8 THE SACRIFICE OF CONTINUAL PRAISE. every department the nation made rapid progress towards permanent preeminence among the nations of the earth, (thank (rod that even yet in spite of disaster she holds upon her upward way,) but we were as those who walked over graves and slept above festering corruption: beneath our feet humanity lay buried ; justice, and truth, and purity were crushed down into the very bowels of the earth, by the most gigantic political wrong of modern centuries. There was a stirring in the graves—the life-giving resurrection-bearing power of the gospel of Christ Jesus, proclaiming the rights of man to his life, his person, and his liberty, was sent forth over the land ; and as, when in spring the south wind blows upon the trees, the buds appear and signs of life are seen, so the nation began to arouse itself under the incitement of this mighty power. The years roll on, years ofcrime and wrong, until the signs fulfilled,the way prepared,the resurrection trumpet sounded— its blast a blast of wroe—then the nation.with a noble heroism unparalleled in history, resolved that, rather than live longer in peace, at the expense of justice and liberty, she would grasp the sword : to do and dare, and if she must, to die, but to perish nobly struggling for the right. We called it night; it was the resurrection morning, though we knew it not. I tell you my friends that we are prone all the time to look only on the surface, at the outside. If God will only give us grace to look down through, to the centre, and see what is really going on, what tremendous and vital principles are involved, what grand conclusions are being reached, what momentous issues are being tried, what glory shines beyond all these clouds : that it is but the irrepressible conflict between
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