“&\)C .Sljirlbs of tijr Eartij belong unto ffiob.”

AN ELECTION SERMON

DELIVERED BEFORE

HIS EXCELLENCY JOHN D. LONG, GOVERNOR;

HIS HONOR BYRON WESTON,

LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR;

THE HONORABLE COUNCIL, AND THE LEGISLATURE OF MASSACHUSETTS,

In King's Chapel, Boston, January 4, 1882.

BY JOSEPH F. LOVERING,

MINISTER OF THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH, WORCESTER, MASS.

BOSTON : JSant, gi&erg, Sc Co., Printers to tfje Commontoealtf), 117 Franklin Street. 1882.

Commonimaltl] of fllassaclmsctts.

House op Representatives, Feb. 1, 1882. Ordered, That a committee of three be appointed to present the thanks of the House to the Rev. Joseph F. Lovering, for the interest- ing and instractive discourse preached before the executive and legislative branches of the State Government on the 4th of January last, and to request a copy of the same for publication. GEO. A. HARDEN, Clerk

(Eommontoealtfj of fHassadjusctts.

House of Representatives, Boston, Jan. 13, 1882.

Reverend and dear Sir, The undersigned have been appointed a committee in behalf of the House of Representatives, to return to you the thanks of the House for the instructive, patriotic, and valuable discourse delivered by you in King’s Chapel, on the 4th inst., before the executive and legislative branches of the State Government, and to ask a copy of the same for publication. Truly “ the shields of the earth belong unto God.” Very respectfully, A. R. MARSHALL. JOHN McFARLEY. O. A. ROBERTS. To the Rev. J. F. Loveking, Worcester, Mass.

To A. R. Marshall, John McFarley, O. A. Roberts, Committee of the House of Representatives. Gentlemen, —l am glad to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, informing me of the generous approval of the House of Representatives, expressed by its vote of thanks, of the sermon I had the honor to deliver on the 4th inst. in King’s Chapel. In compliance with the request of the House, I send you, with this, a copy of my sermon for publication. I am, with great respect, Very truly yours, J. F. LOVERING. Worcester, Mass., Jan. 16, 1882.

SERMON.

“The princes of the people ake gathered together, . . . for the SHIELDS OF THE EARTH BELONG UNTO GOD.”— Ps. xlvii. 9.

God witnesses to himself in nature and humanity. The course of nature and the history of mankind give an immediate and supreme confession of God. When Coleridge, the English philosopher and poet, stood in the vale of Chamouni, and saw the sunrise glorify the majestic summit of Mont Blanc, he sang a hymn. Those who read it, and picture to themselves the august scene, who look up to the bald and awful head of that dread and silent mount; who trace out the features scarred by avalanche and glacier; who hear the organ tones of the Arve and Arveiron ; who feel the gloom that folds itself about it like a robe where the shadows of the night still linger ; who can see above the forehead the mountain the fading of o glimmer of a star, fading as the golden light of the morning comes forth from the gateways of the east, — 8 Election Sermon. they can enter into the reverent and solemn spirit of the poet, and can understand, with him, the august lesson of the hour. He sees all, and questions questions the troops of stars, “ the five wild torrents fiercely glad,” the icy caverns and the jagged rocks; and then, turning to the glaciers, the ice-falls sloping adown enormous ravines, he exclaims, —

“Motionless torrents! silent cataracts! Who made you glorious as the gates of heaven Beneath the keen full moon ? Who bade the sun Clothe you with rainbows? Who, with living flowers Of loveliest blue, spread garlands at your feet?

God ! let the torrents, like a shout of nations, Answer! and let the ice-plains echo God ! God ! sing, ye meadow-streams, with gladsome voice! Ye pine groves, with your soft and soul-like sounds! And they too have a voice, yon piles of snow, And in their perilous fall shall thunder God.”

