1 I U l-l LJ I- 
 
 t53b 
 
No 84. 
 
 A TRACT FOR THE SOLDIER 
 
 UY RKV. J. A. PROCTOR. 
 
 1 i'RESLME you have a leisure hour. If 80, it may Imj 
 inkjreetino; to you to peruse a few tlioughts which I pur- 
 TH)se to set down iu simple language and address to you. 
 Fivery soldier of our OonfedeTaoy in an object of great 
 interest to those for wiiom he if* fighting. Sometimes tJ^ie 
 soldier is disposed to doubt this. Letters from home 
 come but seldom : his name is not mentioned iu tlie 
 ne^vspaper ; he sees hirasellf as only one of a great mul- 
 titude, "lost like a drop iu the boundless main," and 
 he concludes tiiat he is uncarod for and well-nigh for- 
 gotten. Soldier, this is not so. There are but few iu 
 our whole country who art; not anxiously concerned in 
 regard to your con<lition. Compared with our entire 
 ]»opulafrion, there are but few heartless speculators, and 
 there are hardly any whose hearts arc in sympathy with 
 the Yankee . Government. All the rest of -our people 
 feel a constant solicitude for the brave soldiers who are 
 enduring hardships,- and fearlessly facing the danger* 
 of the battle-iield, in defence of Southern honor and 
 Southern ^'ights. They are concerned for your bodily 
 condition. AV hen they meet around the table to share 
 the food with which a kind Providence has supplied 
 them, they think of your scanty and hard fare, and 
 would joyrully divide their portion wii^i you. When 
 the winii-v winds are h»wling around thoiv dwellings, 
 
2 i. TRACT FOR THE SOLDIER. 
 
 iuui the raiu pours down in torrents, or tJve buow is cor- 
 enng tho earth and chilling the air, tliey remember th^ 
 poor soldiers who are exposed to it'all, and would gladly 
 protect them from the storm. To hear that any of our 
 soldiers fire without blankets, or -clothing, or shoee, ssnda 
 a pang to ever? true Southron's heart. Our people 
 know that yf.u have eneugh to suffer even when best 
 provided for, and I ara very greatly mistaken if they 
 will nut do all in their power to make your condition as 
 conifurtahie us your circumstnnces will admit. 
 
 But, soldier, your people at home are not merely con- 
 cerned for your bodilv c*>ndition, they are concerned far 
 your moral ami f^pirituai welfare. ^ Not all, it i^ true, 
 who are interost«.'d in your physical well-being are care- 
 ful of your rolip,iou3 condition, )mt there are thousands 
 at home who h:A the deepes^^ Juterest in this subject, 
 while they are not forgetful of the former. There are 
 Mothers here, who, in the fear of God and in tlie faith of 
 the Oofipel, are pending up earnest prayers to heaven 
 for the sons whom God has given tliomi They are pray- 
 ing not oiily that Go<l may protect their boys in the day 
 of ])attle and from the diseases of the camp, but that 
 Ho will pre.servc them from the \iccs of the army, and 
 makt) themniprigiit, honoralde, high-minded Christian 
 men. Soldier, liavt you a wdiher? There are fathers 
 and sisters here, who liave brothers and sons in the field, 
 believe in God, that daily and ferventh' pray for God's 
 , ypiritual blessings on their brothers and sons in the ar- 
 my ; and the Churcli of Christ, in all its branches, feeb 
 this solicitude pressing on its great heart a mighty 
 weight of responsibility. From, every congregation in 
 tlie land, fervent sx^ppheatiijns for blessings on the army 
 ape sent up every Saobath i and in ?he stillness of the 
 closet, at morning, noon and evening of every day, the 
 prayers of the Sabbath are earnestly repeated, Socit^ 
 ties'have been organi-ze-i for ih^ especial purpo^o of pro* 
 
