“For the Herald”

Date

4-27-1812

Newspaper

Augusta Herald

Page and Column

Page 2, Column 4.

Newspaper Location

Augusta, Georgia

Serial Number

769

Abstract

Long article on the day of prayer and humiliation held In South Carolina. Possible cause was the New Madrid earthquakes.

Transcript

For the HERALD. MESSRS. EDITORS. THERE is one thing upon which America may with the most intense feelings congratulate herself:--Her newspapers are open to the word of God, and sometimes contain the words God and Christ, written seriously: A community, where this may be done without pretty general ridicule is not lost where it cannot the community is lost. For the first time in my life, I have seen an evangelical state paper. It is the proclamation of H. E. Henry Middleton, Governor of South-Carolina, for "a day of humiliation, religious reflection and Prayer," in that state. These very terms distinguish it from that herd of fasts, which are only "for strife and DEBATE, and to SMITE with the fist of WICKENESS." This character of antithesis, it has maintained throughout. It would be impossible to conceive, were it not for this test of Peter-"there shall come in the latter time scoffers walking after their own lusts, and saying where is the promise of his coming? For, since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation"-and this of Daniel, "the wicked shall do wickedly, and shall not understand, but the wise, shall understand,"--I say were it not for these it would be impossible for a person, who refers to the texts I am going to quote, to conceive the existence of such a gang, such a vile pecus as that to which in this neighbourhood John Clarke Edwards may furnish a general name. How many even of the most seriously religious have overlooked, or rather read with more fire than light the caution contained in these verses-"nation shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines, and pestilences and earthquakes in divers countries. All these are the beginning of sorrows." "The end is not yet." How many pious people, when these things came to pass, expected the immediate end! What is the consequence? It is the direct consequence of "fear towards God being taught by the precept of men" of "none stiring up himself to seek after God"-that because these rash and unauthorized expectants were disappointed, (and among these were names deservedly great in the church) their whole basis of expectation was thrown into shade and ridiculed-by those-that were content with their authority, and would not look into scripture for themselves. But what should have been the consequence had they examined scripture? They would have found the word of God standing sure. If they had followed the sequel of that prophecy referred to and others concurrent, every new day, at least year, would for these twenty years past, have brought a new illustration. Instead then of being thrown off their guard, or disavowing perhaps a reluctant alarm, like sleepy beasts when a man circles off a little from them, the circumstance of the end not appearing, after wars and rumors of wars, and nations and kingdoms rising in mass, where of it was positively affirmed that they were only "the beginning of sorrows"-should have aroused made them ore strictly attentive to the ensuing symptoms should have aroused all their vigilance, and excited all their "diligence to make their calling and election sure." A deist, who doubts, from the best evidence he has been able to obtain, whether Daniel's prophecies were not written subsequent to the events they appeared to predict, or hesitates on the extraordinary phenomenon of the sun and moon being arrested by a human voice, may find a rational excuse in ordinary principles of reasoning; but a deist of 1812, three degrees removed from idiocy or with three rays of light more than reach the esquimaux, must be considered as a candidate for the bottomless pit. Let him believe in one text, viz. "Let not him which is on the house top come down to take any thing out of his house," and instantly withdraw his pretensions, if he can before the election to perdition is declared. They have repeatedly heard the near approach of the kingdom of God declared and every time received it with reinvigorated insult-they have seen one go away to his farm as was predicted, and another to him merchandize-they know a third, who has married a wife and cannot come: they know all this is in scripture, they know, there are "signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth, distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things that are coming on the earth"-and they may read, "when ye are these things come to pass, know ye, that the kingdom of God is high at hand?" If the wars and rumors of wars, &c. described but as the beginning of sorrows, have introduced an inextricable labyrinth of them, for now more than twenty years, there is good ground to trust Jesus Christ, that what he asserts to be signs of the last crisis will prove as correct as did those, which he assigned to mark the beginning of the disease. But their answer to all this has been long provided for them by that old fool, or what you please, St. Peter-'All things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation"-and Daniel has clinched this half driven in a sure place, by these words-"the wicked shall do wickedly and shall not understand." W. Gilbert.

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