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BT h Itev. ^Wm. M:c1L.AK,EN. PUBLISHED BY REQUEST. ■ , . A- ■■■ BELLE'^iLE : nmrrxD at thv " qidependbnt " offiob, bt jajobs t. bsuj. 1865. ' .-, ■ :i\]„-\ •vitM I r •I . 2^ My f-^' \ li ^'' PREFATORY NOTE. ThR Mowing discourse was preached on the morning of Sabbath, 16tii April, the day after the sad news of the assassination of President Lincoln at Washington, reached /Canada. It would never have occurred t(J myself to give to the world thou^ks so hastily thrown together, ^'"^but a very general desire having been expressed by those who heard it, tp see the discourse published, I have con- - sentod, more wity|. view of giving oxprossion to the feeUngs of abhorr JH|nvhich have been excited in every part of Canada by this deed, than from any intrinsic merit iu the Sermon itself. . In revising the notes for the press, some changes have been made in tho^phraseblogy, and a few sentences have been added ; but for the most part the discourse remains the same as when delivered. ; W. McL. . BelleviUe, 2ith April, 18C5. .; ■tn.--' V H mm .«•>;• i I > i t- . \ -• i: -I- -rV ■ ■; ■:i ■•'^■- Vti. -•i ■■? » THE DEATH OF ABNER. -**«- I n u-,-1 ;:: . aaJU " And tho kinsi IfttnontHl over Abncr, and iwid, And nil Ibe peoplo wepl egiuD." The event which occagioned thooe pftthotic '■'■"""'""ons on the part oi David, in "hi^h '"'^r Afhi ^rv o^' nnitiKl occurred at a very critical period in the hutory oi I,r«l.'TfrrVho death^of Saul, the kinR-lon. ha.l boon JenTin twain, one part •«»'•«""J:;e?S!ln Ihe good providence of^od, abnght^ day daimed on the land, and a door opened tor the return of neacT This happy event eeemed to depend largely on the'^life of Abner: ^tLt brave captain, who had been tho supp^^^^^^^ of ihe hous? of Saul, stung by the iSitode of his master, and moved, perhaps, m part, by hTfcicxSledge of the fact that the Lord had sworn to give theSom to the son of Jesse, made overtures to David to briSout the peacefuV union of the whole nation und^r his scwt^? For this purpose, ho had visited David at SeS and Z met >Sth>at welcoine which was due aUketohis character, his position, and h^miss^on.^^ _ Having perfected his league with David, Abnj^r depart- edfto gXr *he tribes to^ebroA, to instel him as t ng overihe united nation. Scarcely, however,had ho left the X XHoab, the capt«in of David's host returning from ^"^JJl-ju: " d ,„WMrK« Imd been eneaced, was infomed .'■. ■MP* .1 - ■(.- I •» rilK JtKATII or UI.VKR, I'oiiliii^M hud |i)ii;4; miikltui in tlio liOMotil oi' .Itiuti towunlH the Hviil uliU'l'tuin. IIIh l»n»thor, AhuIioI, liud tor IiIm own I'iiHiiuuHM luul mosiiiiiptiori buoii Hluiri oii ilio fjold of huttlu l>y tho noworrul iiitn of Abiior. Thia.IcMil) hud not forgot- ten. Arul tlio four of hoiii^; HiiporHodod, muUir tho how ordor of thiiit^;**, hy hJB rival, muy huvo Kivoii iiitoiwity to hiH rovtMifjjoful foolinjjjH. MoHHoiijjjorH woro " ut oru-o dis- nUehod by him, who iiidutod Ahnor to rotjirii to llol)roi» 'or ft peaceful goiiforoiico with .loub. ConBcUwM of the roctitiido r)f hiH own burporioH, Abnor confidiwl in tho in- toprity nnd honnfir or Duvid'H captain. In thoso oircum- HtancuH, tho mootinjjj took placo at tho gate of tho city, and in tho inidnt «f thoir friendly convortttttioi» .loub dealt tlio unMnHpoctinf^ Abnor tho aHsassin's Htub which brought him to an untimely grave. Such waH tho event which made Diivid and all ^o poopio Weep. 'dm In dwelling on our text, wo may r»ot*o, L— I'HE IMI'OBT OF TUB MMRVTJkTIOX. Wfien David in his impasHionod lamon0*wks : " Dit5d Al»* nor as ft fool o history of tho imtioti, when onBaBod liopotidl.v and mic wrmm WM m ■ n. ?■■ '0 ■ is i: *S , . - -1 ."^ - '■■■ ■ ■■■ P H' THE DEATH OP iM»NEH. qesafuUy in ft great work which hia death threatened to arrest. - ; .' " -_ His energies were now employed toeffecta reunion of all the tribes of Israel under dne stable and happy govern- ment. The work to which he had consecrated himself was to arrest the bloodshed of that fratricidal war which was sending desolation and mourning into so many homes in every part of the land, and to bring brethren to dwell together in unity. This benign wdrk was now all but ac- complished, when he on whom, undjer God, it seemed more than any other to depend, is suddehly struck down by the hand of an assassin. The circumstances of Abn&r's death were peculiarly fitted to beget aojiong his followerg feel- ings of bitter animosity towards tm pppoaiQg party, which c(wld not but greatly aggravate xhe diffictdty of recon- ciliation. Nothing could well have Jiaopetied more ^kely •to postpone indefinitely the peace on wich Abner had set his heart. His death $tt such a juncture was no ordina.ry calamity, . / 3> The iQanner of his death wjas such as to ipispire all right thinking men with horror. There is no icrime from whicl^ tiie feelings and moral €eiise of a people enjoying the light of revelation, shrink with more instinctive horror than from the deed of the tissassiu. For a man to be struck down unwarned in the midst of bis da^s, snatched away from the bosom of his family, and hurried into eternity by the stealthj^ stroke of . one whom, it may be, he has treated with the kindness of ' a friend, is something against which all that in pure and honourable in our nature revolts. We loathe the meanness, while we abhor the wickedness of the dastardly act. It is one of those deeds which so shocks the inoral seivii? of mankind, as to inspire a distrust of those priuciples of ^on- " science and humanity which are the foundation of all se^ curity for social order and humata life, and which render organized society possible. In proportion as a nation is imbued with the spirit of revealed religion, will be its abhorrence of ttiis foul deed. And very much In tihtie measure in which thp Ghristian revelation exceW in clearness and fulness the l^osaie, is its felt influence in deterripg from thi^ <5rime. The immor- .? ■■«"■■ fi ■*■;■ TIIEI>EATH OP ABNEB. M i t^ty of the sonl, the i»dg™*'j;JbitedTii^re™™pS"" ' !^„ity of human nature -^ So imp" tanJe of, -xitnoorfr;rc&^^^^ sanctions, ttet such deeds pan be done^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^'Sis character BhouldteW?hieMed such a Het^^^W^-dgen^^,^^ |,e had caused the death »/ .^X ''na „„!„ after he tod that was on the open field of batUe^J^^^ used the moat todlj-eftorts to dissuaaen^ -b^ ^^ from «Wl6-.co'"''»t»"ii*"'Xm and prudence rte- more nearVy h.s equd. H.s ^^omj^n^ P^^^^ mandedthere9pect,a8hiBgonero8it)cn^^^ ■Wosearcl. of aUwhocouldapprtcjateaw^tl^^c^^^^^ ^,. . fSSt°'of^Sfr4'^ '-''"" „„d from^yt'a°'^yt*X^feata«sof deeper presented m our text, only mar ^^neaction as it ^ef^;: 'It'l^d^-ratSrill of horror from «... Atlantic to the PfAf • ^^ „ f private revenge, a plot Without even *e poOTO««^»« JP" ^ ^ compass, by was formed which waB ev^entlyd^^^^ ^^R^'cSS'fltneadsof Departments.., ■'•■ ,1. i ' . ',1 ■ ■■1 ■ ■ t I ■■;. . : ■ . -4' ■ ■ -/ 10 THE DEATH OP ABNER. Iu8 goYernme^t. Happily foiled, as respects the majority ot itsjntende4 victims, it has been only too successfuj in regard to the most loved arid trusted of them all. Abraham Lincoln has fallen by thehand of the assassin I Thereare multitudes in other lands who have learned to love the departed President, almost as a personal friend, and still more .who will abhor the means of his untimely end. What 18 to-day the voice of a weeping nation, will as swiftly aJ taose tidings fly, become the voice of the Christian world. -^_A8 a mi.n falloth before wicked men, so fellesfc thou." _ Wo need express no opinion on the terrible and protract- ed contest With whixsh this act is so closely connected, intelligont men, looking on from without, may not find it yery^easy to sympathize entirely with either party ; and m attempting to apportion the blame, may honestly diflFer. But whatever diversity of sentiment may obtain a^ to the unhappy war, which we fondly trust is now drawing ton close, there m be but one opinion pf this deed of "blood. It 18 one of those crimes to which, happily, the history of tbo \yoria supplies fe\y narallels. It makes us feeL ^ if the shadow on the wprid's dial had moved backwards. It Oarries us away to the dark days of French history. It recdls the blood of St. Bartholomew, and Henry IV. and awakens us to the consciousness that crimes, which we had hoped were impossible, in Christian America, may still be perpetrated among us. In thip crisis of their history, the people of the United states, to whom w© are bound by so many ties of blood, language, rehgion.and commerce, deserve, and I am sure will receive, our warmest sympathies. Agrmtai^agoodTmnlMsfaUmarmngthem. Risintr from th^^rank^ to the highest position in the land, by the torce a^d mt^rity of his character, Abraham Lincohi hrfs shown himself one of naturo's nobility; His name is des- tined, we believe, to take a high place among the states- men of the worid. Firm, wisp, consistent, honest, concili- atory, and ^generous even to a fault, yet inflexible in ptirsqmg the ,^luty of the nation, and, in subordination thereto,, the fiiepdom of the slave, he was eminently the man for the cifisis in which the helm of state came into his hand. Shunning all appeals to tiie passions and pre- 4- [ u THE D^ATH OP ABNBB. 