A TRACT FOR THE SOLDIEn, 3 /pj,^ 
 
 ;« /r>; 
 
 motine the i-eligious interests of the soldier ; holy, God- i? 53 
 foari^ men have been employed to act as colporteurB, 
 and thout*aads of religious tracts are being daily distri- 
 buted in the hospitals and in the camps. It is a matter 
 of dewut thunk'Hcrivinp; to Almip;hty God that all this 
 lnt*>rest has mtt bocii manifested in vain. Ch.t'eriug ae- 
 <^>tmt8 of relictions revivals come in fr(»m almost every 
 department of the army. It i*^ not extravagant to .^lay 
 that thousands of soldiers, Avho Avere nncoTjcerned be- 
 fore, have b(H^n oonvort-ed to («od sinco this war Itegan. 
 Some of these are now giving to adorn the doetinues of 
 the 8a\'iour, and sunie of ihenv are tilling soldiers' graves; 
 but they died in the trjmiiphs of a .Saviour's love. 
 
 Soldier, you have wituest^od this iutore^'t in your spir- 
 itual welfare. Yon have seen the colporteur in his dai- 
 ly rounds, and you have read some of t!ie tracts : but- 
 let me ask you how -has the exhibition of- this interest ' 
 on the pavt of your friends at homo affected you ? 
 
 The writer of these lines is to you» soldier, an un- 
 known stranger. Your eyes .and his, it is probable, 
 nevi^r met. You may never see lilm until tlje eouflict« 
 and storms of worldly life are over. But as he writes 
 these lines he feels the sympathies of a common kin- 
 dnnl, and his heart moves witliin him in strong desire 
 t-) do you good. Come, then, and let us reason togeth- 
 er, for a little season, on tliis moHt important concern 
 Uiat relates to man. I shall ask you one «piestion, which 
 I hope yon will patiently consider. I can not hear your 
 ansvrcr : but God is ever near you : His eyes behold 
 you, and his ears midorstand tlw voioeles-s hiJ\guage of 
 your heart. 
 
 Ay^ you a Chrisiian^ I'erhap.s you ansAver, yr.-<. — 
 You look back to the time when your soul first felt th(^ 
 pt^ace of God. It was a happy day. If I were with 
 you to-day it would give me pleasure to hear you recount 
 tbe eonaforts of that blest oecafilon. It is well to speak 
 
4 . A TRACT FOR THE SOLDIER. 
 
 often of the time of our couveraion. If uu liav^ no 
 hearer.s who will take an interCvSt in the story, we should 
 at least meditate upon it in our own hearts. If you 
 have been ia God's service long, j^ou have no doubt oft- 
 en felt refreshed by singing that aweet hymn of T>r. 
 Doddridge, beginning : 
 
 Oh, happy day that fixed my choice ^ 
 
 On Thee, my Saviour and my God. 
 
 Well may this glowing heart rejoice, 
 And tell its raptures ay abroad. 
 
 It must be especially pleasant to the soldier who was 
 converted at home to call up the memory of that day. 
 He goes back to the church where his fathers worship- 
 ped — " forms and faces" of dearly loved ones, which 
 perhaps " he shall see no more,'"* stand up before him, 
 and cTOwd around him — and for a moment he imagines 
 that the war is ended and the endearing associations of 
 former life returned. But mv friend let me call you 
 away from this pleasing meditation, tb remind j'ou that 
 YOU have had many strong temptations and many torri- 
 })\q struggles with the the enemy of souls since you first 
 became a Christian, and to assure you that, in all pro- 
 bability, if you live much longer, you will have many 
 more. Oh, be strong for the coming conflicts. Prepare 
 yourself by reading God's holy word, frequent meqitft- 
 tions and earnest prayers. 
 
 The boatman's oar may pause upon the galley. 
 The soldier sleep beneath his plumed crest, 
 
 And peace may fold h«r wing o'er hill and valley, 
 But thou, oh. Christian, must ndt take thy rest. 
 
