True, a few men, conspicuous in the affairs of Government in various countries, have fallen by the hand of the assassin. The great Duke of Buckingham, when about to embark at Portsmouth, to put himself at the head of a new armament, fell by the dagger of Felton. Percival, when Prime Minister of Great Britain, was killed with a pistol-shot as he was approaching the door of the House of Commons. Henry the Fourth, the best king of France, was slain by the dagger of Ravaillac, when he was riding in his coach through the streets of Paris. Many of the Czars of the old Russian Empire were assassinated when their soldiers bristled in their armor on many a field. But when before in the annals of history was there a man at the head of a mighty Republic, who had so much simplicity of nature and kindness of disposition, who ruled to elevate and not to enslave, who was venerated and loved by millions of intelligent freemen, removed from the sphere of his earthly existence by an atrocious murder at the very moment he was being hailed the Deliverer of his Country?

Now that Abraham Lincoln is gone, let us put away all passion and prejudice, and recognize and honor the sublime virtues of his character. We shall not look upon him as belonging to this party or to that party, but as an American and a Christian, who, rising from poverty and obscurity to a position more eminent and glorious than that of a throne, by his own industry, talent, and virtue, has demonstrated to us the worth of our institutions. We shall call upon him, not as a Republican leader, but as an American citizen of a lofty purpose, a noble character, and a great heart, whose name will go down to unborn millions with an attractive splendor. Pure in every aim and aspiration, honest in every principle and measure, cheerful and benignant in the darkest days of the Republic, he carried himself forward in his work with a sublime grandeur. Just as Aristides, humble as Cincinnatus, humane and magnanimous as Constantine, he gained the confi

dence, the admiration, and the affection of the people. With his heart wedded to the attractive principles of justice and liberty; shaking hands with the humblest soldier and poorest bondman; having a word and a smile for all, even those in the lowest condition, he will pass into history as one of the greatest benefactors of the human race. With childlike trust in God, and with unwavering faith in the stability of democratic institutions, he toiled with a cool brain and a warm heart for the restoration of the Union, and the triumph of the Government. Oh! my afflicted countrymen, remember in this sad hour, he was an American; that he rose from among us to his eminent office, under the ægis of the Constitution, and there venerated God. Take up his red mantle this morning, and press it to your afflicted hearts, and weep as you look upon the noble form of an honest man, cold in death, who served us all in this awakening period to the best of his ability.

God, it seems from the revealments of history, when he has any great work to be accomplished for the good of the people, often chooses the humblest instrument. He calls his servant, stripped of all selfishness and arrogance, from the most obscure fireside, and guides and upholds him in a work which procures freedom, elevation, and happiness for the people. The simplicity and meekness of Abraham Lincoln, combined with his integrity and benevolence, gave an attraction to his character which won so many hearts. He will go down the dim aisles of the future with the torches of rejoicing flaming all around him, carried by four millions of a despised race from whose limbs he struck the chains!

And whilst this sorrow hangs upon every sect and party, upon every class and condition in the land, let us not despair of the Republic. The blood of the President will cement all sects and parties, and they will now stand like a tremendous barrier against

the under-currents of treason. In the presence of the murdered Chief, the entire North stands united this morning; and we believe the nation is stronger this moment than it has ever been since the commencement of the dire conflict. The rebellion is now so crushed under the iron heel of war, that it can never rise again and shake its gory locks at freemen.

The sparkling light of a new epoch is streaming upon us: the golden doors of a new era are opening to receive us. With firmness of purpose and concert of action we can, as a people, now rise to the loftiest summit of power and glory. Let us not be discouraged, nor waver in our duty in this hour; for we believe the present emergency will develop that knowledge of diplomacy, that willingness to endure, that readiness to obey, which shall make our people great in the eyes of all nations. But let us resolve, by homes desolated; by families broken up; by the heaped graves of a hundred battle-fields; by the pale forms of sixty thousand unconquered soldiers, who have wasted away in Southern prisons; by the precious blood of a million heroes; by the shocking murder of the President, whose broken body lies stiff and cold in the Capitol of our country to-day, that the Republic shall live, and that the flag shall wave in perfect triumph over every State in the Union!