In this way the impressive “ Hymn before Sunrise, in the Yale of Chamouni,” records the confession nature everywhere and always makes. We cannot spell out even the alphabet of creation without reading some declaration of the power, the beneficence, the wisdom, and the majesty of God. Such conclusion has added emphasis when we turn to study the history of man- kind. God rules and reigns. lie determines the des- Election Sermon. 9

tinies of humanity. He judges the life of nations. Before him every people must bow. By him alone can any government endure. The history of the world is a revelation ot God’s dealings with mankind. This is no denial of human freedom and responsibility. 1 The state, however it may be named, whether it be an empire or a canton, —is built by its citizens. Its civilization is the average of its life. Its laws are the average of its conscience. Its education is the average of its intelligence and culture. Its pros- perity is the average of its thrift, energy, foresight, endurance, and enthusiasm. Its character is just what all these sum up, with all else that may be incorpo- rated in its existence. Nevertheless, it is true that God utters himself in human civilization. God, of his sovereign will, ordains the state. 2 Involved as the terms of the equation of life may be, and perplexed as the problem of human achievement and advancement may be, it is impossible to eliminate the divine. With broad and generous patience God spares not his blessing.

1 “ slan is the free and intelligent artificer of a work which is not his own.” “By the hand of man, the designs of Providence are wrought out in the government of the world.” Guizot’s History of Civilization, vol. i. p. 230. 2 “ The nation has a divine foundation, and has for its end the fulfil- ment of the divine end in history.”—Mui.fokd’S Nation, chap. iv. 10 Election Sermon.

With searching wisdom he detects and discloses in- sincerity and sin. His finger touches and reveals the obscure weakness. His strength supports and encour- ages all honest work. We may render him service ; He suffers in Christ for us: and only as the state is both robust in manhood and devout in obedient con- secration, can it wear the seal of Heaven’s benediction.

Max Muller says 1 that an “ ethnos,” or nation, is not the development of a family merely, or the possession of a common language merely, but the possession of one religious faith. It was the unity of worship which bound the tribes of the Greeks into the great Hellenic nation, and gave the Jews the name of “ the people of God.” This recognition of God in national exist- ence cannot be regarded as a religious or intellectual prejudice ; there is the clearest warrant that it has been the source and motive of national life. 2 The psalm in which our text occurs witnesses to it. It is a song of triumph. It thrills with the joy of the people

1 See Science of Beligion, third lecture. 2 Plutarch. Against Colotes, 31: “In the constitution of laws and poli- cies, the first and most important article is a belief and persuasion of the gods.” Again, in the same section: “I am of the opinion that a city might sooner be built without any ground to fix it on, than a common- wealth be constituted without religion or faith in the gods.” Hegel, Phi- losophy of History, to the same effect, declares, “The idea of God consti- tutes the general foundation of a people.” Election Sermon. 11 because God had blessed them with success. Judah had been victorious. The Moabites, the Ammonites, and t; a great multitude from beyond tire sea,” had come in battle against them. The people were panic- stricken. Jehoshaphat, their king, was dismayed. lie proclaimed a fast, gathered the people in the house of the Lord, and prayed, 1 “ O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven 1 and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen X and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to

? withstand thee . . . O our God, we have no might against this great company that cometh against us ; neither know we what to do : but our eyes are upon thee.” God heard the cry of his people. The enemy were overwhelmed. “ A whirlwind of confusion sent them flying like stubble before the storm back to their native haunts.” 2 So complete was their defeat that

“ every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returned to Jerusalem with joy." Was it not fitting that a psalm should be sung X The fate of a nation is a revelation of divine judgment. No nation is born unless God sows the seed of its life. No nation continues without announcing by its con-

1 2 Chron. xx. 6, 12.

