion as to the character or deservings of those who fall in such a calamitv. Bui we are bound to consider such events as warnings to the living, and to draw sucli inferences from them as concern ourselves, and are calculated to lead us in the ways of righteousness. And such is the light in which w^e view the event before us. It is the voice of the Lord to the living. We seem to hear him speaking in it to the nation, to the votaries of pleasure and power, to those im- mediately concerned in the accident, to ourselves, in tones of mingled sternness and tenderness, " Be still, and know that I am GOD.'' 1. But are we correct in the assumption with which we set out, that this hath been a special act of God, — that His hand hath been in it, — and that therefore it is to be considered a special admonition from Him ? We cannot doubt it for a moment. Undoubtedly natural causes were at work. The ordinary laws of matter were in full and uncontrolled operation, and in obedience to them, was the engine of death burst asunder, and its massive fragments hurled abroad with such destructive violence. The ordi- nary laws of mind were also in operation, working out their accustomed results. The natural pride of the gallant offi- cer who commanded that noble vessel, and after whose suggestions, that tremendous weapon had been construct- ed, the natural desire, which as a courteous host, he felt to afford his distinguished guests every opportunity of grati- fying their curiosity ; the natural desire which these latter felt ''to see for themselves, the truth of the wondrous things which they had heard of the vessel and her novel armament, the sense of duty which impelled some of those in official stations to test the value of those new improve- ments thoroughly — these all were at work, as in every similar case they might be, and it was in obedience to them, that the little group were gathered on the fated spot where destruction awaited them. Yet God was there. — These were but the ministers of His will, and through them He was working out His own mighty and inscrutable de- signs Such must be our view of the event, if we regard it in the light of Holv Writ. There we are told that God is the governor as well as the Creator of this world ; that He orders every particular event which occurs, as vyell as the general movement, and the 2:rand results in this world's historv. The Scriptures tell us that He not only " doeth 6 according to liis will in the army ot Heaven.*^ but "among the inhabitants of the earth " also : — that '' His Kinerdom ruleth over all," — that while He '' measiireth the Heavens with a span/' and '* bringeth out their host by number and calleth them by their names/' guiding the planets in their rapid ilight, He at the same time numbereth " the very hairs of our head/'' and suffereth not even the sparrow to fall to the ground without Him. " I kill and I make alive ; I wound and I heal." " I form the lisrht and create dark- ness ; I make peace and create evil : I the Lord do all these things." And if this be so in ordinary affairs, how much more in great ones, affecting the happiness and welfare of nations. " Shall there be evil in the city and the Lord hath not done it." "It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants are as grasshoppers ; that stretcheth out the Heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in ; that brin2:etli Princes to nothing ; He makelh the judges of the earth as vanity." My brethren. Holy Scripture is full of the like declara- tions, declarations which fully authorize, nay, which com- pel the conclusion that the hand of God was specially in this thing. And it is a conclusion which the many wonderful Providences connected with the event, serve very deeply to impress upon our minds. It is the Lord who hath spoken. Let us in humble submission contemplate his ^' strange work." And believing that He doeth nothing in vain, let us ponder the mysterious characters of blood and flame, and the dread accents of thunder and of wailing, in which His solemn message is conveyed. 2. It is " the voice of the Lord " to this whole people. The Highest hath spoken to this nation, as a nation. To it, in its collective capacity is the word of this admonition sent. This we gather from every circumstance connected with the calamity. We read it in the ollicial station of the suf- ferers. Had these men, whose loss we so deeply deplore, been all merely jirivate individuals, then, however, high their standing in worth or fame, this awful dispensation had been only of private interpretation, its lessons only of in- dividual application. But when we remember that two of them were olliccrs of (he iz;eneral government, holding ex- ecutive stations of an importance only second to the high- est; when we remember lliat but for ;in all but miraculous interposition, even