Let us not be carried away by passion and feeling. This will only increase the waves on the sea of commotion. This will only swell these waves into billows of excitement, which will rock the old Ship of State. There is no power nor effectiveness in passion or feeling, uncontrolled and uncontrollable. The stream of water which makes the most noise in sweeping over the bed of its channel is the shallowest and weakest. But the stream of water which flows on calmly and serenely is deep and strong, and has power to turn a million wheels. Let not blind passion, but enlightened judgment, rule the hour, and then effective power will be wielded.

Let reason and conscience be listened to in their appeals; for one is the counsellor, and the other is the preacher, in every soul. We need in such a period as this the calmest deliberation and the highest judgment. Blind passion was a leading element in developing the French Revolution with its train of bloody scenes and frightful horrors. Enlightened reason, with a deep love of justice and liberty, was the guiding power of our fathers when they reared this Republic. Let their enlightened reason be ours, and with deep, calm feeling; with a strong, unbending purpose; with a firm, unwavering confidence in God, - we shall strengthen the Government, and bring order out of chaos. With every faculty, energy, and affection, consecrated in the cause of saving the country; with our hearts wedded to our beneficent institutions; with every act and word baptized in the living spirit of an intelligent purpose, the nation will rise with potency and grandeur. Then the great car of progress will keep the track, and every thing in the shape of treason or secession, that shall come in contact with it, shall be ground into powder.

Nature, yesterday, placed herself in harmony with the sorrowful condition of the people. The light of the sun was obscured by the dark cloud which gathered over the face of the heavens. The tears of nature mingled with the tears of the people, whilst the Genius of Liberty stood bleeding in the Capitol of the country. The sad face of Washington peered through the gloom and darkness of the firmament, and looked down with pity and tenderness on his afflicted children. And just so sure as the gloom and darkness of the firmament shall give way to light and glory,-light washing the feet of stooping constellations, and glory covering the mountains and the sea,- just so sure shall the gloom and sorrow of the people give way to the light and glory which the Almighty will bring to the nation in the birth of important

events.

The telegraph announced, that, after the Vice-President was sworn into his office as Chief Magistrate yesterday, he said, "The duties of the office are mine: I will discharge them, trusting in God." This is a blast from the trumpet, which strikes the right way, and sends a thrill through the heart of every American freeman. The first is a recognition of duty, amid the evils and dangers of the hour; the second is a reliance upon God, who guides the storm and holds the sea. If Andrew Johnson will only be faithful to duty, and rely upon the direction and power of God, the nation will sweep from the valley of desolation and darkness up to the mountain-top of eminence and glory. We believe he will; for a nation of enlightened and patriotic freemen will hold up his hands, encourage every noble effort, applaud every sublime virtue, and surround him, as it were, with a bulwark of sympathy. Millions of true hearts will pray for him, and millions of strong arms will assist him and his Cabinet, if necessary, to carry forward the Ark of Freedom. Performance of duty, and reliance upon God, will insure success and inaugurate a golden period of peace and prosperity.

The old Ship of State is on a troubled sea this dark morning. The mast is draped in the emblems of mourning, because her Commander lies dead in the cabin. The stars in the flag are obscured by the black crape, which speaks of the grief which weighs upon the heart, and of the gloom that hangs over the decks. She will outweather this storm of affliction, and will come into the harbor of safety and tranquillity with thundering wheels, breaking the waves and dashing them into foam, and her minuteguns firing their sad salute. May God, who commands the tempest and controls the sea, pilot the Ship of State in her tumultuous journey, causing the billows of commotion to subside!

We do not believe that God is indifferent to the sublime