(206) Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, by HARPER & BROTHERS, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. 882 CONTENTS. V. THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST (Heb., vii., 25).................................................. 109 VI. LOVE, THE FULFILLING OF THE LAW (Matt., xxii., 34-40).. 135 IX. THE LONG-SUffering of God (1 Tim., i., 16)............. X. THE PATIENCE OF GOD (Mic., vii., 18.)............................. Preached in Zion Church, Charleston, S. C., April 16, 1865. [Mr. Beecher, who went to Charleston to deliver the address on the occasion of raising the flag over Fort Sumter, gave subsequently to his own Church the following account of the circumstances under which this discourse was preached. "There was one church in which I ministered myself. It was my privilege to preach in Charleston on Sunday morning at Zion Church-the African church. About three thousand people were there. Enough of them were white to say that there were white people there. There were a number of officers, and a few strangers present; but the great body of the house was filled with the intelligent part of the colored population of Charleston. I know not that I shall ever preach with such sensations again. I have preached about slaves and slavery; but to stand in the midst of such a great audience, and feel, "Here they are, and they are now come to life and to light," struck me through with such sensations as I never had before. "One little incident was peculiarly charming to my feelings. I gave out, for the second hymn, 'Daughter of Zion, from the dust "You will find it to be an almost perfect description of Charleston itself. There sat, four or five pews in front of me, seven or eight old men that attempted to choir it-for they were going to be respectable, and sing as white folks do. I did not go to hear them sing so: I went to hear black folks sing in their own way, and was thirsty for the old negro melodies, the wild, wailing, half-chant tunes which I had heard so much about. But I got only church music in the first singing. I was obliged to line out the words. I repeated again, 'Daughter of Zion, from the dust and looked down to see if they were going to sing; and, while these men were getting ready. there broke out on my left the voice of a young maiden, apparently twelve or thirteen years of age, in one of their characteristic plantation melodies. She went through the first line before another voice was heard. Every body looked at his neighbor in surprise. On the next line a few voices joined hers. And on the next about a third of the audience took up the hymn and sang it to the end. I know not whether this young maiden thought that I had called her when I said 'Daughter of Zion' [laughter], but the style of singing in which she led off was just what I wanted to hear."] |