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Show 174 George B. Cheever. who! worlcl startl t1 by God' providenc with .John Brown, nr, looking at us, and waiting f(H· u~, :tnd almost calling upon u ~, as the shipmen upon (Jonah, 'Vhnt mcant•st thou, () slerpee! Awake, a11<l call upon thy Cud! D<'pc•ntlupon it , this matt er is to ue sc•ttlccl by the 'Vonl of' God, or not at :dl; by the ' Vonl 0 (' Gotl , or it, will be our destru ct ion. Goll will have obl'dieuce and not ~ac rifice. 'Vh •n he eomm : 111d~ our nation to do ju tly, he will not 1 •t u wait and do unjustly, till, having wom out our latH1 ~, and brougl1t ourselves upon the brink of ruin by tcaling men :lll(l endeavoring to establish ou r:elve in unrio ht 'OU!')ll ss, we at length conclude, for:ooth, tl1at honesty 0 is the best policy, ntH.l ther fore out of pure selli ·Imcs · we will take the way that God commanded. To all eternity, if God dealt tim ~ with l1i crraturr.s, lea ving them to ob y him only when it suit('d tJ1 ci r own com·eni cncc, and hi:-; minist rs to apply IIi$ 'Vonl only when it was popular, and self-interest on its side, lw n •ver eoul<l ltave a holy people, or a pure nation; nnd heaven it elf; if' pco pl<•tl with ou ls and w\tions, thu · cajoled into the practice of' pi(' ty by :clfb hnc·s, would only need anotl1cr Lucifer to h •ad anoth<'r r ebellion, am1 mnkc anotlH'r l1 ·II. God lla · a controv •t·sy with this nat ion, ancl he calls upon his servants to pro ·!aim it ; to cry aloutl and spare not, but to apply His Wonl, and n •vcr will the eon trovc r~y be settled in any other way. And never on earth was a grand 't' opportunity given to IIi" church and mini ·t1·y to throw th(' tn. elves on llim, and in the very front rank in this conflict d •mon tratc the omnipotence of IIi · truth and rightrou nc• . , fi ghting the bat tie with II is 'Vord, and gaining the victory by Hi · Spirit. After a fi ery denun ciation of the v ' ry sin ' of which we are now guilty, God d •sc ribe IIi. own int rpo: it ion, and . nyH: ' So hall thry fear the name of th • Lonl f'rom the 'Vc·t. 'Vhen the enemy cometh in like a fl ooc1, th 'Jl the Spirit. of the L onl shall lif't up a standaru against him." 'Vhat aml where is this standard ? I · it iu the f:;enatc, the House, the tludicinry, the political expediency of men, who nvow thaL they recognize George B. Cheever. 175 no ouliga.tion but j n. t thi ~ , of the hig;lwst wageR, and that if Slav<•ry wcr' profitable to the nation, Sl:lvrry woulcl he r igltt? Nay, it is the standard of' God's 'Von1, Go<l's just ie , God's ri1T1l((•ousn ss, lif't ctl up by Hi· Chu r ·h, ca rri<'d in the van hy ll~s 1\[ini::;try, a.1Hl His Spirit g;ocs with it , and " not by might nor by power, hut by l\ly Spirit , :aith the Lonl of' Jl o.-ts," is the wa,tehword. Tlt i ~ is our work. Gotl convinCl'H of' sin, subdues the h •art, . ul.><lucs the nation, only by Ilis ' Von], His Spirit, and the renunciation of any gr at . ystem of iniquity is hopclc !=; in any other way. But iu thi way it i. certain ; and if God's 'Vord had been appli •d to thi ~ iniqu ity of Slave r~ forty. year::; a~o by the ch urch ' and the mini try, in. tcacl o( throw lllg off then· r . ponsiuility by in •f1'cctiYc re~olu t i o n . in G ' JH'ral As~<' mhl~ ·~, the wh ok~ system would by this day have gone out of ex1stcncc. 'VIH~ n we saw th' plnguc spreading, we ought. to l1avc ru hod forth Ion('T arro with Oo<l': fire. IC they kul stood in my coun- Rcl, says ;:th,oe Lonl Gotl in rcf(•rrn<·e to thi s sam.c s·n .l , ~~~ eltl t e guilt of the prophets who would not pr ach ng:unst 1t, J{ they h:ul . too<1 in my ·oun. cl, and proelaim ·d my ' Vorc1, they would have turn •cl the p<'ople from th ·ir iniquity. 'Vhat can b' more soh·mn than tlli.- assura.ncc? And thi proclamation of' Gou'~ 'Vonl is 11ow onr only hope, our last resort. It i. an infini te mer ·y that we still a rc able to throw ourselves upon it. Though l:ttr, yet now, if we will be faithful to ?ocl~ God will be fititltf'ul to us, and give u the victory ov ' L' tlt1s m1ghty, rcio·nin(T and r mors 'I'. s sin, in that w:ty in which only it is worth goa'i ning, the vi ·tory by con. ciencc, th \:ictory by D'I V·II 1e truth, the victo ry by th claim. and power of th Gospel, the victory by urn voletlC and lov ·, the victory by God',. gra:e to God' cverla;-; ting glory. Then , hall the text be fulfill d 1.n u ~, ''For the Lord will not ca. t off l1i:; prople, nor forsake Jus inherita ii <'C; uut jnclgm •nt f'hall r ' lurn unto rightcousne. , and a ll the upright iu heart ~ hull follow it." |