2 Stanley, History of the Jewish Church, vol. ii. p. 430. 12 Election Sermon.

tinnance the commandment of God. And when a nation comes to ruin, when the broken walls of its palaces are the sad monuments over its sepulchre, the inscription upon its tombstone is the verdict of God upon its life. God does not forget. His righteousness has sleepless vigilance. Beneath the throne on which wrong with sceptred authority exults, the fires of the volcano are kindled. Belshazzar calls for the golden vessels from the temple of the house of God; and his princes and wives and concubines drink from them, and praise the gods of gold and silver, and of brass and of iron and of wood and of stone : but in the same hour come forth the fingers of a man’s hand, and write the sentence which makes the king’s counte- nance change and his knees smite one against the other. Chateaubriand once wrote, 1 “ When in the silence of abject submission we hear only the chains of the slave and the voice of the informer, when all tremble before the tyrant, and it is as dangerous to incur favor as to merit disgrace, the historian appears to be charged with the vengeance of nations. It is in vain that Nero triumphs. Tacitus has been born

in the empire : he grows up near the ashes of Ger- manicus, and already uncompromising Providence has

1 In the Mercury. Election Sermon. 13 handed over to an obscure child. the glory of the mas- ter of the world.” In the city of Granada, “ the last stronghold of Moorish dominion in Spain,” is the Alhambra. Over its most imposing gateway is the in- scription, “ There is no conqueror but God.” How little the Moor realized the fact! He conquered ;he held sway on the banks of the Darro and Xenil ; he built up from the rude Red-castle, which gave its name to the completed work, the magnificent structure of tower and palace; and ho thought “ God is conqueror” for me ! But the day came when the Moor disap- peared. The crescent went down as the cross arose.

The power of the words. “ There is no conqueror but God,” was declared in the victory of the Christian faith. Thus all along the history of the past the impressive truth of the sovereignty of God has been emphasized. His providence, his justice, his power, have been the revelation of even the ordinary history of mankind. What profounder significance attaches to that Revela- tion which bears his autograph ! Better than the hymn in the vale of Chamouni is the psalm written in Pales- tine ; more impressive than the silence of Mont Blanc is the song of the soul of faith. Grander than the majestic verse of Coleridge is the triumphal strain ol

“ the Psalmist : O clap your hands, all ye people ; 14 Election Sermon.

. • Sing shout unto God with the voice of triumph. . praises to God, sing praises : sing praises unto our God, sing praises. For God is the king of all the

: earth sing ye praises with understanding. . • • lhe princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham : for the shields of the earth belong unto God : he is greatly exalted.”

Yes, “ the shields of the earth belong unto God. This is the inevitable conclusion of the most careful and vigorous thought. Human society did not happen: it was ordained. Human progress is not evolution, brrt revelation. God utters himself in the discipline and advancement of mankind. There are, unquestion- ably, those whose theory of life, social and civil, is essentially, if not confessedly, atheistic, exceptions who prove the rule. According to them, religion has nothing to do with practical governmental affairs. It is good for the church, but not for the state house. It may have a quasi toleration, as a lingering super- stition, in the public school, but can have but a shad- owy presence in the capitol. Yet the fact is historic, not only that every other government has sought the support of religion, and has founded itself in the patri- otism of the people by its religious faith, but that our New England, out from whose loins our national in- Election Sermon. 15

stitutions have been so largely born, recognized this magnificent truth, the triumphal sovereignty of God. The true name of Rome was too sacred to be spoken. Athens, with all her philosophy and art, took her name from her tutelary deity. Modern nations and their lead- ers have held themselves to be representatives of a de- vout and commanding faith. Even Napoleon carried the Bible with him on his campaigns, and called it pol- itics. Certainly, we of America, we of New England, need no assurance that the protection which the past secured, and the triumph in which the present exults, belong to God. We of New England exist by our rec- ognition of and faith in the declaration of the Psalm-

ist, “ the shields of the earth belong unto God.’’ Before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, while still on ship-

board, — they subscribed an agreement in which they covenanted and combined themselves together “ into a civil body politic,” declaring their adventure had been

“ undertaken for the glory of God and the advance- 1 ment of the Christian faith ;” and when, a little over one year after their landing, it seemed necessary to pro- tect themselves, they made their defence a sanctuary.

