28 THE SACRIFICE OF CONTINUAL PRAISE. an humble minister of Christ, and it is my duty to flash the light of the gospel, and of truth, upon all questions of duty, upon all the relations of life. I trust I shall ever strive to preach that gospel as a vital, practical thing—not as a dim abstraction—for living men—-for men with hearts, applied to the real issues of life. For the manner in which I discharge this duty, T am responsible not to man, nor to consistory or congregation, but to God, I fear not to meet my record, on this score at least, however imperfectly the duty may have been done. I call you, my people, to witness that I have not, for fear of man, failed-to declare unto you the whole counsel of God. I submit to every patriot, independent of party, is there not reason for gratitude to God in the unanimity with which the issue was decided ? Is it not better so, than with divided counsels,—Congress ruled, it may be, by one party and policy, while the executive seeks to carry out another,—confusion worse confounded ? Now you know where to place responsibility: on the broad shoulders of a noble, honest man. To-day, as never before, not even in the memorable spring of sixty-one, we present an unbroken, firm front to the enemy. What is the voice brought to our ears by this result? Is it that all the acts of the administration are endorsed ? No, by no means. It says just this, “We, the people of the North, say there shall be but one nation in all this territory of the United States.” It says, “ Here we proclaim to all the world, .hat men are able to govern themselves; that a free republic can and will live, in spite of foreign hate and
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