the President and at least another high executive oilicer had also fallen : — when we remember that it occurred on board a national vessel, and that the instru- ment which struck the fatal blow, had been forged for na- tional defence ; — we cannot but regard the event as having a national bearing. In these circumstances, we discover, as it were, the superscription, easily read and not to be mistaken, which points out the destination of the Heavenly admonition. God judges nations here. They have no hereafter to which the just rewards of their conduct can be postponed. But here, in the present dispensation of his Providence, he deals out to them the righteous retributions, the rewards and the punishments which their good or evil demands at His hand. When ^Svith rebukes" he would "chasten them for sin," He accomplishes his designs, either by sending general distress among the whole people, or by smiting their rulers. In both these ways has He chasten- ed us. For years, as we all so well know, general disaster and depression have been among us, which seemed to palsy our energies and eat out our wealth. Now His hand is fall- ing upon the heads of the nation, and '^ taking them away in his wrath." It is not the first time that He hath done so. Within the last three years, how many holding the highest official stations, have been suddenly called from their posts of honor and of usefulness, to render up their account. Plarrison, Macomb, Legare, — a President, a com- mander-in-chief, an Attorney General and Acting Secreta- ry of State, — an extraordinarily largenumber of both Houses of Congress, — ^these have been the shining marks upon W'hich the bolts have fallen in that brief space. And now we are called to mourn the vacancy of two most important stations in the Cabinet, — a Secretary of State, snatched away at an hour when his country most needed his servi- ces, a Secretary of the Navy, called from his post of duty, ere the bright anticipation of his usefulness so sanguinely entertained by his friends, and by him who placed him there, were realized. And what is the lesson which these severe chastisements are to teach.? Dull indeed were our minds, brethren, blind indeed our stupidity if we could not read it. Look where the levin-bolt hath alij^hted, and see lor what we are chastened. We have been stricken in those things in re- spect to which we most sinned. We have become an idolatrous people. True, we have not by public act, dis- owned Jehovah, and set up carved images and bowed down before them. But we have given our souls up to '^ covetous- ness, which is idolatry." The inordinate thirst for wealth has been the all absorbing feeling of the nation's heart : — how to get, and increase riches, the all absorbing thought in the nation's mind. Beside this, all other things have seemed to dwindle to insignificance. By this, have all the agita- tion and change and revolution which have lately shaken our country from centre to circumference, been aroused. — By their bearings upon this, have all the great political questions of the day been decided. Is a great measure proposed, none asks is it just.'^Jsit right .'^ is it such as w^ill meet God's approval .? but — what are its bearings on the wealth of the country.'' will it enable us to get rich fast- er? Never was there a nation more idolatrous of money than ourselves. And there hath God smitten us. Our plans have been frustrated; panic and distrust have walked abroad in the land ; our commercial energies have been paralysed; our credit abroad has been destroyed; our do- mestic industry gone without its reward. And the fortunes wdiich it had been a life-long labor to accumulate, have melted away like frost work in the sun. W^e ha\e become forgetful of God. Once we recognized Him as the King and Ruler of nations. When our fathers asserted our national independence, they appealed to Him as the Supreme Ruler of the universe, for the rectitude of their intentions. Through the long struggle of the revolu- tion, they acknowledged Him as the God of battles; they humbled themselves before Him in their adversity, and re- joiced unto Him in their successes. The foundations of our constitution were laid amid prayer to Him, for guidance and blessing. And for a time it was administered with a regard to His will, and His approval. But alas I other views at length prevailed ; another spirit leavened the pub- lic mind. VVe have become mjhlel in politics. We have thought to carry on our government safely and prosperous- ly, to secure the nation's happiness and welfare without Him. And we have forgotten His laws, the laws which 9 He prescribed lo naiions as well as individuals. We have oppressed the weak, who dwelt securely by us. We have defrauded the strong whom we could not and dared not op- press. Violence hath been heard in our land, and