“ “ They built,” says Bradford, 2 a fort with good timber,

1 Pai.fkky’s History of New England, vol. i. chap. y. 2 Ibid. 16 Election Sermon.

both strong and comely, which was of good defence, made with a flat roof and battlements, on which their ordnance were mounted. It served them also for a meeting-house, and was fitted accordingly for that use. Moral and religious obligations were not forgotten in

the practical necessities of the hour ; nor have they ever been. So long ago as 1661, Rev. John Norton, in an election sermon, 1 said, “ that which is written

” upon the forehead of New England is “ the compleat walking in the faith of the gospel, according to the order of the gospel.” It is certainly suggestive that the first of all the civil constitutions of America was not only moved, but its principal provisions were shaped,

2 by a New England minister ; and when, in the course of human events, the years drew near to that great struggle which gave us independence, another New England minister, 3 writing to James Otis, “Lord’s Day morning, June 8, 1766,” emphasized “the great use and importance of a communion of colonies,” which suggested “ the idea of committees of correspondence, a measure of the greatest efficiency in producing con-

-1 See Thornton’s Introduction to the Pulpit of the American Bevolu- tion. 2 Thomas Hooker. See Busiinehl’s Historical Estimate in Work and Play, p. 180, note. 3 Jonathan Mayhew. See Pulpit of the American Bevolution, p. 44. Election Sermon. 17

cert of action between the colonies.” The thoughtful and religious character of the colonies is indicated by the remark of Edmund Burke, “ They judge of the pressure of the grievance by the badness of the prin- ciple.” John Adams, describing “ the scene in the council chamber of the old Town House in Boston,”

when James Otis opposed the writs of assistance , says, “ American Independence was then and there horn. The seeds of patriots and heroes, to defend the non sine Diis animosus infans, to defend the vigorous youth, were then and there sown.” Not without God not

without God ! Then and there was the faith which confessed “ the shields of the earth belong unto God.” John Quincy Adams declared that “ the highest glory of the American Revolution was this, that it con- nected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” Daniel Webster said of our fathers, “ They accom- plished the Revolution on a strict question of prin- ciple.” “The creed of New England” may be sharply criticised as “ oppressive,” but the critic does not hesi- tate to confess that “the seed of liberty lay in it.” 1 Our fathers trusted in God. To him they lifted the

at 9 i Historical Address delivered lllngham, Mass., Any. , ISSI, by riiAKEES Eliot Norton. 18 Election Sermon.

psalm of devout worship when the Pilgrims consecrated to God and to liberty the coasts of New England, lo him the hearts of the adventurous settlers were lilted when they sought to establish themselves in what was then a wilderness, peopled only by wild beasts and the scarcely less untamed savage. In him the people trusted when for conscience’ sake they threw off their allegiance to the mother country, and determined to be free. And, throughout all the vicissitudes that have beset us as a people, in God has been our trust. The footprints of his providence mark out the way of our national life. Plis eyes are unskilled to discern the truth, who does not see in the history of our country the guidance and guardianship of Almighty God. In making this assertion, we must not fail to recog- nize the providence of God in the days that belong to our own generation. “ Religion is conterminous with the historical life of man,” it has been said. 1 But such statement must not be remitted to what has occurred, —to the facts that have been accomplished in a com- paratively remote past. It includes that series of facts which are just leaving the touch of our hands, and that life which is even now under the moulding of our indi- vidual and associated purpose. It is a strangely per-

-1 Mulfokd’s Republic of God p. 42. Election Sermon. 19

verse faith that “ The shields of says,1 belong- •> the earth o unto God” was true in former days, but denies the immediate, special rule of God in the days now with us or that have just passed from us. It is not enough to say God was God by his sovereign grace to the indi- vidual soul, and by his awful dealings with humanity; but it must be said. God is God. His are the peoples of the earth always. “ There is,” says Mulford,1 “ the coming of an active power and an energy in the poli- cies and politics of this earth, which they who build their dominations over it may refuse to recognize, hut which they cannot always obstruct.” Now, aside from the fine spiritual relations with which the writer con- nects such declaration, it is just as true of the ordinary practical and routine affairs of the state and of the citi- zen. The sovereignty of God should be acknowledged in all things, in the Church and in the Common- wealth. The God who guided and guarded the fathers upholds and prospers their sons. This faith governed the enterprise that colonized New England. This faith signed the compact, “ in the name of God, amen,” on board “ The Mayflower.” This faith strengthened our fathers in their resolution against oppression. This faith put brawn into the arms of those who mixed tea

