Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-05-05
MIR. lNGERSOLL'S SERMON

MIR. lNGERSOLL'S SERMON.
A Serm' m preacisd on Fast Day. before The frs
Congregational Society," in burlington, Yer.
mint, by their minister, George G. Ingersol'
and published at their request-- Uuirersif,
Press, S. Fletcher, 1873
We had the pleasure Of listening to this adj
dress at the time of its delivery, and rejnice thai
Mr.. INGERsoLL has been induced to rive il I,
the public in more enduring form. 1t is writ.
ten IN the same calm, chaste, and elegant style
which forms so conspicuous feature in all the
productions of this gifted and polished writer
we regret that our limits restrict lis TO so breI
a notice of it at this time. The doctrina1 part o,
the discourse it is not of course our province to
DISCUSS. But we invite the particular attention
OF ell our readers to the following passages on
the subject of "publc transe ressions." They
are so just and apo site that every unpreiu.
diced man, and good citizen, to whatever party
he m1y belong, will acknowledge their truth.
'u'ness and force. And we are gratifed to hear
such sentiments proclaimed by gentleman
whose character and position, whose mild and
peaceful virtues, and whose transparent purity
OF heart aud life will give them weigh, and au.
thority in this community which they cannot de.
rive from the sanction OF any ciuilian however
high may be his claims to public regard.
while individual repentance is thus left, necessn.
rily with the individual, it may be said that there
should be common feeling and common effort
when We come to what the Proclamation terms pub
lie iransrressions. I, is however, far more difficult
mere to reach the true point. There is a want, not
tinn huf If DAFT f,ol,,
ma ter. Public transgressions' nstion,l sins and
expressions OF like import nre Set down rs mere phra
sss belonging TO Proc amntions and Fast sernons-
Few, if any apply them to themselves Sins that
an individual might bitterly repent or wher confined
TO himse'f he grow. indifferent about when shared
with others. And when those others swell into
multitude, he too Often f,iis to reoso 'lat he has
SON as in the a slraci and when they thus place
them on this convenient neutral ground as there is
no longer any individual mark upon them, there is
felt no individual responsibility and the matter
ends. Proclam1,ons and Ensi-sermons may be al!
very true and even good yet, when speaking Of pub
lie 'ransgressions 'hey must necessarily, be ad Tres.
sod to the public conscience, and this, with but too
many, Is merely anpposliion and theory
There is another cause that operates very pe,nici.
oisy upon repentance for public trnnsgrcssions'-
Suth ransgresslons become identified with public
measures or public men, and so become forbidden
topics. Or else, he who speaks Of them is considered
ms speaking the language of party, and then mparti-
atty can be testified only by silence. This will be
very evident. IT VIC consider for one moment, what
may be called, strictly public lransgresslons'
Look, N the first place, what has been well
named, the master curse of the world'-War. You
m1y SPEAK IN the most nnmeasured terms of its guilt
and horrors; yon may Iill up your solemn protest or
pour fourth your indignant feelings like a flood and
there shall be no frown 10 reprOve, no voice 10 con-
ira ct-if our own land be at peace But the sound
OF battle be heard within our own borders, them to
speak nsans, war, IS to speak against the existing ad
mlnstralion. Then, though the waters round our
shores be red with blood, and our fields b. fa,ened
with human feshio defend some wrcched mistake
or uphold that giering cheat falsely called nation
al honor-then. the slightest whisper about the guilt
and horrors OF Warts censurc upon the Governments
1t has been so,-and still is, in part-with regard to
| lntemperance. When the great moral movement of
the Temperance Reform was beginning its glorious
march VINO does not remember the cry against il, as
beng political measure in disguise. Nay, who does
not know how that cry is sometimes raised, even at
this day. II the sober, industrious par. of the com.
muntv-,hose who build us up, and make MS prospe-
r1us rs People-ask to be relieved from the burden
thai is LAID upon them by courts and jals and pool
houses, and street beggary-through intemperance.
Ii those who would not put drunkard on their bench
nor behind their counter, nor At their plough are un
wiling TO put such IN the nppermos seals Of judicial
legislative executive authority II those who would
not trust their private business with Incorporate men
say they canno consent to resign to such the man.
agemen Of public interests. Why, this is Party Ian
| gnage, and Party action, and must not be.
We may find another instance in that modern VIC.
| lation Of the good, whoes ome communication shnli
not steal passes under the name of Repudia.
ton. 4 classification and a vocabulary which is sun.
posed TO take such measure out of the moral code md
put il into the political So that he who should be
rather dull as 10 such nice distinctions md shout
/ think II 10 flavor, pretty strongly, of dishonesty.
might he told that he did not comprehend the matter
That Reputation IS not public iransg ression' only
n public enactment, and should he disapprove II
would be evidence only that he is of the opposing
! Party.
If we turn from such recen, public transpressions
to our standing national sin--Slavery-we shall find
precisely the same difficulty. You may condemn
slavery IN the abstract, for one thus approves OF
III and iii, could kept in the abstract appro val or
condemnation might lie alike indifferent. But you
you must not take 1t ont Of this for then it ceases to
be trangression and becomes an Institution. So
though your blood turn cold in your veins and your
very flesh creep upon you at atrocities of IT,
responsible power; though in The spiri, of Humanity
YOU would execra.e such outrage on human right =
though in the spirit of Patriotism you would remon.
srate agalns, such stain and such burden upon
our common country though in the spirit of Chris.
| taniy, you would weep at this crushing down of an
immir sou!-stll, be very careful wha, YOU saw
For your intended rebuke of sn may be construed AZ
interference with s'a'erigh's your righteous indg
nation for public trnnsgression sectional preiu
dice and your reverence for the eternal principles
Gods law as an infringement OF the Constitution.
In this way is the sense Of moral accountability
deadened ii not destroyed The exhort aiion and the
appeal are robbed of their ruth and might, and ever
il they be not listened TO mpaiientv 20 for nothing
as il the moral was sunk in the political, and the CHI
zen Of the State freed from allegiance TO the Divine
government But, deny II as We may, the words o
the proclamation are not unmeaning terms. There
are public transgressions, there national sins -
God, among his other relations, sustsins the charac
ter of Judge of men, King Of kings, and Ruler of the
nations Of the earth. These titles have meaning
and wo'unto the People which dares to despse il :
Far better f,r TO repeat the words OF one of our
own public men, i tremble for my country when
remember that God is just
The distinction between individual and public
tra,sgresslons is one that is commonly insisted on
II is snd, too, that as we shall not exist nation.
hereafter, there must be the divine visi for ma
tonal sins here. am not 81 aiied that the sepnra
ton between the two classes of ransgre ssons is nj
wide as some suppose. ! am not convinced thai in.