Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1841-11-13
From the New York sunday Mercury.
SHORT PATENT SERMON.
The following words 0y Mrs. Sisourney, will
compose my text for this OCCASION:
AhlwlaI avails, Will giant power

e'N'.'' 49, -AAAs tvNtI
l'"rcst the trophies hour;
Que moment VINE with sptrSllug eye,
Our name casilc tuUCls high,
Aud yiyii. ihr next hroScu trust,
To earth, 10 ashes, AMI TO lust.
Mr. HENREEs-lt makes q persons supper 81,
cold and heavy on his stomach and sink, line Their
m'meter OF hls spirits below zero, 10 "a Ct upon
what we have al 20. 10 last: to tnInk that
when the strings OF vitality are snapped End ne,,
contents spilled upon the ground, what a pretty
mess we shl, make at II Earth ama,ramalsd
with earth, just ming ed with dust, anc ashes utn-
tined with ashes, compose The mound OF moulderlny
mortaiisy, n when tut PuieSt virtue and the ri
thiest OF vice ace compounded tcge,hsr without re-
gard 10 the value OF tie ono OF the worhessness
OF the other. !, Is melancholy, my friends TO me-
slate upon this pa,try pile O! DIRT, from which we
mortalS were moulded, and 10 when we must final
y return; aud yet Is fl that we should now and
then squander few thoughts tts suui ect in or
der that naughty Prte may sometimes LOOK down
ward towards the tomb, and climbing Ambition
measure the distance II has to fall from the tower
ing steePIe o; fame 10 Inc sepu.chre that yawns at
its Dc.
An. my dear friends! you have all got to come to
the scratch at last. The grave IS the common re-
csplacie Tor e.! that mass OF corruption which the
soul IS Desired to dog about for a time over the
hl!s and the rocks through the mud aud the storms
OF precltIous existence; and into this repository
Tor the refuse Of humanity sou must all be dumped,
sooner or .aier, ty thar ulrlcaUt OF Deah which we
SO often have seen standing al the doors ORE atyes
TRENDS and Gcquantarces; and we know not how
soon i may halt 10 receive a shovel iul or two Of
dust mat has once been alive IN our MANSIONS. At
the farther extremity OF Iie's wandering vale is a
dark secluded spot, surrounded by the gloomy UNI
uraEe OF the weeping willow ana the mourning cy-
press, with small aperturGs to admit few cheering
rag from the sun oil INN r,ailty. Here Is written
up1n slab OF marble and IN IesibIe characters
The Dsat'-bsd Of GGriiy and The end Of .inbiirOn;'
and al this oroddlug spot, eve y poor morlu. must
eventually be robbed OF all he ever possessed, save
that bright jewel OF Hope winch lie is permitted to
carry with him into the kingdom OF everlasting
glory. What else, | ask, Is corporal portion GOOD
Tor, when the SOUL that preservatiye principle, has
orsaken ioreveT' IL Is doomed TO decay and return
10 us o-gna! dust; and dust, after a l. is nothing
more than dJst-no matter how holy and sacred are
the associations that connect IL with that which is
now living IN cohlbliatiOn with mind and feeling.
And advise you, my friends, not TO eHpend 10
much money, no, 10 sacrifice great amount OF mo-
raty, for the sake Of bodily appearance; tor depend
upon Il, there is something IN man, which, ike an
oyster, Is great deal better than It looks 10 be; and
AL the outward attractions you can btSlow upon IL
will prove 10 be Of no more value IN the end Than
an application Of gold leaf TO the shells OF said oys-
tiers.
What, then, my friends can human eIer,ions
nynf Nothing at ell, answer for the want Of an
echo. The night deUs of the grave are sure 10
axe out all the starch from the stiff cickeys of
Pnje-Amblton must get down from IT'S stills ond
crawl, Ike reptile, beneath che turf that now at
lords shelter for worms and the vest Of earhs YER
mIn-whIle blast from the trumpe, of Fame will
/ be as dead i failure ns broken pair OF bellows
purhng NJ the pEosphOrescent glow Of a purified
shad. You may, with the nerve and power OF
giant wrest from the world and appropriate 10 your
selves the bright ond valuable trophies Of an hour
but they ot use so long as Death runs rabfj
among US, unmuL'ed, and uncontrolled by fear TO
/ favor. You may, one moment, climb to the very
up-iop OF the tower Of TcnOwn, ard write there
your names m letters Of gold 10 be read and reyer
cd ~ nI, and psh'ps ere that moment has scarce
! ly down, down you will 90 like lot of china
| broken, smlshcJ, and desroyed-not worth the
putty required 10 patch the pieces together again.
Yes, my friends, Death will have his prey-and
there's no use 10 your trying 10 manufacture wings
with which to escape IN heaven; Tor the body Is m
for nothing but 20 be mil ed over again IN the grave
% assist ~ the manIilcUre Of generations that are
yet to be exhibited upon the stage OF posteriiy.
Ny he1rers-NOu may bait your hooks with
beluiy-ash ai'sr fame, or angle IN the troubled
waters OF ambition az much MS you pelse-but re.
col ect that the fish y0u ;hu5 each, although sweet
TO The taste, are full Of ue bones and Troublesome
to mastlca'e. You had bette. thJo~ out your lines,
INTO the calm lake Oihumanity, and 90 sI"nc !s1en
with praise as well us perch; 50 when az last vop
are yourselves caught IN The net Of Dea'h, he can
mel her sly, have caught sucker shark nor a
scuhoH' Aiany rate, you are oil rapidly approach
ing the common goal 10 which the muirI'ndes Of
earth are Fastening with the fight Of flock Of nj.
ge"ns. 1nd advise you 10 choD.e for yourselves
winch OF the two routes Is the bcst-itat which
'eods over the mountains, through thorns and be.
sides ihe dangerous rrsrlpces u ambition, or th,t
when is PLAN, smooth and hpwery-the ptth Of
humri'y and yluuc-which gently declines 10 the
tHmo, and grows more lovely and pleasant az you
journey IN ITS course. S' mote % hei Dow, ia.