1 Republic of God, p. 231. 20 Election Sermon.

with sea-water and brewed it in Boston Harbor; it lighted the old belfry which signalized Paul Revere to sound the alarm that made Lexington and Concord the Han- Thermopylae of American liberties ; it wrote John

cock’s name to the Declaration of Independence ; it to drew the sword of Bunker Hill ; it gave endurance those who suffered, as at Valley Forge, where the allies

of the foe were scanty rations and the winter’s cold ; it conquered in the war of 1812, and made the decks of our vessels sacred and forbidden to the touch of hos- tile feet. It was this faith in God that sounded the bugle and beat the drum in 1861, and called forth from our homes that grand reserve of loyalty that taught the nation that the penalty of treason is death, that taught the world that this country is one country from north to south, from east to west, one country so generous in its broad and open hospitality that every people shall find welcome in its home, one coun- try so small, so narrow, so utterly contracted, that there is room in it for no other flag but the flag of our Union, the flag of our heroes, the flag which a Massachusetts regiment baptized in its blood, and called “ Old Glory.” 1 It was this faith that gave

1 Since the delivery of this discourse I iearn on excellent authority (see Salem Register, Jan. 12, 1882) that the name “Old Glory” was given origi- nally to a flag belonging to Capt. William Driver, an old Salem shipmaster now living “in a hale old age” at Nashville. Tenn. Election Sermon. 21 vigor to the brain and genial warmth to the heart of our illustrious war governor, John Albion Andrew, whose thrilling words sounded forth “ like an imperial

” clarion along the whole line of battle ; and that quiv- ered and throbbed in the big heart of Abraham Lin- coln, our martyr president, when he wrote and signed that proclamation of liberty that disenthralled a race, and made four million slaves freedmen. Nor is this all: by this faith we may connect facts that seem incongruous, and discover a vital nexus be- tween them. The past may find in the present the fulfilment of its prophecy. The present may discern in the past the germ of its own growth and fruitage. For instance, here is a fact. Two miles or thereabouts from the State House is a notable, though slight, ele- vation of ground. It is hardly a hillock in comparison with other elevations within the State. But on it is an obelisk. It lifts itself two hundred and twenty-one feet above its foundations. It commemorates a deed that illustrated the yeoman heroism of a devoted people. It is the exclamation-point of the American Revolution. Here is another fact. Fourscore and ten years, nearly, after the battle of Bunker Hill, a Massachusetts man, 1 in the war for the preservation of the Union and for

1 Robert G. Shaw. 22 Election Sermon.

the honor of the flag, commanded a regiment of col- ored troops at the assault on Fort Wagner, South Caro- lina. He was struck full in the heart by a musket-ball, and buried, as the Charleston papers said, “ with his niggers.” In that assault, one of the brave men “ nigger ” though he was composing the gallant regi- ment was severely wounded in the breast. He held the United States flag. Unable to stand, he fell on his knees, lifting the flag with one hand, and press- ing the other hand on his wound. Still on his knees, he managed to get off the field'; and as he was at last lifted up, still carrying the stars and stripes, and taken to the hospital, he exclaimed, “ The flag has not been

” 1 on the ground !

How are these incidents related ? even as seed to fruit! What have they to do with the Psalmist’s words, “ The shields of the earth belong unto God ”? even this, that both declare the inevitable sureness and final vindication of the Divine Justice.

“ Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceed- ing small; Though with patience he stands waiting, with exactness grinds he all.”