 As a good soldier, in your country's service, yoxx "on-, 
 dure bardnese" — sometimes advancing, sometimes re- 
 it^ftating, i*ometiraes without food and tsometiraes exposed 
 
 storm and cold, sometimes ia health and sometim&s 
 
A TRACT FOR THE SOLDIER. 5 
 
 sick — but {itwaya, witli uneonquercd will, your watch- 
 word 13 " liberty or deiith/' 80 likewise, a« the soldier 
 of Jesus Christ, you must },>e firm and strong. Hold 
 fast to your profession, maintain your integrity, trust 
 in the living God. If you fall, be not utterly cast down, 
 but rise up, and in the jianic of Jesus, who lives in Hea- 
 ven to intercede for his tempted followers, determine to 
 try again. May G-od help yon, Christian soldier, to 
 ' ' tight the good light of faith, and huf bold on eternal 
 life!" 
 
 Perhaps your answer i?, I was onct a Christian. Poor 
 backslider ! While battling with carnal wea|X>n8 against 
 the enemy of your country, you have been unmindful 
 of the secret stratagems of the great adversary of souls. 
 You are to-day " led captive by Satan at hia will." The 
 " strong man arm»<i" has bound you, and you feel pow- 
 erles.s and helpless. I do not reproach you. If you 
 ever retlect on the past, you have enough to oppress yon 
 without any word from man. 
 
 You romeml>€r the day of your conversion, the conso- 
 lation you found in religion, the peace which paseeth 
 understanding, and the joy which is unspeakable. You 
 remember the joy of your friends when you told them 
 t:hat God was gracious, and the solemn vows and prom- 
 iises you then made to your Heavenly Father. But what 
 a change since then! Your vows are broken, your 
 fi-iends have been disappointed, the joy of your heart 
 has ceased, and you are without hope and without God. 
 But what Avill you do? It must be a hard, lot to load 
 the life of a backslidden Christian. You cannot forget 
 the past ; your hopes of Heaven and your fears of Hell 
 — conscience is ever at work, bringing all these things to 
 your remembrance. What will you do? Soldier, let 
 me lead you back to the Saviour ! Like Peter, you have 
 denied the blessed Jesus, but He looks on you to-^ay 
 and says goatly *'com« ba«k." 11* is able to iavt yuu 
 
t> A TRACT rOR THE aOLr>IEB. • 
 
 He is 6tr»ngei' than " the strong man armed/" Ue has 
 saved thousands as bad as you. He is wilUug to save 
 you. He died on the cross to manifest hie love. David, 
 and Peter, and thousands like them, departed from God, 
 hut coming to Jesus found him a precious Saviour •"?till. 
 This vrorld can not satisfy you ; .it. wiif ?<oon be gone. — 
 Oh, why not come }>ack to God, so that when your flesh 
 and heart" shall fail, He may be the strength of 3'our 
 heart and your portion forever. If j^ou continue as yvu 
 are, 3'our life must be raisoral>le, and dying, you vrill 
 have no hope. Oh, tliat our merciful God may help you 
 to return I 
 
 Bat it may be, soldier, that you answer my question 
 with this language: *' I atn not a Christian."' What 
 are you then V A mariner on a stormy ot^^an, without 
 a compass and without a star ; a .pilgrim in a dreary 
 wilderness, without a fiither and \7ithout a home; a 
 skm^i'i' horn to die, and without a Saciour I Why are you 
 not a Christian? Perhaps yon have never tried to an- 
 .svrer that question. That you are not a Chiis.iaa is 
 not because it is not to your advanfago to be ojie, not 
 because you have not been invited ; n^t because you 
 have not had opportunity, nor because you have never 
 felt the necessity of being a Christian. Why, then, let 
 me ask, are you not a Christian ? I will answer thif? 
 
