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benefits, has this struggle a great spiritual use, in
restoring our old primitive and puritan sense of
dependance upon God. As already observed, under
the united influences of prosperity and covetousness,
we were fast becoming an irreverent, and indeed,
atheistic nation, and that divine favor, whereon solely
our fathers relied, was scarcely reckoned among our
sources either of preservation or prosperity. But we
are now learning, once for all, and thoroughly, that
our national salvation depends neither on political
sagacity, nor military strength, but on the protection
of that Arm that ruleth in Zion—that, indeed, all
those material resources, and social influences, which
we counted as strength, are, without the divine
blessing, only so many elements of destruction; and
that all those bonds of national Union, that we
pronounced indissoluble—this broad communism of
industrial and commercial interest—this grand geo¬
graphical unity—this brotherhood of kin, and cast,
and race—this proud partnership in blessed memories
and glorious hopes—that these, and whatsoever else
have seemed bands of triple steel round our beloved
confederacy, are yet only as a spider's web when an
incensed God, turns away from us the light of his
countenance. God is teaching us herein great ethical
and theological lessons, and will bring us forth from
the trial, as gold purified from the fire, not the old
boastful infidel nationality, but a reverent and chris¬
tian people, whose God is the Lord.
We may not pursue this point further. Enough
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