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But the work to be done must not stop here.
Men's lives must be reformed.
Those who are living in disregard of the laws of God are public enemies — more to be dreaded than our foe. The drunkard, the debauchee, the extortioner, the man who grows rich upon the vices of others, the profane swearer, the Sabbath-breaker, the adulterer, the liar, the brawler, the man-slayer, the thief, are all to be classed together as sinners against God, as those who help to make up this aggregate of national sin, of which our rulers call upon us to repent-and only the guilty sinners themselves can so repent as to make sure of the Divine favor.
Such were the truthful and stirring appeals that sounded from pulpit and press before and upon the day of fasting and prayer.
We have taken the pains to record them in order to show that deep and earnest religious spirit which pervaded the
South at every period of our struggle.
Among the cheering signs of good among the soldiers was their earnest desire to procure Bibles and Testaments, or any part, indeed, of the Word of God.
In the close of the winter,
Rev. E. A. Bolles,
General Agent of the
Bible Societies in
South Carolina, said, in speaking of his work:
Three months ago I commenced the work of distribution among the soldiers on our coast under the auspices of the Executive Committee of the South Carolina Bible Convention.. During this time several thousand copies of the Scriptures have been given away to needy and grateful soldiers, and thousands of copies are yet needed to meet the demand.
I may safely say that twenty thousand copies are needed for distribution among the soldiers on the coast.
I therefore earnestly appeal to the benevolent for funds to procure the Scriptures, so that the good work so successfully begun may be continued until every destitute soldier is supplied with the Word of Life.