gone unchecked and unrebuked. Yea, even our Senators and Legislators, the very law-makers lor the nation, have coun- tenanced, have themselves indulged in, resort to violence and bloodshed. Impurity and licentiousness are fearfully rife in the land : — even in yonder Capitol and among men, from whose stations and whose talents, the country had a right to look for examples of moi-ality and purity. We have desecrated God's Sabbaths. They have been violated both by authority, and by men in official stations needlessly encroaching on its hallowed hours for the transaction of official business. And for these things God hath visited us in iudo;mcnt. But above all, God, as the ruler of men, and the source of national prosperity, has been entirely forgotten by us. We have forgotten that obedience to His will alone exalteth a nation, that transgression of His laws is a disgrace to any people. We have looked to men for our political salvation. We have trusted in their integrity and financial skill and statesmanship, as our refuge and defence. So was it, when three years ago the revered and lamented Harrison was called by the voice of so large a portion of his fellow citi- zens to the highest office in their gift. W^th what idola- trous confidence did many regard him. How did the whole people look to him as the source whence was to come their help. How did the eyes of the nation turn to him as to the pole-star of their safety. How did their eager ears wait to catch the accents that should fall from his lips, as the oracles which solve the vexed problem, and point out the path of renewed prosperity. But God took him. A little month of office barely rolled by, and before any of these hopes could be fulliled, he was called to give up the account of his stewardship. He died, it may be, at a period most fortunate for himself, for to him, even in his felicitous position, '- to die was gain." But it was a heavy and sore rebuke for the country, a grievous chastisement. But we have in no wise profited by the lesson. We are at this very moment manifesting the same spirit of blind confidence in men. Negociations with another mighty na- tion of the earthy of great importance to us. had just begun. 10 If conducted ably and skilUully, they might result m im- mense advantages to us. If unsuccessful they might termi- nate in all the horrors of war. For the former result the nation was looking, and depending on the wisdom and skill of him who should conduct those negociations on our part. In case of the latter result, so much to be dreaded and de- plored, oh how generally was reliance built upon those im- provements in naval warfare, of which that gallant vessel was the lirst example, to be the right arm of our defence. And where, in all the reference that was made to these, was any allusion to the existence of a God, who holdeth the hearts of rulers in his hand, and who giveth the victory not always to the strong, but defendeth the right? And God hath shown us how '^^ vain is the help of man.-' The able negociator is no more, the head of our navies sleeps beside him ; and the novel engine of death, instead of dealing de- struction to our foes has swept away our defenders. But above all are we not just about plunging once more into all the violence and turmoil of party strife ? Already do we behold on every hand the mustering of the political clans for the battle. Already the various watch-words, and fierce war cries of the discordant factions come to our ears on every breeze. Again are men ranging themselves around their chosen leaders, bowing before them as the idols of their trust, and looking to them, and no higher than to them, for a restoration of prosperity. Such a blind confidence is felt and expressed in these men. hopes for good results are so entirely and exclusively fixed on their success, to the en- tire losing sight of the fact that they can but be at best the instruments in (iocPs hands for good, that the lan^aiaiie ad- dressed by all the great political parlies to their favorite leaders, is in spirit, if not in word, the same as that of Israel of old to their idols,'' Save us, for yc arc our gods! " Amid all this wild confusion and uproar, the Lord hath lifted up his voice, '^ Yea, and that a mighty voice.'' How solemn and impressive the lesson which he has just taught us. To all this storm, and strife, and madness, he has utter- ed the command, '' Be still.-' To our j^^ople thus begin- ning to be tossed and fretted to fury in this most disastrous civil strife, he has said, " Be still ! '' "Be still, and know that I am God." " Know that I rule among the nations of the earth : I kill and I make alive, I exalt and I cast II vlown. Nations liang upon mo, as individuals do. When I frown upon them they wither and decline, and vain are the statesman's skill, and the warrior's mi,i