The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-08-06
THE DAILY DISPATCH.

u H..
SUBSTANCE OF A SERMON.
Def'reTed at the African Church, July 25th,
1852, By the Pastor,
Rev. ROBERT RYLAsD. a
Thou Shalt not Kin -Exopus 20: l3.
ne thought has sometime occurred TO me
.na. I ought to preach sermon against the
crime OF murder. Again it has seemed to be
needless. Il might even be regarded as an in
o'gnity 10 the congregation to discuss at large
such topic: And besides, those persons who
commit snch crimes are rarely found in the
mouse OF God, and the truth would fail to be.
nent those for whom il was intended Recent
ssen's nave convinced me. however, that these
oo?eetlons are futile, and that duty Eequires me
70 inuoduce this subject TO your solemn atten.
walls to worship Almighty God. most del;h.
craze and atrocious murder has been inflicted
On an innocent, unsuspectng famiiy-within
the naiiowed precincts Of their own chamber
anu IN manner the most cruel and revolving
that can be conceived. blush 10 add that this
horrible deed was committed by members or
member OF this church! In addition TO the
ordinary grounds of sorrow-sueh as the loss
to society of esteemed citizens-the value of
human life-and the rupture of the sacred ties
OF kindred and friendship, there are some Pc
occurrence of this tragic event.
1t will excite strong prejudices against this
church, and tend to endanger your religious
privileges. There are many warm friends to
your spiritual improvement in this communi-
ty. Persons of kind and conscientious feelings
of every creed and of no creed, often ask me
concerning your behavior in the house of wor.
ship, and show an interest in your hig hest
happiness. 1t is not 10 be denied that there
are others who look with suspicion on your
separate organization, aud who would not re-
gret to see it wholly destroyed, aud your in
struction confined to the very small number
who could crowd into the side galleries Of the
city churches. Now every case Of crime COM
mitted by the members of this chureh-how-
ever orderly the great body OF them may be-
tends to confirm this prejudice and to disturb
your quiet and delightful worship.
1t will increase the striciness of discipline
to which you are subject in the family, in the
from the State authorities. 1t is well un-
derstood maxim that the growth of vice aug
ments the rigor of law-that refractory subjects
cause rulers to be more exaciing. / give you
all warning, therefore, that in your respective
spheres OF life you will have to be more etedi-
ent and submissive for the future than you
have ever been heretofore, or else you will
bring upon yourselves serious troubles. God
has given this country to the white people,
They are the faw-makers-the masters-the
superfors. The people of color are the sub
jects-lhe servants-and even when not in
bondage, the interiors. In this slate of things,
God enJons ON you submission. The Apostle
Paul teaches Titus to ''exhort servants to be
Obedient to their own masters, aud TO please
them well in all things, not answering again,
not purloining, tstealing, but showing all good
kdelity, that they may adorn the doctrine Of
God our Saviour in all things" To fimothy
he says, "Let as many servants as are under
the yoke count their own masters worthy Of
all honor. that the name of God and his doc
trine be not blasphemed. And they that have
believing masters, let them not despise them,
because they are brethren, but rather do their
service, because they are faithful and beloved;
partakers of the benefit. These things teach
and exhort. Ii any man teach otherwise, and
consent rot to wholesome words, even the
words Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the
doctrine which is according to Goodness, he
is proud, knowing nothing, bat doaIing Il. e.
making himseK q fool) about questions and
sirifes Of words, whereof cOmeth every strife,
ratings, evil surmisings, peFverse dispuiings
Of men of corrupt minds, and destitute Of the
truth, supPosi"g, that gain is godliness-iron
such Withdraw thyself" So Paul taught his
sons Timothy and Titus to preaeh-und so he
teaches me to preach. But suppose the Bible
were silent on the subject, would not reason
point out the same course as most conducive
TO your safety 0Sd happsaess2 hnevery eoun-
try where there are distinct classes and grades
of society, if conflict arises between the
strong and the weak, do you not kno~ that
the weak must be overpowered! Is it not thea
the wisest policy tif there were no principle
involvedl to aveid such confict by subms.
IL sk,e and To
be crushed? While, therefore, il is the duty
of other ministers to inculcate kindness and
on the masters, it is nay duty
charged as am in the providence OF God with
your inslrucfion-tO urge you to kROU and TO
keep your O,0m plaes-the place of submission.
Buf YOU say, "Mr. K. is pre aching now tor the
good of the white people," NJ! am preach
ing for your especial benefit. Ii is very true
that my counsel TO you viii, 1t followed, prove
beneficial TO the whites, but this collateral
an inc idenial benefit My primary object ia
your temporal and eternal good. And they
are your best friends who tell you plainly
W hat Scripture and reason both teach, that
yoar only safety and happiness consist in be-
ing ''suhject to the higher powers" See Ro-
Sans Is: !, 2.
Let us proceed now to the consideration OF
,he text Thou shalt rot XII. This is one
Of the great radical commands OF GUd-one OF
the fundamental precepts OF morality. Ii was
given to Moses by the Almighty under the most
impressive circumstances. land II came 10
pass on the third day in the morning that there
were ,hunders and lighinings and u thick cloud
upon the mount, and the voice Of the trumpet
exceeding loud, SO that all the people that was
in the camp trenbled. And Moses brought
forth The people ou, Of the camp to meet with
God, and they stood at the neither tlower) part
OF the mount. And Mount Sinai was altogeih-
er on a smoke, because the Lord descended
upon il in fire; and the smoke thereof ascend
ed as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole
mount quaked greatly" Such was The solem.
niiy win which God gave 10 the lsraelites, and
to The world, this great command THOU
SHALT NOT KILL" ltis not pecuiiart TO the Did
Testament, il is reaffifmed and strengthened in
the New. II is not even peculiar 10 revealed
religion. Every system Of natural theology
every code of laws that the civilized world has
adop,ed-the light OF nature in its darkest
iofm--lhe teachings OF the most degraded sa-
vages-all unite to forbid the crime Of murder.
/. Human life the most sacred OF all Things.
God is, in the highest sense, its author, and,
kx