 Question for you, and I pray God that tlie truth which 
 shall now tell you may be saniitifhni to your gOvXl ! It 
 u? becau.'se you har>c been lulkd info a deathlike shwibe)' 
 by the enemy of souls. As the ship-master came to Jo- 
 nah, so_ come I to you! " What -meanest thou, oh, 
 sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God!" It is passing 
 strange that you should have lived so long in this land 
 of Gospel light, without being greatly ooaceru^d foy 
 your soul's salvation. The earth beneath and around, 
 you, and the sky above you, have told you of God ; your 
 soul is conscious of its own existence and of ita imtnor- 
 
i. TRACT FOR TBTB SOLDIlJt. 7 
 
 talitY; and the Bible lylie you that your ftiture Ptornal* 
 4e8tiny depends upon your ac^^eptanoe or rejection of 
 the tenn? of the Gospel. " How i? it that vou have no 
 faith r 
 
 - Soldier I lot mo iuvite you to become a Christian. 
 Vou doubtless remomber that you have heard this invi- 
 tation before now. In the church, at home, your min- 
 ister has often urged you to give your heart to God. 
 Perhaps a fond mother lias wept over her wandering 
 boy, and urii;ed the ^-amo request. Sifiterts, fair and p;cu- 
 tlc, — "li, how you would love to hear their voices to-^layl 
 — have entreated y(;>u to bo reconciled to God. You have 
 not yielded. You ure siill .sleeping — sinning still. Oh, 
 put oil' your return ro God no longer. By the shortness 
 of time and the unoevtainty of life, I urge you to re- 
 pent. Many ^^earij of your liuie are already past, and 
 your heart, m its throbbings, is beating your funeral 
 march to the grave. At be-^t you eon expect the years 
 of your pilgrimage to })e o)ily ' three *3ore yeare and 
 t«n." IIow feAV live out the full measure of their days 1 
 But these nre times of violence. Ilnndreds have iiillen 
 on your right liand and on your left. You have seen 
 them die. Xeitber youth n»jr strengrh could save them. 
 The enemy still tbreatens--. lie h i-ruel as the grave. — 
 Other fields must oe made red with human gore, Sol- 
 dierr, yon majf j'n.U. Oh, be prepared : and then, living, 
 you will be brave— and dying, you w411 fall a bk\v,<c«d 
 martyr I But 1 ur^e you to recent on other grounds, 
 TheUove of Jesus should induce you to be religious. 
 He loved you and gave himself for you,' On the cros.s 
 he suft'ered a bitter tigony and died to redeem your soul. 
 Will you let him di^ in vain? He loves you 'still, and 
 iis now interceding for you in Heaven. How matchless 
 is this \o\e,—pltad(ng love for rebellious man I Oh, 
 soldier, believe that he loves you ] it will restrain you 
 fVom sin, it will bind you t^^ the cr»;^s-. it will nooihQ 
 
3 A TRACT FOR THE SOLDIER. 
 
 your aching he>art. 1 might Bay mor© to jwu on tki* in- 
 terefitiiig subject, but perhaps I h«vo alreadv 6Hxed you 
 long enough. I now commend you " to (iocl and th« 
 word of hisi grace which is able to build you vjp and 
 give you an inheritance among the saints in liffht.'^ If 
 you are willing to become a Cliristian, be not afraid tliat 
 Christ will cast you off. "Whoso cometh unto me; I 
 will in no wise cast out," is the blessed promise which 
 he makes to every pinner. Come to him by for.sakinp; 
 your ains, by belies ne his word and trustinjy in. it, and 
 by earnest. prayer f r nis atoning mercy. Now, as you 
 read, you may give up your poor lieart to Goil. Woiild 
 you know how to approach Ilim ? Let this be your lan- 
 guage : 
 
 Just as I am, without one plea, 
 But that thy biood was shed for mc, 
 And that thou bid'st me cometo thee, 
 Oh, Lamb of ^<.k1, I come I 
 
HoUinger Corp. 
 pH8.5