Official proceedings of the National Democratic convention, held at New York, July 4-9, 1868.: Reported by George Wakeman, official reporter of the Convention.

OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS OF THI
FIFTH DAY.
July 9, 1868.
The Convention met pursuant to adjournment, Hon. THOMAS L.
PRICE, of Missouri, in the chair.
The following prayer was offered by Rev. D. PLUMMER, of South
Carolina, -
Prayer.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts! Creation abounds in the monuments
and memorials of Thy being, wisdom, power, glory, justice, goodness, and
truth. Thy nature is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. Thou hast supreme
claims to our love and homage - our submission and thanksgiving. Thou
hast done great things for us, whereof we would make adoring mention.
Thou madest man a little lower than the angels; and when he had sinned
Thou didst provide a Redeemer. Thou hast also greatly favored our country.
In days gone by Thou didst bring a vine out of a distant land. Thou didst
cast out the heathen. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to
take deep foot, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow
of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her
boughs into the sea and her branches into the river. Why, then, hast Thou
broken down her hedges, so that all they who pass by the way do pluck her?
The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth
devour it. Return, we beseech Thee, 0 God of Hosts; look down from
Heaven and visit this vine. Thou hast for some time sorely afflicted us. The
grievousness of war was long upon us; countless myriads of our people, as
loving and magnanimous as those who survive them, permaturely sleep the
long sleep of death. If we went into the field, behold the slain! If we went
into the city, behold Rachael weeping for her children, and refusing to be
comforted because they were not. Our great men have conceived chaff and
brought forth stubble. Our land is full of widows and orphans. Even stout
hearts among us have often been ready to fail for looking after those things
which were thought to be coming upon us. We have hoped for succor, and
behold sadness; for salvation, and behold perplexity. Thou that dwellest be tween the cherubim, shinest forth before all our tribes, stir up Thy strength
and come and save us. Feed us no longer with the bread of tears. Let the
love and fear of God rule all hearts. Let us cease from man, whose breath
is in his nostrils. Let us no more pervert our blessings to the nourishing of
our personal or national vanity, nor to malevolence, worldliness, or ungodli ness. Compass our land with Thy power, as with a shield. Let not our
bruise be incurable, nor our wound immedicable. Let our children be as
aforetime, and our people be established before Thee. Be not Thou as a mall
as to need, as a mighty man that cannot save. Implant and nourish in all our
people a genuine love of country. Purely purge away our dross, and take
away our sin. Thou only canst heal our breaches, or make us dwell in safety.
Let not lots again be cast for our honorable men, nor our great men be bound
with chains. Feed our hungry, clothe our naked; make the wi(low's heartto
.sing for joy; in Thee let the fatherless find mercy; pity all who are tossed
with tempest and not comforted; let not the rod of the wicked rest upon the
lot of the righteous. Thou, blessed and only Potentate, canst make men to
be of one mind and of the same judgment. 0 Thou, whiclh has showedt us great
and sore troubles, wilt Thou not quicken us again, and bring us up again from
these low depths? Do Thou, the glorious Lord, be unto us a place of broad
rivers and streams, wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant
ship pass thereby. Let the future history of our government be as a morning
without clouds. Let our sun no more go down, nor our moon refuse to give
her light. Let North and South, East and West, henceforth see eye to eye,
feel heart to heart, andjoin inseparable bonds in love and peace, with joy and
singing. And to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise Go(l, our
Saviour, be lonor and glory, dominion and power, salvation and blessing,
through Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen and Amen.
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