Now, between the two facts cited is another, which

1 History of Massachusetts in the Civil War, Schooler, vol. i. p. 488. Election Sermon. 23 is by no means insignificant in itself and its final con- nections. Do you remember the day when a former mayor 1 of Boston wrote to certain Southern gentle- men, who had been alarmed by what they deemed an incendiary and revolutionary newspaper printed in Bos- ton, that he had “ ferreted out the paper and the

” editor; that the editor’s “ office was an obscure hole, his only visible auxiliary a negro boy, and his sup-

” porters a very few insignificant persons of all colors !

” “ His only visible auxiliary a negro boy! Ah! but what of his invisible auxiliary 1 was he to be scorned'! Go down the years a little, and see. Boston Massa- chusetts shakes under the tramp of armed men. They go forth singing. What is their psalm I

“ G-lcay, glory, hallelujah!”

They go forth : the invisible auxiliary is with them. Not a generation has passed. The new fanaticism of

1831 is a revival of patriotism in 1861 ; and to-day the nation honors Garrison and the “ Liberator ,” honors John Brown, the Leonidas of the war, whose soul goes marching on, honors the noble army of heroic soldiers, living and dead : and although the “ only visible auxiliary, a negro boy,’ is forgotten, the

1 Harrison Gray Otis. 24 Election Sermon. invisible auxiliary is known to be the Lord God of hosts. The blood of our fathers touched a little hillock in Charlestown, consecrated it to freedom, and lifted it in our reverence above the summit of Greylock or Wachusett. A black soldier, a Massachusetts sol- dier, — dying in defence of the flag, says, It has never touched the ground;” and the obelisk “the finger of the sun ” on Bunker Hill becomes a gigantic pen to write upon the arch of our nationality, in letters crimson with the life-blood of heroes who fell on land and sea, “ All men are created equal.” To-day we rejoice in a Union confirmed, in a flag with no star lost from its constellation of glory; to-day our hearts respond, “ The shields of the earth belong unto God.” Moreover, not only by the providential ordering of such events as those to which reference has been made, and of other events belonging to domestic and foreign statesmanship, to the commercial and industrial inter- ests of the country, and to the economical and edu- cational advancement of the people, but by the devel- opment of civic virtue, of a valorous, patriotic, and Christian manhood, God is teaching this Commonwealth and the nation that the security and progress of the citizen must come from him. Valor is strength. The heroic element must enter into all robust living. But Election Sermon. 25 valor is not all: patriotism is indispensable. He who does not love his country, does not deserve to live under the guardianship of her laws. But patriotism is not all. However essential these and other qualifications may be, there is one of supreme moment. “ Civiliza- tion,” says Guizot, 1 “is still in its infancy.” And, let it be remarked, civilization will never attain its com- pleteness until in the life of the people is manifest the regenerative power of the Christ, until the motive governing the activity of the citizen comes from the Holy Ghost himself. The true republic must be the republic of God. The best citizen is the servant of God. The nation itself has borne witness to the fact that the worthiest, the costliest expression of American citizenship is Christian manhood. Dante says that the Florentines, in his day, partook of “the mountain and the flint.” 2 We may be justi- fied in making these mean a lofty enthusiasm and a steadfast purpose. Certainly, in one instance at least, though iu the domain of art, Florence illustrated both. Near the heart of the city stands the Campanile, two hundred and sixty-eight feet high, the admiration of centuries. It was begun in 1334. So priceless is the work upon it that Charles V. said it should be

1 History of Civilization, vol. i. lecture 1. 2 Inferno, canto 15. 26 Election Sermon. enclosed in glass. So great was the expenditure in its construction that the fear was entertained that the republic “ was taxing her strength too far.” One man, who had expressed this fear too publicly, was impris- oned, and then conducted through the public treasury that he might know that the Florentines, were they so inclined, could build their whole city of marble, and not one poor steeple only.” Is there any dis- position among us to lament that we have no Duomo or Campanile to compel the enthusiastic admiration of the beholder 1 Let us rid ourselves of it. What is the noblest structure ever reared in marble or bronze, on which for centuries the chisel of time has delayed its work, to that invisible building veiled from mortal eyes, which reveals itself in so strong and upright and consecrated a manhood that the memory of it will be an inspiration in the nation so long as the republic