11 indicesof the ignorant against foreign powers, and all te \ iSrcraft whil onmloyf language to conceal thought, he c^ried h s^^^^^^ afong with him by the clear ^"?«"^^«- S in transpLtit terms, of the purposes he had formed, S^Sb which ^ded him in th4 !^«^^^« nf hia onward career. He Was a tower of strength to tnc nation The h^t of the people safely trusted m>im Th^ ToWof such a man does^iot rank among the ordinary %mt worh which his hath threataw to airest. His wise SSfliatry hand seem.d «peciaUyeeded to^uide the nation safely through its present difficulties. At the moment when the desired haveii appeared m Jiew, but Vre the bSers were past, he, wliose «*c*dy hand^M held the helm in the storm, is strlick down. It^^ ^^ftrd to foresee the passions which may be a^-OH^cdv^^lfe^^' plSns and conftisioh which may spring from Ihis caU ^ItS:^ of his «^ ^6^ -"isi^f^^ callous shudder. Death in any form is the king of Errors, but in this instance it was so terrible as to give special emDhasTto the good old tetition, •' from suaden death, &Z^ deli^r us." Without a «-^£.^«;^ and without even a parting word, he was J^^^^^^av from his friends, his children, and "the bosom friend,^ "^tf pSsk^atsuch a moment, to recall the noble ex- T)ressfonrof&stian sentiment and Mingjvhjch per- ?rdeS strtbut memorableMessage which^^^^ to Coneress at the commencement of his second FresideH- *bl tern Unlike the cold and formal recognitions of dWii^^th often seen in State^docmnet^^^^^^ wrought into its very texttire. and niade the t^hole mes- rie glowSvith the warmth and oarnestness of a heart ^vhich had felt the power of the gospel.^ t;„>,* nv*»r the But while this thought sheds a f ^«'^^1J'S^^^^^^^^^ Q-ravo of the good man who has been tak«n «way» »t in Ss our sS of tlie wickedness of the haudby whioh be was struck down. / ■ _ i: iniiMnMipi 12 THE DEATH OP ABNBR. I- V' 1 ' ; 'i V v '•1 "} ¥, There have been cases when the unholy deed of the jissassin seemed less heinous. When the blood-thirsty tyrant, or the relentless persecutor, who has trampled on lUl law,hulnan and divine, is struck down by violenco,_we condemii^he act, while we recognize its substantial justice. But ho^, it is the good, the generous, and the just that is theyvictim.— " As a man faUeth before wicked mori, so felleait thou." , TMis event is fitted to impress upon us important lessons. It reminds us that an ' evangelistic work remains to bo done in Christian lands of which wo little dreamed. We. are well aware that, heretofore, only a small portion of any community have felt the saving power of divine truth, but we had hoped that its indirect influence m civilizing the nations, and in imparting light and vitalitv to conscience, would have rendered such deeds, as that which we deplore, impossible in Christian America. What makes our rude awakening more startling, is the fact that many yrere evi- dently concerned in the unhallowed plot, and still more sympathize with the assassin. It cannot be believed that, without the impulse of private revenge, he would have ventured on so terrible a crime, unless assured of the ap- plause of a large circle, whose consciences were as per- verted as his own. That any number of persons imbue(^ with such a spirit could be found in a Christian land, is a startling faist, which should arouse the Church to m«re earnest activity to reach all classes of the community, and especially those unchristianized savages who walk our streets in the garb of gentlemen. ^ . Itcalls to the exercise of faith. It teaches lis to lOok iiway from earth to heaven, to Him who can make " the vtrli|h of man to praise him, and restrain the remainder thereof." It seems to say, " Cease from man whose breath /is in his nOstrils."— " The Lord reigneth, let the earth be 'glad." Whenour Father sits on the throne of the universe, •we know that -however dark the sky, there is light in ^e cloud. It is his prerogative to bring good outof evil. He made the death of Abner advance, rather than retard the work of reconciliation in Israel, and he can make even this appalhng crime subserve tire cause of peace and ordei"...------.r ::-.-> '-' ■ ■■■-■-■ ■-, v, , .-.._;. ^..- .,._....■:,.. .^._. a.,, .^.-.^.u.:- ■ii^' ■ti ■ ■■' ■st-rfc^."'-" ■-/• ■ ^^^ .■«•, . ,i}.v.r .' ' "/ ., .,, . • ' :■ .-' ; \- . y t '•■ «f ' . *' ' ' . ^ • ■; '.■■■■ ■- -, '. .-■■.■.■■^ ■ V ■■/) ■ 1 X. ; ■ . ■.■•.' t ■ ■■-. •' ., ■ • • ;' ■ >. " r * "*. ■ -'. i;' ■ i • •■ \ ■ . ■ It f • Vv»::.^ \ ■'. t ' ' : .. .. •• \'.- . ■ ' . ■'::x.;;::: . \ ' ■; r