! endures We are Americans. This is Massachusetts : no State of all our States is more honorable. It has given its ideas and its men to the nation. Subtract from the nation to-day what has come from the brain and the loins of Massachusetts, and our well-ordered national government, under its present stout-hearted, clear-minded, vigilant, and dignified chief magistrate, himself of New England lineage, would resolve itself Election Sermon. 27 into “ confusion worse confounded.” In our midst, more precious than any work of art, are immortal memories, and a possibility grander than any achieve- ment. Among those memories, inciting us to the bravest use of our possibility, is that not yet removed from our sense of personal sorrow, a memory con- nected with one who rejoiced that those from whom he sprung belonged to Massachusetts, and bore their part at Lexington and Bunker Hill. Why have we mourned for him with a grief that is most natural when an immediate and personal affliction comes upon us 1 Not because he was a hero merely, not because he was a statesman merely, not because he was a scholar merely, not because he was our president merely. We have had greater heroes among the dead than he, Thomas and Rosecrans, Custer with his magnificent dash, and Burnside with his calm and steadfast earnestness; greater heroes among the living, gallant Phil Sheridan; Sherman, the great explorer of the war; and that commander of all our command- ers, the invincible captain and unimpeachable patriot, Ulysses S. Grant. We have had greater statesmen than he, Webster and Calhoun and Clay and Sum- ner among the dead, and others among the living. We have had abler scholars in every public profession, 28 Election Sermon. and presidents saved for a work which shall make their names endure. Why do we mourn as for a great, an almost unexampled loss ? Because,

“take him for all in all, We shall not look upon his like again.”

From the log cabin to the White House, in the flush of physical health, and in the unequal but heroic strug- gle wdth death, there was shown, in growth and in fruitage, the quality of a man. He represented to the world in fit proportions the fine sympathies, the care- fully balanced intellect, the practical purpose of life, the generous capacity, and the Christian faith of Amer- ican manhood. Orators, historians, and poets, the humble and the great alike, —in their endeavors to describe that manhood, must ever honor, as a con- spicuous illustration of it, the life, the character, and name of .James A. Garfield. Yet, let it be added with emphasis, that neither orators, historians, nor poets will do justice to his life and work unless they recognize him as one of the providential men of these times, and, in their study of his life and in their judg- ment of his character, acknowledge that unto the Lord our God praise is due. Praise ye the Lord always ! For whether they be armies marching in triumph, or communities living in harmony with divine law, Election Sermon. 29 whether they be men who adorn humble stations by civic virtue, or men in high stations, of unswerving in- tegrity and God-fearing devotion to the right, all “ the shields of the earth belong unto God.” Finally, by this faith in the sovereign rule of God we should forecast the future ; and, by the support such faith gives, we should go forth with fearless hearts to meet its fortunes. With God as our ally we need never be daunted; with God within the prophecy of our life we may go forth to greet the shadowy future with entire con- fidence. We read in Virgil’s immortal poem, 1 that when iEneas received from his goddess-mother the arms which should defend him, and by which he should conquer,

“ In wonder lost, at hand And at arm’s length he holds them back and forth.” In eager ecstasy he studies the shield’s devices. In its pictured prophecy he reads the prosperity that shall follow his success. The volume of the years to come is unrolled. Rome rises to power.

“ Chaste matrons lead Holy processions through the town, conveyed In cushioned cars.”

“ Conquered tribes In long processions pass before his eyes, Their speech as various as their dress and arms.”

1 zEnevl, book viii. Translation by John D. Long. 30 Election Sermon.

Other marvellous events are cunningly engraven on his shield.

“ Such is the gift—-.the shield that Vulcan wrought His mother’s gift, o’er which iEneas hangs, And happy at the dream, yet ignorant all Of its reality, a-shoulder flings The fortunes and the glory of his seed.” The hero is not lulled to any fancied security by his dream. He recruits his forces, arms himself, and con- quers victory. We may regret that in the poem there

” “ is so faint a glimmer of God ; yet it is not without recognition of the gods that iEneas attempts his work, and performs it. Before this Commonwealth, before this nation of which it is so considerable a part, there is a great and auspicious future. No prophet’s vision can extol its promise too greatly. The lines of our advance still climb upward. There is the coming of more excel- The nation increase. lent days.J will Power will Ogrow mightier. The people will be more devoted to right- eousness in all the methods of statesmanship, in the beauty and simplicity of public and private life. All this shall be; but all this shall be only when faith in God becomes the commandment and incentive of state and national life, when all the people as with one voice, acknowledging his sovereignty, shall say,

“ Tlie shields of the earth belong unto God.” Election Sermon. 31

Gentlemen of the Legislature, you have been chosen by your fellow-citizens to deliberate upon such matters as may be brought before yon that concern the welfare of the State; to enact such laws as shall promote the general order, security, and prosperity of the people; and incidentally or directly to deter- mine the policies and politics of the nation. Massa- chusetts, represented by her Legislature, is not limited in influence by the territorial area of the Common- wealth : she is a national power. A responsibility rests upon you, therefore, so serious that it should be assumed only in the most reverent and serious spirit. In the great Council at Nictea,1 in 325 A.D., ques- tions vitally affecting Church and State were debated and decided. The wisest and most devoted of the servants of the Church were presided over by Con- stantine the Great. The most vigorous measures were employed by personal arguments and public ap- peals to settle certain grave and important doctrines. There is a legend connected with this Council, which is to the effect, that, when the bishops took their seats upon their thrones, there were three hundred and eighteen; but whenever an important question was to be decided by vote, and they rose to be

1 Stanley’s History of the Eastern Church, lecture 5. 32 Election Sermon. counted, there were three hundred and nineteen. The popular faith of those days held firmly to the conviction that the one added to the original number was the Holy Ghost himself. Gentlemen, as you meet in pursuance of the duties laid upon you, may you so constantly have in mind your allegiance to God and his sovereignty over all human affairs, that it shall be as if upon all you do was impressed the seal of his approval! In such remarks I would associate with the mem- bers of the Legislature his Honor the Lieutenant- Governor and the honorable Council. Your Excellency, for the third time the people of this Commonwealth have intrusted to you the direction of the affairs of the State. The position you fill is high and honorable. Its duties and privi- leges are of great importance. They demand the most loyal devotion to the interests of the people, and the most devout prayer for guidance unto Him who is Governor over all the earth. But besides the faith-* ful discharge of every duty, and a just and considerate use of every privilege, you are called upon to be ready for whatever exigency in the public service the future may discover. Recall the old Norse story of Frey, 1

1 Echoes of Mist Land, Fobestieb, Introduction, p. xliv. Election Sermon. 33 the god of prosperity, who, with all other duties, was helmsman, captain, governor of the ship “ Skidbladner.” He was brought up in a land where men dwelt by the sea, as well as where they gathered the fruits of the soil. He governed his ship well, and the ship answered to his skill. With a favorable breeze and in peace she glided swiftly to her destination. On her were weapons and war-stores. When all was at peace, they could be folded into a minute compass. On her, also, was an armed host. When all was at peace, this host was invisible. But, should any need demand, the ship was all ready, and able to command victory. 0 Governor! O helmsman of our Ship of State! may your voyage be through sunny seas, helped by prosperous gales! But should the storm arise and danger threaten, and your soul be strained with anxiety, do not despair of the Ship of State. She is well provisioned, well manned, and a good sailer; and as in the past she has felt, and yielded to, the power of the Invisible, so, under the same blessing, she shall still sail the seas. God Save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts !